IRVING, N.Y. — Government officials along with Citizens Against Wind Turbines in Lake Erie (CATWILE) are holding a rally to oppose wind turbines in the Great Lakes.
CATWILE is a group of citizens focused on informing and educating the public about the risks and opposing the building of industrial wind turbines in Lake Erie.
The rally will be held July 24 at 4 p.m. outside the Sunset Bay Beach Club at 1028 S. Shore Drive in Irving, NY. CATWILE will be joined by local, state, and federal officials. Those who will be attending are:
- Congressman Nick Langworthy (23rd District)
- Senator George Borrello (57th Senate District)
- Senator Pat Gallivan (60th Senate District)
- Assemblyman David DiPietro (147th Assembly District)
- County Legislator John Mills (11th District)
The event comes in the wake of a damaged turbine in Nantucket, Massachusetts on July 17. Due to a blade failure, pieces of fiberglass debris began washing ashore. According to the Associated Press, six truckloads of debris were collected.
In 2022, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) released a feasibility study about wind turbine energy production in Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. The study found that offshore wind production on the lakes is not cost-effective, unique, nor a critical contribution to New York State’s climate goals.
Congressman Nick Langworthy represents most of the Southern Tier, including all of Buffalo’s Southtowns and parts of the Northtowns. He introduced the Lakes Before Turbines Act which would prohibits tax credits from the developers of wind turbines on the Great Lakes.
According to CATWILE, the legislation would eliminate wind turbine construction in the area. “Because the projects aren’t feasible without government subsidies, the measure would effectively stop developers from pursuing these projects," they said in a press release.
State Senator George Borrello represents Allegany, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua Counties and parts of Livingston County. He sponsored a bill that would create a moratorium on wind turbine placement and construction on the Great Lakes.
Pete Harckham, 40th District State Senator and the Chairman of Committee on Environmental Conservation represents parts of the Hudson Valley. CATWILE opposes the bill Harckham sponsored that would introduce a pilot program that would establish wind energy in Lake Erie.
According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), although wind is an emissions-free energy source, wind turbines can have a negative effect on the environment. Turbines can impact the landscape, create noise, injure birds, and rarely catch fire and leak fluids. Further, turbine blades cannot be recycled and fossil fuels may be used to produce the wind turbine building materials, noted the EIA.
Attendees of the CATWILE rally plan to oppose the placing and construction of wind turbines in the Great Lakes.