A clear threat for the future of Holy Trinity Monastery and Seminary - the threat continues

May 20, 2026

Terra-Gen Energy, a renewable energy developer, is surrounding the properties of Holy Trinity Monastery and Seminary, a National Historic Site registered on the National Register of Historic Places.

Rolling Hills Wind, LLC (Rolling Hills Wind), a subsidiary of Terra-Gen, LLC (Terra-Gen) is planning the development of the Rolling Hills Wind Project (Project) in the towns of Warren, Stark, German Flatts, Little Falls, and Danube in Herkimer County, and the town of Springfield in Otsego County, New York. The Project, as currently proposed, will have a rated capacity of up to 250 megawatts (MW), spanning an approximately 75,000-acre area with a preliminary layout of 74 wind turbines. The Project qualifies as a large-scale (25 MW or larger) renewable energy project. A siting permit is required from the Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission (ORES) for construction purposes.

There are currently leases signed covering 17,268 acres in the Towns of Warren, Danube, German Flatts, Columbia, Springfield, Stark, and Little Falls.

We ask all of you to pray for our success in the struggle to preserve the Monastery and Seminary from this intrusion into the natural beauty of our surroundings, its effect on the spiritual life of our community, and the negative impression it will have on the many pilgrims seeking solace here.

Please help us:

sign the petition to stop the windmills.
send letters to our local Assemblyman, Robert Smullen (District 118), and State Senator, Mark Waslczyk (District 49), expressing your opposition to the project and its impact on HTM.
If you are from elsewhere in New York, send a letter to your local representatives. Names and addresses can be found here: Assembly and Senate.
Write to your US Congressman and US Senators for their support.

Stay informed about local developments and projects, as you may find yourself in a similar situation in the future.

+ Bishop Luke of Syracuse

Abbott and Rector,

Holy Trinity Monastery and Seminary

Map of Properties Leased by Terra-Gen for Rolling Hills Wind Project as of April 2026 (mostly Herkimer County, NY)

On the Leases Signed map, Holy Trinity Monastery is the yellow spot in the middle. You can see how we are surrounded by potential sites for windmills, the green areas.

The yellow star represents the location of Holy Trinity Monastery.

This Sound radius projection based on existing Terra-Gen Leases for the Project uses the current 10-rotor-diameter standard for sound issues, which clearly shows that virtually every area on the map will experience sound issues.

This projection reflects at a minimum the distance at which turbine sound (including infrasound) will be experienced. Based on average rotor blade length for a 250MW onshore wind turbine project, this map illustrates sound (including infrasound) issues assuming sound from turbines travels only half a mile. To reflect numerous reports of sound issues at 1 and 2 miles (see part 4 above), the diameter of these sound circles would need to be expanded two or four times, respectively.

According to numerous sources, light flicker can be experienced up to a mile from the source turbine.