Rural communities in three New York counties are locked in a prolonged dispute with a wind energy developer.
The state recently gave Chicago-based wind power company Invenergy the “all clear” to build a 340-megawatt wind farm in Allegany, Cattaraugus, and Wyoming counties.
But residents have concerns about its possible flaws—and the health hazards it could bring. A public affairs agency’s CEO says these communities have limited access to information, and it’s affecting the way they see the project.
“When you can’t get information, and all the information you see makes you fearful, you’re going to oppose it, and I think that happens to so many things to today,” Davies said.
The project includes over 117 wind turbines spread over 30,000 acres in western New York. The wind turbines measure as high as 600 feet.
Davies says the two sides have not been in communication enough—and it’s causing problems.
He said, “You have no idea what it’s going to be like, they haven’t reached out to you, they haven’t taken your ideas. Do they even care what I think? I live here. Who are these people? How can I trust them?”
Davies Public Affairs agency is working on bridging that gap—listening to the community to get a better understanding of their needs.
Then, the agency will bring the community together to talk with the energy developers.
“And when they go out and people in the audience are worried about things, and they hear what they’re worried about, then they go, ‘Oh, we can fix that. You don’t want it over there, we can fix that.’ There are things that can be fixed but you can’t fix things unless you have a conversation, and you can’t have a conversation unless you reach out to people,” the CEO said.
Davies says rural communities, energy developers, and society as a whole can find a shared solution—and it starts with listening.