JORDANVILLE, N.Y. — A national advocate for landowners is stepping in as the Holy Trinity Monastery and local residents push back against a major wind project in Herkimer County.
John Rich, who was appointed Special Envoy for American Landowners after gaining attention from President Trump for his efforts in Tennessee, visited Jordanville to see if he could help the Monastery with its case against the Rolling Hills Wind Project.
The project, led by Terra-Gen, LLC, includes plans for 90 wind turbines.
Archimandrite Nektarios Harding of Holy Trinity Monastery said, “In their plan they have a plan for 90 windmills, but the ones that would ‘affect us’ are only 17; they paired down from 45. The rest are scattered out a little farther so that we wouldn’t see them.”
Members of the monastery say the turbines create infrasound vibrational noise that, while not audible, would disrupt prayer.
Protests have taken place, and political representatives are aware of the opposition, but Terra-Gen is moving forward with support from the Office of Renewable Energy Siting, or ORES.
ORES has the authority to override local laws related to green energy projects.
Jaimie Deines, a farm owner, said, “The Amish in our community, they don’t want this. They’re going to be covered with these things. One Amish farmer on Fish Creek Road is staring at four or five windmills right across the road from him. He doesn’t want that. Nobody wants that. If we could vote, ORES should be disbanded.”
Emily Murray, the Town supervisor of Freemont, said she had to move out of her home because the infrasound vibrational noise made her sick.
Murray said, “It’s pretty scary how the people in Albany are there supposedly to protect health and safety and they’re not.”
People from across New York are questioning the power ORES holds.
Janet Glocker of Residents United to Save Our Hometown said, “The constitution protects home rule and agriculture, or it did until New York State legislation provided for renewable energy.”
After hearing concerns from local opposition, John Rich said, “This meeting’s not just going to be held in this room. This meeting’s going to wind up on national news. This meeting’s going to wind up all over social media. People around the United States are going to learn what’s happening up here and how ridiculous and overbearing and, in my opinion, unconstitutional this situation is.”
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