U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy believes that “turbines do not belong on the shorelines of our Great Lakes.”

Developments on the Albany scene worry people who oppose wind turbines in Lake Erie.

State Sen. Pete Harckham, a Westchester County Democrat, proposed a pilot project for Lake Erie wind turbines in May 2023.

Gov. Kathy Hochul and her administration recently touted the award of two offshore energy generation projects downstate. Despite that, U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy called on Hochul to impose a moratorium on Lake Erie turbines during a press conference in Hamburg last week.

“Wind turbines do not belong on the shorelines of our Great Lakes,” the congressman said. “They are expensive, unreliable, and would harm the lake’s precious ecosystem while having a negligible impact on our energy supply. This is or not something that our community wants or needs — my constituents have been clear about that.”

Langworthy was joined by Citizens Against Turbines in Lake Erie (CAWTILE) members and Assemblymen David DPietro and Joe Giglio of Gowanda.

“This lake was in bad shape when I was growing up, it’s 100% better now and we want to keep it that way,” Giglio said. “They can find energy for downstate somewhere else.”

Harckham’s bill to do the pilot project currently sits in committee. It asserts that Lake Erie is a resource that the state government must use to meet its clean energy goals.

“Achieving the… milestones with respect to zero-emission electricity and decarbonization may not be possible without harnessing the wind resources over the Great Lakes,” the bill reads. “Given the lengthy timelines associated with new offshore wind developments, an expedited pilot project to fully assess the viability of such development is crucial to ensure that the resource is available when needed.”

Harckham’s bill continues, “In order to initiate such a pilot project in a timely manner, it will be beneficial for the state agencies having jurisdiction, under the leadership and direction of the governor, to coordinate efforts with a common goal… the pilot project will provide valuable data for future projects, as well as serve to develop a reasonable and predictable path from concept to applications, approvals and implementation for companies.”

Fredonia anti-wind turbine activist and CAWTILE member Mark Twichell didn’t hold back on Harckham in a recent email exchange with the OBSERVER about his bill, calling him a “gasbag” and a “bastard.”

Twichell said Harckham opposed a solar project in his home district, writing a letter to state officials denouncing it.

Twichell also pointed out that the New York State Energy and Research Development Association has said Great Lakes wind power won’t help Albany achieve its Climate Act energy goals.