The future of our beloved Holy Trinity Monastery is in danger!

Rolling Hills Wind, LLC (a subsidiary of Terra-Gen, LLC)  is planning to develop the Rolling Hills Wind Project – a 250-megawatt project covering a 130 square mile area in the hills surrounding the Monastery. Leases have already been signed covering 17,169 acres in Jordanville and neighboring towns. All turbines would be within a 10-mile radius – half within 5.5 miles – of the Monastery. 

Based on the locations of leased acreage, up to half a dozen of these looming monstrosities could be half a mile to a mile away, on land surrounding the monastery; with another dozen between one and two miles away, all within audible range. 

For those of us who have visited Jordanville, imagine that holy site, in the serenity of a beautiful, remote setting of rolling hills and meadows high above the Mohawk River Valley – surrounded by a sea of towering turbines!  Imagine the scenic drive into the highlands where Jordanville sits turned into a forest of wind turbines, not only affecting the pristine beauty of the countryside, but adversely impacting not only the Monastery, but local Amish communities and wildlife, including migratory birds and microclimates. 

Turbines generate both noise from mechanical components and aerodynamic noise from wind interacting with the blades, often louder in gusty or turbulent conditions—like the extremely windy conditions of Jordanville’s surroundings, as well as swishing or thumping, often worse at night and sometimes experienced as vibration or a pressure wave. At a distance of 2 miles, especially in a quiet setting, the noise will be clearly heard inside buildings. 

If allowed, this project would very likely mean hearing the noise of a dozen wind turbines every moment that you spend there.  If you live there as a monk or seminarian, it would mean hearing it every moment of every day.  How can anyone find peace and worship silently in these conditions?

People living in proximity to wind turbines report numerous negative health effects: Noise, vibrations, and light contamination associated with the turbines cause sleep disturbances, nausea, headaches, dizziness, fatigue, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), and cardiovascular symptoms (e.g. heartrate changes).

Holy Trinity Monastery was established intentionally in the “desert,” in the historic tradition of Orthodox monasteries, as far removed as possible from the noise, distractions and complications of the temporal world. It goes without saying that the disruptive towers of energy-promise would be at great odds with the continued pursuit of a spiritual life surrounded by the majesty, beauty and stillness of God’s natural creation.

How could a monastic community, seeking a life of prayer in silence and stillness, survive?  Even if you have not visited, if you have ordered books, icons, honey or church supplies, have asked for prayers for loved ones, have benefitted from the services or guidance of a Jordanville seminary-trained priest, imagine a world in which this beacon of light would be extinguished.

And it’s not just about the Monastery.  This wind turbine project will be uniquely destructive in its planned location: the Mohawk Valley.

•  It is home to two minority-religion communities – the Orthodox Monastery and the Amish (rapidly growing in Mohawk Valley). For both, practicing their religion means living a simple, traditional lifestyle, in remote settings, to minimize contact with the prevailing culture of the modern world. This project would be uniquely disruptive where planned in its effect on both communities.
• Rural Mohawk Valley, with its mix of forests, waterways, and wetlands, is home to many species of wildlife, and lies at the crossroads of at least three major migratory corridors. The project would destroy this vital wildlife habitat. In addition to disrupting the health, behaviors and habitat of numerous species, and displacing feeding/breeding areas, wind turbines are responsible for extensive direct collision deaths of birds and bats (between 600,000 and 900,000 bird deaths annually in the U.S., including protected species.)  Wind turbines do not belong in the middle of multiple migratory paths!
• Wind turbines have a life span of up to 20 years. Their composite blades cannot be recycled. They will either be disposed in large-volume landfills, incapable of decomposition, or incinerated causing air pollution/toxicity.

This project offers virtually no offsetting benefits to local communities:

• It is 100% foreign-owned by United Arab Emirates and Japanese companies.  That’s where all the profits from the project will go. Local jobs will be minimal, and mostly only during the construction phase.
• Virtually all wind turbine components are manufactured in China, a nation hostile to the U.S., and China has a virtual monopoly on rare earth elements needed for those components. Reliable, continued turbine operation will depend on China. The utilities sector is a key infrastructure area, vital to U.S. security. It should not be at the mercy of a hostile nation.
•  Electricity from projects like this does not get used by local communities. It is mostly for cryptocurrency and data centers enabling the internet, cloud operations, artificial intelligence (AI), etc. Locations in the U.S. dependent on weather for energy experience escalating energy costs and power shortages.

Together, we can stop this! Sign the petition to block the Rolling Hills Wind Project!