OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen Michael Dee, a Silver Creek resident, urged the Village Board to pass a resolution opposing the placement of wind turbines in Lake Erie. The Village Board passed such a resolution at the following meeting.

SILVER CREEK — At a recent meeting of the Village Board, resident Michael Dee spoke to how detrimental it would be to the region for wind turbines to be placed in Lake Erie.

Dee, a Silver Creek resident, spoke on behalf of Citizens Against Turbines in Lake Erie (CAWTILE) to implore the Village Board to denounce wind turbines in Lake Erie. He cited the Town of Hamburg’s resolution to that effect.

While Dee jokingly referred to his comments at the previous meeting as “rambling,” coupled with jokes from the Village Board, his words did have a serious impact.

The village of Silver Creek passed a resolution in opposition of wind turbines in Lake Erie at a recent meeting, with every trustee in attendance voting in its favor. Silver Creek Mayor Jeff Hornburg volunteered that he voted “aye” on the resolution as well, despite it not being necessary for the resolution to pass.

“On behalf of CAWTILE, we thank you,” Dee said.

The three-page resolution stated that the Village of Silver Creek “recognizes and values the importance of Lake Erie and continues to work diligently to safeguard and improve its own stewardship of Lake Erie and the Lake Erie Watershed.”

Among the many points highlighted at the previous meeting, Dee spoke to the potential impact wind turbines being placed in the lake could have on the environment. The resolution cited that approximately 12 million people live in the Lake Erie watershed, including 17 metropolitan areas with more than 50,000. More than 11 million residents of the region consume drinking water from Lake Erie.

The resolution also posed more than a full page of questions that “remain unanswered” from New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) reports in 2011 and 2022 regarding offshore wind energy facilities in freshwater bodies. Among the many topics of the questions posed includes toxic waste and the safety of drinking water; the impact to wildlife and waterfowl; and the impact to the local tourism industry. Dee highlighted these issues at the previous meeting.

Dee also noted that plans to place wind turbines in Lake Erie were halted a decade ago because of public pushback. He hopes the support of municipalities across New York State will send the same message this time around.

“The only power we have is the power to instill pain on the governor. That’s the only way this will stop,” Dee said.

A copy of the Village Board’s resolution will be forwarded to Governor Kathy Hochul, Congressman Nick Langworthy, State Sen. George Borrello, Assemblyman Andy Goodell, and more than a dozen other political figures throughout the state of New York.

“I’m happy that we approved that resolution in opposition of wind turbines in Lake Erie,” Village Trustee Kathy Tampio said. “I hope it makes an impact on the State and they listen to us.”