A man wants to test howitzer cannons in the Adirondacks. But amid some public outcry, the permit application is stuck in legal limbo. WAMC's North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley reports on why the applicant himself and environmental groups in opposition to the Lewis County howitzer testing site agree on the need to stop a legal hearing -- just not on the reason for doing so.
Unconventional Concepts has applied to the Adirondack Park Agency for permission to conduct test firing of howitzer cannons at a site in the Adirondacks. Owner Michael Hopmeier’s attorney Matthew Norfolk says any testing would be limited.
“The application states no firing of this gun will be done unless there’s a federal contract. You’ve got to remember it’s 5 years only, 30 shots maximum. Our sound expert said over the 5 years, if you did 30 shots a year, it would amount to 7.5 seconds of noise.”
The Adirondack Park Agency board sent the application into what’s called an adjudicatory hearing process due to the scope of the project, the degree of public interest and the "uniqueness of resources likely to be affected." Originally scheduled for Dec. 22, 2025, the hearing has been repeatedly delayed and is now scheduled for Oct. 28. Meanwhile, Hopmeier has sued to end the proceedings. Meanwhile, four environmental groups designated as interveners in the case have jointly filed a motion to dismiss the hearing process entirely. Adirondack Explorer Environmental Policy Reporter Gwendolyn Craig has been following the years-long process.
“There’s two different things going on. We’re waiting on Mr. Hopmeier’s court case to be resolved where he sued the agency over the hearing vote. The environmental groups have filed this motion to dismiss the hearing. Essentially the groups are saying that Mr. Hopmeier and his attorney Matthew Norfolk have not been following the procedure and the rules and regulations of the hearing.”
Protect the Adirondacks is leading the four environmental groups filing the motion. Executive Director Claudia Braymer says the applicant has failed to meet deadlines, and they want the application sent back to the APA board.
“The applicant has not submitted anything, in our opinion, that would give the agency the information it needs to do anything other than deny the application. So, we’re trying to get to the most efficient endgame when the applicant has a duty to provide information about its impacts and it’s not doing that.”
Adirondack Council Director of Conservation Jackie Bowen says the agency needs to make a final determination on a permit.
“The purpose of an adjudicatory hearing essentially is to build the record so that the APA board can make a fully informed final determination on the project itself. That information has not been provided. So this needs to be sent back to the APA board for final determination.”
Adirondack Wild: Friends of the Forest Preserve Managing Partner David Gibson says the interveners' motion is a last resort to get the applicant to provide information.
“This is rather unprecedented and I’ve been watching the agency for 39 years. I’ve never seen an applicant being so almost stubborn about submitting information about his application in a timely basis. We thought our motion was necessary at this stage to kick this whole issue back to the full agency for a decision.”
Norfolk says they will challenge the interveners' motion.
“I’m not concerned about this argument that we failed to timely put pre-file testimony in especially when I asked for more time. And if we get a contract with the federal government to test that gun only the federal government has jurisdiction over it. If it’s under a contract it’s not subject to APA rules and regs.”
Applicant Michael Hopmeier and Unconventional Concepts have until Aug. 28 to respond to the interveners' motion. The interveners then have until Sept. 4 to respond.
