Recently, I did a post Regarding the Cape Vincent ZOGBY poll and how the pro wind faction would be exploiting the poll data for their purposes.
Coincidentally today a letter was posted on the Public Service Commission website doing just that.[1] Not only does the writer cite the ZOGBY poll but they also included the data from the Jefferson County Community wide Poll of 2010, as proof positive that BP’s project is wanted by our community.
The letter states, a poll taken by Jefferson Community College of Jefferson County showed 83.6% in favor of Wind Energy and 8.1% Opposed. [1]
The results of the latest Jefferson County poll are somewhat different the 2012, JCC community poll reported that Wind farms continue to be perceived as important to the local economy by a majority of residents, but the level of support is in decline, from 83% in 2010 to 71% in 2012. [2]
Perhaps as people become educated about the down side of wind development support is declining. Recent reports in the mainstream media suggest that controversy over wind turbines is widespread.
Additionally, this letter also attempted to enforce the notion that property values are not affected by industrial wind turbines, by citing a study done by Mark Thayer, Mr. Thayer seems to be BP’s favorite property value expert. Thayer presented his “extensive research” at a BP wind forum held in Cape Vincent, August, 31 2011.
(2009, Ben Hoen lead a property value study that Mark Thayer participated in. (The impact of Wind Projects on residential property values in the United States.) This study evaluated the effect wind turbines have on property values. They used a sample of 7,500 homes spread over 24 different regions across the country from Washington to Texas to New York that contain wind facilities and again found no significant effect. They looked at transactions within 10 miles of wind facilities and used a variety of approaches, including repeat sales. However, they limited themselves to discontinuous measures of proximity based on having turbines within 1mile, between 1 and 5 miles, or outside of 5 miles, or a similar set of measures of the impact on scenic view, and they again found no adverse impacts from wind turbines. [3]
In addition, by including so many disparate regions within one sample they may be missing effects that would be significant in one region or another. [3]
In 2011, Clarkson University did a study as well -
The study, “Values in the Wind: A Hedonic Analysis of Wind Power Facilities,” is based on the areas around three wind farms in Lewis, Clinton and Franklin counties.
Clarkson assistant professor Martin D. Heintzelman and doctorate degree candidate Carrie M. Tuttle collected data from 11,331 residential and agricultural property transactions over nine years from Clinton, Franklin and Lewis counties. “Overall, the results of this study are mixed as regards the effect of wind turbines on property values,” the report said. “In Clinton and Franklin Counties proximity to turbines has a usually negative and often significant impact on property values, while, in Lewis County, turbines appear to have had little effect, and, in some specifications, a positive effect.” [3]
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Cape Vincent’s Economic Committee produced a report concerning the impact Industrial wind would have on property values, Michael S. McCann, McCann Appraisal, LLC reviewed the report. McCann found that after completing his review of the subject location, it was clear that numerous homes in the Cape Vincent area will be adversely impacted, and the best available evidence indicates that value loss of 25% to 40% or more will occur to homes within approximately 2 miles of the turbines.
This impact is not expected to be uniform, and some losses may well be lower and others higher. [4]
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The bottom line is , not all locations are created equal and there are many variables involved. Cape Vincent just is not suited for industrial development.
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