WAYNE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS CHAIRMAN JAMES HOFFMAN
Posted by CITIZEN POWER ALLIANCE at 1:33 PMPRESS RELEASE MARCH 19, 2010
The Wayne County Board of Supervisors will be holding a Public Hearing on Wednesday, March 31st at 7:00 p.m. at the Wayne County Court House, 26 Church Street, Lyons, NY, to solicit input on the request for proposals the New York State Power Authority (NYPA) has issued to provide electric capacity and energy from a Great Lakes offshore wind generating project. NYPA considers this project consistent with Governor Paterson’s goal to substantially reduce New York State’s dependence on fossil fuel for electric generation and to expand industrial economic development opportunities in Upstate New York.
NYPA is a corporate municipal instrumentality and political subdivision of the State of New York that provides low-cost electricity to governmental agencies, municipal electric systems, rural electric cooperatives, manufacturers and to investor-owned utilities for resale without profit to retail customers across New York State.
On December 1, 2009 NYPA released a request for proposals for the development of offshore wind power projects in Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. The size and exact location for these projects is yet to be determined. A map released by NYPA depicts portions of the Lake Ontario shoreline in Wayne County as potential locations for offshore wind farms. NYPA describes the project as “a utility-scale offshore wind farm between 120 mw and 500 mw total capacity.” The due date for proposals is June 1, 2010.
A resolution opposing the project was tabled at the March 16th Board of Supervisors meeting in favor of obtaining input from the public prior to Board action. Wayne County residents are invited to attend a public hearing to provide comments concerning the NYPA Great Lakes Offshore Wind Project. The public hearing will be held on March 31, 2010 at 7 PM at the Wayne County Courthouse, 26 Church Street, Lyons, NY.
Chairman Hoffman said, “It is our hope that residents with opinions pertaining to this proposed wind turbine project will attend the public hearing on March 31, 2010 and share their concerns with the Board of Supervisors.”