Company Cancels Turbine Project

(This letter to the editor by Otsego 2000 Board Member Nicole Dillingham of Springfield, NY first appeared in The Freeman’s Journal on October 3, 2024.)

New Leaf Energy announced this week that it is withdrawing its application, submitted one year ago, to build two 650-foot wind turbines in the towns of Springfield and Stark. At 650 feet, the turbines would have been as tall as a 45-story skyscraper, becoming the largest structures ever built in the state outside of New York City. The project also would have drastically impacted the Holy Trinity Monastery and the Glimmerglass Historic District (celebrating its 25th anniversary), among other historic sites.

Community leaders opposed the project on legal, cultural and environmental grounds. Detailed comments were submitted by Nicole Dillingham, board member of Otsego 2000, Keith Schue, electrical engineer, and, on behalf of the Town of Springfield, by Galen Crique, Springfield town supervisor. Attorney Douglas Zamelis represented the Holy Trinity Monastery.

The comments submitted showed that the project violated both the Stark Land Use Law and the Springfield Zoning Law. In addition, New Leaf had not studied the impact of blasting in limestone formations at the site, which could have negatively impacted private wells and potentially the Otsquago Creek Fish Hatchery in Van Hornesville. Comments also disclosed that New Leaf relied on inadequate studies of impacts on migratory birds and bats, as well as protected bald eagles, which were photographed by neighbors nesting at the proposed project site. Mitigation of noise, light flicker effects, and ice throws that could damage the health and safety of adjoining property owners were also not addressed sufficiently.

Most significantly, the developers failed to conduct adequate visual analysis of the impact of the proposed project on the Holy Trinity Monastery, home of the Russian Orthodox Church and Museum, located about three miles from the site. As emphasized by Ellen Pope, executive director of Otsego 2000, the monastery is a unique cultural and religious site that includes landscapes, buildings, and artwork of national significance, listed on both the National and State Registers of Historic Places. Significantly, upon being notified of the proposed project, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation recommended that the project be relocated due to the potential negative impacts on the monastery, citing Section 14.09 of the New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Law.

Numerous commentators confirmed that while the state clearly has an interest in developing renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, the developments must be sited with respect for adjoining property owners and the protection of significant cultural and historic assets. Faced with mounting criticisms, New Leaf cancelled the project.

Nicole Dillingham
Board Member, Otsego 2000
Springfield Center