Offshore Windmill Project environmental meeting to be held next week

Two meetings, one in Babylon and the other in Massapequa, will be held next week on a proposed plan by LIPA to build a windmill park 3.6 miles off of Jones Beach. The meetings represent "the moment of truth," for the public on this controversial project, according to one civic leader who has led the charge to defeat the plan.

The meeting is being held by the Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service Department which is conducting an Environmental Impact Study (EIS) scoping process under the National Environmental Policy Act. Representatives will be there to decide if the project should proceed and to determine the economic, social, financial and environmental implications of the plan. They will also develop guidelines for the project specifically.

"This is the final opportunity for the public to be heard on this plan," said Phil Healy, a civic leader from Massapequa who opposes the plan. "Hopefully, the decision will be to pull this plan until at least some federal guidelines are developed."

The Long Island Offshore Wind Park, (LIOWP), is the first of its kind in the state and nation. LIOWP applied in April 2005 for an easement, or right-ofway, to construct and operate a wind energy facility and windmills about 3.6 miles off shore on Great South Bay in an effort to meet Long Island's growing energy needs, according to LIPA.

The 40, 400-foot windmills and substation in West Amityville, will be owned and operated by Florida Power and Light, which would sell the generated power to LIPA customers under a contractual agreement.

The last two meetings, held early 2006 in Massapequa and Amityville, brought out hundreds of concerned residents. Many said that they believed the wind park would pose environmental and navigational problems, strap LIPA customers with a longterm contract for energy costs, and create an eyesore that would detract from the Jones Beach shoreline, threatening the local economy.

Others, including LIPA officials, said the plan was an environmentally safe way to provide much-needed alternative energy to Long Island, which is demanding increased energy every year.

"We urge everyone who cares about reducing Long Island's dependency on fossil fuels to come and speak at these important public meetings," said Gordian Raacke, executive director of Renewable Energy Long Island, a group that supports the proposal. "This offshore wind park marks the beginning of an exciting new era of using clean, safe and domestic energy sources that protect our health, environment and national security."

According to LIPA statistics, the authority can produce at most 6,100 megawatts of power a day, up from 5,000 megawatts three years ago. By 2010, LIPA projects that Long Island will need 7,500 megawatts a day to meet Long Island's energy demands.

The wind farm, if constructed, would produce an additional 140 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 44,000 homes. And, while LIPA officials acknowledge that the proposed wind farm is "one small step," in its plans to generate more power for Long Island, it is one worth taking.

"In order to take a giant step you have to start with a small step," said Richard Kessell, LIPA's chairman. He added that LIPA is also doing other things to meet the growing demand for power on Long Island, including building and retooling more power plants.

The Save Jones Beach Ad Hoc Committee, made up of six local civic groups and eight business groups against the proposed development, said the tradeoff for the wind farm is not worth the environmental and esthetic drawbacks it will bring. Healy, a member of the Biltmore Shores civic association, said that the issue is no longer about wind power, however.

"Business wise, the issue is now whether or not a seven-year-old business (LIPA) that is already in debt, is capable and competent enough to run a project that will run forever," said Healy. "It is already hiring subcontractors to handle this for them."

Healy said he hopes the proposal is tabled indefinitely because this idea is already behind the times. "We need to wait because the technology coming up may be a better fit for the area," he said.

One alternative being reviewed in the Town of Babylon is a mobile wind park that can be operated as far as 15 miles off shore, significantly further than the FPL proposal.

"This is something that we would not be able to see from the shore," said Amityville Village Mayor Peter T. Imbert. "It certainly is something that LIPA should consider before rushing into this plan."

"Technology is developing so rapidly that we should take some time to look at all of these things," said Bellone. "That is critical because we don't have unlimited resources to spend here, and the fact that it remains unclear as to how much the FPL proposal is going to cost us is significant. We need to move very cautiously before we do something that may very well be a detriment to our precious coastline."

Some things that will be considered in the guidelines, in part, are modifying the size of the development and the use of alternative sites, as well as a comprehensive review of the local geology, climate, ocean animals, fishing and property values and the impact of the proposal on each.

The West Babylon meeting will be held on Monday, July 10 at 7 p.m. at the West Babylon High School Performing Arts Center, 500 Great East Neck Road, West Babylon; the Massapequa meeting will be held Tuesday, July 11 at 7 p.m. at the Massapequa High School, 4925 Merrick Rd., Massapequa. Registration at each site will begin at 5:30 p.m. for comments.

Written and e-mailed comments will be accepted addressed to: "Comments on EIS Scoping for the LIOWP Project," Minerals Management Service, MS 5412, 1201 Elmwood Park Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70123 or online at http://www.mms.gov/LIOWPA. Those with additional questions can call Dr. Thomas Bjerstedt at (504) 736-5743. Upon request, organizations and businesses can request all updates on the proposal.