Several articles appeared today in the OD about the Herkimer County wind farm projects. The articles suggest that the debate is focused on the need for renewable energy vs visual impacts to and diminution in value of neighboring properties. However the articles understate the extent of the negative impacts.
If wind energy was cheap, and if the host communities would benefit from same, there would be little concern. That is because people are willing to put up with some visual blight and inconvenience if they know they will benefit. Unsaid here, however, are the facts that the power these wind farms would produce is neither cheap nor needed by the communities and counties hosting the facilities. Upstate, we are relatively awash in power. Therein lies the real problem.
Power produced here will benefit people living elsewhere. Not only will the wind farms' immediate neighbors suffer impacts, but so will everyone living along the route of the power lines that become necessary to take the electric "product" to "market." The impacts are not only visual, but also economic (in that properties along the way will lose significant value) and potentially to human health.
So, "divide and conquer" becomes a potential strategy for anyone wanting to put up a power line. Dangle the prospect of making lots of money in front of potential wind farm landowners and you produce supporters of power lines. Of course, with a windfarm-powerlines setup, there will be some winners and many losers if purely market forces are left to control.
This is why we need government: to regulate behavior to maximize the number of winners and minimize the number of losers. If the windfarm-powerline connection was recognized, it might be possible to set up a regulatory scheme where such facilities are located where they will create the least amount of harm -- and perhaps provide compensation for those unavoidably affected.
But no one in government is leading the way. Herkimer County amazingly is planning on PILOTing these projects (agreements to encourage their development by reducing their taxes). If Herkimer County feels it is getting a benefit from these projects, then it is justified in providing the agreements. However, Herkimer County should then be expected to take its fair share of the impacts by accepting the alternative route for the NYRI power line that would pass through its southern towns.