Renewable Energy Project Proposal Causes Stir in Springfield

By DAN SULLIVAN
SPRINGFIELD

The Towns of Stark, Warren and Springfield are included in the proposed New Leaf Stark 1 and Stark 2 Wind Farm project, encompassing more than 400 acres across the three towns. Last week, on consecutive nights, the Towns of Springfield and Stark held regular meetings during which the dominant topic was the project. Both meetings were well attended, and the prevailing sentiment among the public at both was in opposition to the project.

New Leaf Energy has proposed to erect two 650-foot turbines in the Town of Stark, with a nameplate rating of 10 Megawatts (5 MW). According to the project materials, one of the turbines would be placed some 72 feet from the Springfield town line. At the stated height, these structures would be the highest in all of Upstate New York and would interfere with the viewshed of at least one National Register of Historic Places site, the Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville.

But that’s only the beginning of the complex issues surrounding this project.

Any action in New York that involves land use is subject to State Environmental Quality Review. To comply with this law, a municipal body—such as a planning board—assumes Lead Agency status to complete the review. The Town of Stark took this role on, despite the fact that it does not have a Planning Board. The Town of Springfield, for its part, did not participate in the review, even though the largest portion of acreage in the project is in Springfield. While the proposed turbines are to be placed in Stark, one is very close to Springfield, and any ice throw, blade damage or other accident could potentially impact the town.

At the Public Hearing in Stark on November 14—which was not properly noticed in Springfield, according to officials—several voices were raised in opposition to the project. Multiple comments were directed at the flawed environmental review, which has led to a Draft Environmental Impact Statement that is reportedly even more flawed.

Criticism of the review, along with other complaints about the project, dominated both meetings. The entire Stark Town Board attended Springfield’s meeting. Also attending both meetings was a delegation from Holy Trinity Monastery. Very Rev. Archimandrite Nektarios Harding released the following statement from the Bishop of Syracuse:

“We have had meetings with local assemblymen and contacted our local and federal representatives, the State Office of [Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation], and the elected officials in the towns of Stark, Springfield, and Warren, expressing our concern and opposition to the New Leaf Stark Wind project.

“We have petitions signed by over 100 of our neighbors as well as an online petition that has received over 2,500 worldwide signatures to date, all supporting our position that no windmills be constructed within the visibility of the monastery property.

“As a focal point for the hamlet of Jordanville, and for that matter much of the area, Holy Trinity Monastery welcomes pilgrims from around the world who come to the monastery to retreat from the world and appreciate the magnificent panorama offered by our Three-bar cross location. Having a monstrosity such as the proposed windmills, which are half the size of the Empire State Building, just beyond our eastern property line and visible from everywhere is not acceptable to the community as a whole, and to Holy Trinity Monastery in particular.

We shall continue to pursue every legal and spiritual avenue available to ensure this project, and any others like it, are not realized.”