Smullen: Massive Wind Project Near Historic Monastery Must Respect Local Zoning and Community Voices

Proposed 250-megawatt wind project threatening Holy Trinity Monastery 

Assemblyman Robert Smullen (R,C-Mohawk Valley and the Adirondacks) voiced his opposition to the proposed Rolling Hills Wind Project in Herkimer county, calling on state officials to respect local zoning authority and stop forcing large-scale energy projects into communities that do not want them.

The project, advanced by internationally owned Terra-Gen, would install approximately 70 to 74 industrial wind turbines with a capacity of up to 250 megawatts. Its overall footprint spans roughly 75,000 acres effectively surrounding the Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville. The Holy Trinity Monastery is a nationally registered historic site that draws pilgrims from around the world.

“Large energy projects like this need to go through and respect local zoning authorities for a permit,” said Smullen. “When the state uses agencies like ORES to override local zoning laws, ignore community concerns and sideline recommendations from the Department of Environmental Conservation, it is strong-arming rural New York and forcing these projects into places they simply do not belong. The people who live there should have the final say.”

Smullen noted that the Office of Renewable Energy Siting was designed to accelerate large renewable projects by consolidating permitting power at the state level, often at the expense of home rule. He argued that this approach has repeatedly put productive farmland, wildlife habitat and, in this instance, historical sites that represent the character of rural communities in jeopardy.

“Surrounding the Holy Trinity Monastery with dozens of towering turbines without meaningful local consent is the opposite of responsible planning. New York can pursue cleaner energy without bulldozing local control and the places that define our communities,” Smullen continued.

Smullen pledged to continue working with local leaders, residents and colleagues to demand greater transparency and stronger protections for local decision-making in energy siting.

Assemblyman Robert Smullen represents the 118^th Assembly District, which includes Hamilton County and parts of Montgomery, Fulton, Herkimer, and Oneida counties.