Iberdrola Has No Social License for Horse Creek
Social License is the community acceptance or approval of a project or ongoing presence of a business based on the nature of the project and the relationship the business cultivates with the community. The need for Social License is widely recognized across various natural resources industries, including industrial wind.
In terms of Social License and transparency, Iberdrola has made the following written commitment to the residents of Jefferson County and the 1000 Islands,
"Avangrid Renewables has proposed the development of a new wind energy project in Jefferson County, the Horse Creek Wind Project. We are working closely with local community members, government officials and other stakeholders every step of the way to ensure a project that has a positive impact on all involved."
Iberdrola has gone on to say on its website,
"Avangrid Renewables works hard to earn the trust and respect of the communities where we do business by behaving in a transparent and forthright manner."
"Avangrid Renewables has proposed the development of a new wind energy project in Jefferson County, the Horse Creek Wind Project. We are working closely with local community members, government officials and other stakeholders every step of the way to ensure a project that has a positive impact on all involved."
Iberdrola has gone on to say on its website,
"Avangrid Renewables works hard to earn the trust and respect of the communities where we do business by behaving in a transparent and forthright manner."
Unfortunately for Jefferson County and the 1000 Islands, this is simply not the case.
Iberdrola appears to have no desire to earn a Social License for Horse Creek. Their actions to date have demonstrated a lack of concern and appreciation of the region’s values, culture, economy, demographics, history, and natural resources. There are several examples of this:
Iberdrola appears to have no desire to earn a Social License for Horse Creek. Their actions to date have demonstrated a lack of concern and appreciation of the region’s values, culture, economy, demographics, history, and natural resources. There are several examples of this:
- Iberdrola files a costly lawsuit and sues the Town of Clayton (June 2016) to discontinue a six-month wind planning moratorium and for zoning approval to erect meteorological towers rather than working with community representatives.
- Iberdrola presents a marketing map at the September 2016 Depauville informational Open House that increases the size of the Horse Creek project compared to previously filed PSC documents leading to uncertainty over the actual scope of the project. The new project borders the Chaumont Barrens and overlays an additional residential area.
- The Open House marketing map is misleading and inaccurate as excessive cropping obscures the project's proximity to major population centers including the Villages of Clayton and Chaumont, and conceals the Project's proximity to Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River tourism corridor.
According to the Clayton Town Supervisor in a September letter to the PSC concerning these marketing materials, "This obfuscation can only be viewed as an attempt to mislead the public regarding the actual extent of the Project's likely impact area". (See the complete letter in the link below).
- Iberdrola's Open House marketing brochure presents the results of survey that purports to represent community support related to Horse Creek but does not site the survey firm, survey design, or survey methodology.
- When asked to provide information on the survey and methodology at the Open House an Iberdrola manager said he would provide the information but has yet to respond (7 months).
The Town of Orleans Town Board, in letters filed with the PSC in October, also expressed serious concerns about how Iberdrola conducts public outreach efforts, specifically regarding lack of publicity, dates selected for project informational Open Houses and other local outreach, leading them to conclude that, "This appears to be a weak attempt of public outreach, with little or no money being spent by the developer in Jefferson County."
"The session was held at the Depauville Fire Hall, but after Labor Day Weekend, the traditional departure date of a high percentage of our seasonal residents/taxpayers who this project would impact. Since the plan to hold this session was referred to several months ago by the developer during a Town of Lyme meeting, there was seemingly plenty of time to conduct the open house at an earlier date, when the majority of our residents are in the vicinity.”
"We are perplexed as to why the local outreach office for the proposed Horse Creek Wind Farm Project is located near Lowville, in a different county, with very limited office hours. We do not consider this to be local, as it would take many of our residents more than an hour of drive-time to visit the office."
"This appears to be a weak attempt of public outreach, with little or no money being spent by the developer in Jefferson County."
Town of Orleans Town Board
October 31, 2016 Letters to the PSC
"We are perplexed as to why the local outreach office for the proposed Horse Creek Wind Farm Project is located near Lowville, in a different county, with very limited office hours. We do not consider this to be local, as it would take many of our residents more than an hour of drive-time to visit the office."
"This appears to be a weak attempt of public outreach, with little or no money being spent by the developer in Jefferson County."
Town of Orleans Town Board
October 31, 2016 Letters to the PSC
We Ask: Has Iberdrola earned their Social License?
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Just 50 Financially-Induced Wind Lease Holders
Over 16,000 permanent residents call the project towns home. Only about 50 wind leases have been signed for the project and recorded with the county. This means that the decision to sign leases by only 0.3% of project area permanent residents will forever impact 99.7% of other permanent residents.
The percentage of financially-induced lease holders shrinks even more when you count the seasonal residents/property owners who, in addition to property taxes, make a irreplaceable contribution to the overall economic and social well-being of the community. They have been an intrinsic part of the 1000 Islands community for 150 years, a legacy that may now be in jeopardy due to Horse Creek.
When all 1000 Islands regional stakeholders are included, including summer visitors and tourists, over 38,000 people are within the project towns at any given time. This means that the decision to sign leases by only 0.1% of all area residents will forever impact 99.9% of the residents.
The percentage of financially-induced lease holders shrinks even more when you count the seasonal residents/property owners who, in addition to property taxes, make a irreplaceable contribution to the overall economic and social well-being of the community. They have been an intrinsic part of the 1000 Islands community for 150 years, a legacy that may now be in jeopardy due to Horse Creek.
When all 1000 Islands regional stakeholders are included, including summer visitors and tourists, over 38,000 people are within the project towns at any given time. This means that the decision to sign leases by only 0.1% of all area residents will forever impact 99.9% of the residents.
We ask: Why is it that just 50 financially-induced wind lease holders will forever change the region's way of life and impact 38,000 affected residents?
Why Not Ask the Affected Residents?
In 2015, Iberdrola promised Vermonters that it would only pursue an industrial wind project if the project was approved by voters in the project towns. Despite the developer offering what the Rutland Herald called a "bribe" in the form of annual payments for residents, the project was voted down by area residents and the project was abandoned by Iberdrola.
Unfortunately, with Horse Creek instead of asking residents in affected project towns to vote as they did in Vermont, the Article 10 process allows Iberdrola to bypass and ignore local voices and sentiment.
Unfortunately, with Horse Creek instead of asking residents in affected project towns to vote as they did in Vermont, the Article 10 process allows Iberdrola to bypass and ignore local voices and sentiment.
It appears that Iberdrola has different standards for different communities.
We Ask: Why hasn't Iberdrola asked the affected towns to vote on Horse Creek as they have done in other communities?
No Social License for Horse Creek
In 10 years of trying, Iberdrola has never earned a Social License for Horse Creek.
We Ask: With no concerns about Social License isn't it time for Iberdrola to abandon the Horse Creek project forever?
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More about Social License
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"Social License is more important than the government license" Para nuestros seguidores en castellano: Energía Eólica en México
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"Social License...is far more important than the government license, because the Social License is granted by the people in the community and unlike the government license, it is renewable every day. Without building trust with the people who live and work there, and have lived there for centuries, you're going to have trouble"
-Former Newmont VP Larry Kurlander, interview with Frontline about social license in the mining industry (video above)
Tell Project Officials that Iberdrola Has Failed to Earn a Social License for Horse Creek!
