The following is my understanding of the bureaucratic process involving wind power stations and how we can get involved.� It has taken me weeks to get these things straight and I still have a lot to learn.� I think it is important stuff for everyone to understand.
����������� SEQR: State Environmental Quality Review.� In this paper I will sometimes say SEQR review.� While that is a redundant expression, I think it will make this more understandable.
Global Winds Harvest has applied for a four and a half million dollar grant from NYSERDA.� Before Global Winds can receive the money it must undergo what is called a SEQR (State Environmental Quality Review).� I believe the original purpose of SEQRA was to ensure that any state, regional or local government agency would have a systematic way to consider� environmental impact when doing such diverse things as giving grant money or issuing building permits.� A SEQR review requires that all agencies decide whether actions they directly undertake, fund or approve may have a significant adverse environmental impact.� If so, then the agency must request an environmental impact statement (EIS).
Since NYSERDA is considering giving money to Global, there must be a SEQRA review.� From what I understand, when a SEQRA review is done, one state agency acts as the LEAD agency.� The lead agency will contact all state agencies that might have an interest in reviewing the application.� They are called the �interested agencies.�� In this case it looks like NYSERDA is acting as the LEAD Agent.� Last March NYSERDA sent out a letter to ten state agencies, including the town supervisors in Italy and Prattsburgh, asking them if they wanted to be the lead agency.� I am assuming that none of them wanted to be the LEAD, which is why NSERDA is taking that role.� Most of the time the local town board or planning committee acts in the capacity of lead agency.
I do not know how far along Global�s SEQR review has advanced.� I do know that Global wants to have its review finished and have its project formally started by the end of the year because there is some kind of tax credit that they may lose if they are not finished with the preliminaries and ready to go by Dec. 31 2003.
����������� HOWEVER � If the lead agency (in this case NYSERDA) determines from the reports it gets that there will be the potential for at least one significant adverse environmental impact from Global�s project, then there must be an EIS (environmental impact statement).
����������� Getting an EIS will drag out the review, and in this case perhaps extend it into 2004 which Global does not want.� However it is the only right thing to do if environmental concerns are going to be addressed.
����������� I think that because NYSERDA is only involved with giving out money that they only have to consider general environmental factors in their SEQR.� If the town board were doing the SEQR on account of zoning or the fact that they give out building permits, then the town SEQR would have to consider� each individual turbine and its environmental impact.� That is what happened in the town of Fenner.
It seems a little ridiculous that a town with zoning is expected to do a SEQRA and in fact would be liable for legal action if they didn�t, while a town without zoning could just let any old project go ahead.� I truly don�t think that was the intent of SEQRA.
����������� I have not written about Ecogen because I do not at all understand whether they must have a SEQR review.� Tom Hagner indicated that they had to have one, but I don�t know why since I thought no state agency was giving them money.� If they are having a SEQR then it would be good to know who is the lead agent.� I wrote to Hagner but he did not write back.
agency does'nt make a lot of difference.
The following are the contact people who were originally asked if they wanted to be lead agents for the Global project.� I am assuming they will be giving reports as part of the Global SEQR.� Therefore it is necessary that we contact them to let them know our concerns and ask them to consider the need for an EIS. Remember, if an environmental impact statement (EIS) is required, the whole process will take much longer. You may not want to write to all, so choose which agency you think would be the most interested.� There are so many different concerns � When writing to an agency, think about what that agency would care about when determining environmental impact.