STATUS: Complete after prolonged delay.
TYPE: Wind
OPPOSITION: Nearby School Districts; Union Officials; Congressman-elect Eric Massa, Town Residents; Cohocton Wind Watch
PROSPECTS: Complete
BACKGROUND: First Wind’s wind project produces 125 megawatts, enough electricity for about 50,000 homes in New York annually. The project came under attack by a number of opponents. Area school districts complained about the tax plan, union officials expressed opposition to using out-of-state workers for construction, and Congressman-elect Eric Massa noted a “lack of oversight.” Litigation caused prolonged delay of the project. Cohocton Wind Watch, formed by town residents, filed five lawsuits, attempting to prevent the project’s commencement. All of these lawsuits were dismissed. The Naples and Prattsburgh school districts filed a sixth lawsuit concerning the distribution of funds and lack of consultation with the school districts among other allegations. The project went online in early 2009.
LINKS: First Wind http://www.cohoctonwind.com/cohocton/news.cfm?ID=e0f106ad%2Db0ba%2D4f0f%2Da4c3%2D18dfa24308d0&test; Cohocton Wind Watch http://batr.net/cohoctonwindwatch/2008/04/schools-sue-over-tax-plan-naples-record.html; Yes! Wind Power for Cohocton (Blog) http://yeswindcohocton.blogspot.com/
Comments