CITIZEN POWER ALLIANCE

Tonight, Thursday, May 22, from 7 to 9 p.m., there will be a public hearing at the Fire House at 15 Allis Street in Prattsburgh to continue the saga of the a foregone application of eminent domain to allow the wind developers to seize private property. This hearing is a continuation of the April 21st Special Meeting of the Prattsburgh Town Board, where after publicly admitting he was being paid by UPC, the Town Supervisor refused to recuse himself and cast the tie-breaking vote to condemn the property of “those people” who don’t want turbines or the power lines connecting them on their property. In it’s convoluted logic, the Town Board has determined that the land must be condemned because, after more than 5 years, the majority of people in Prattsburgh still will not support the project – the public benefit of which has not been substantiated and the wind data never shared.

Rumor has it that, when contacted by a reporter for details on tonight’s hearing, the Town Clerk told her the event was ‘just window dressing’, that the Town Board had ‘made up its mind’ and had no intention of having a few people put the project of erecting dozens of 400’ industrial wind turbines at risk.

Mentioned in the Town’s resolution are eight specific properties as well as any other property it wants on Rosey Hill Road, Gay Road, Cook School Road, Davis Road, Fisher Road, Dillenbeck Road, Block School Road and Matton Road to use as the Town sees fit.

Those property owners who may subsequently wish to challenge condemnation on their property may only do so based on the issues, facts and objections raised at the public hearing . . . an auspicious proviso from a Town which, for the first several years while the developers were working surreptitiously, would not allow the words ‘wind turbine’ to be said aloud at a Board Meeting by anyone who was not either a developer or a board member and whose Town Attorney also represents the developer.

Taking private land to give to a private developer is un-American.

If Prattsburgh does this for Windfarm Prattsburgh, they will do it for Ecogen, and for the first developer who pays them to locate a nuclear waste dump on your property. Once made, this precedent will have far reaching and chilling effects throughout our communities.