Nimbyism in Wainscott

Letter to the Editor of the East Hampton Star

Dear David,

Recently The East Hampton Star published a lengthy rambling letter about Wainscott Incorporated. Let’s get a few of the facts straight:

  1. If Wainscott chooses to be a village, taxes must increase to pay for that new layer of government.

  2. The water pollution resulting from the firefighting foam at the airport was a nationwide problem when it was first discovered to be harmful. This was not caused by the town board, but the board successfully dealt with it.

  3. The history of the 2015 competitive bidding for additional power to be delivered to the Cove Hollow Road substation is well known. Orsted won that bid, and carefully chose the shortest overland route for the cable. The Beach Lane cable-landing site has been reviewed thoroughly by a variety of regulatory agencies, including the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Now Citizens for the Preservation of Wainscott (C.P.W.) demands more studies, and production of irrelevant information is a delaying tactic. As the administrative judge on July 21, 2020, said in denying C.P.W.’s most recent motion for more information, “C.P.W. has failed to establish the information relevant to, or necessary for, the purpose of introducing any relevant routes appropriate for consideration by the [Public Service] Commission.”

  4. How the wind turbines are to be decommissioned has been fully disclosed.

  5. Orsted is working with the fishing community, and has adjusted its plan to protect their interests.

  6. Orsted is a well-respected international, publicly traded company (Nasdaq). Orsted ranks number one in Corporate Knight’s 2020 index of the Global Most Sustainable Corporations.

  7. Orsted will source the components for the South Fork Wind Farm on a competitive basis as do Apple, Dell, Microsoft, Ford, General Motors, etc. Many homeowners do the same thing.

  8. The diesel generators at the Cove Hollow Road substation will not be dismantled but will remain as emergency backup. The South Fork Wind Farm will produce energy to be consumed as it is produced, and if not, it will be used to charge storage batteries. To suggest that the generators be switched from diesel to natural gas is not a good idea since natural gas is a methane gas, which is about 90 times more harmful to the environment than CO2.

  9. It is estimated that the S.F.W.F. may cause the average household monthly bill to increase by $1.50.

  10. There is significant evidence that fish and sea life are not impacted by the wind turbines or power cables on the ocean floor. For many years there have been larger power cables running between Long Island and New Jersey and Connecticut with no impact on fish, fishing, or sea life.

  11. Wainscott wants the benefit of electric power for its residents, but does not want an underground cable that will benefit 70,000 South Fork homes. This underground cable will have no impact on agriculture in Wainscott.

  12. The recent test-hole drilling was done over several days as was agreed.

  13. The engineering and material decisions are being carefully, thoughtfully, and thoroughly reviewed by knowledgeable professionals.

  14. The well-funded summer residents of Wainscott who formed and are leading C.P.W. are a prime example of Nimbyism.

If you want Wainscott to continue to pay the lowest taxes in East Hampton, then you need to speak out and vote against the incorporation of Wainscott.

JEREMIAH T. MULLIGAN

Michael Hansen