Legislative Initiatives
Cape area residents have applauded Representative Vieira for sponsoring a bill that would relieve communities of some of the financial strain of decommissioning wind turbines. (Read Sara Mannal’s piece in the Falmouth Patch “Representative Vieira Files Wind Energy Relief Act“).
Other initiatives fund study of health effects, scrutinize costs, and ensure transparency in billing ratepayers for the surcharges used to develop wind power.
Please ask your senators and representatives to co-sponsor the following bills. Deadline to co-sponsor is Friday 2/1/13. Text of the bills can be accessed by clicking on the bill numbers.
To find the name and contact information of your state senator and of your state representative, go to www.malegislature.gov and click on Find A Legislator in the upper center of the screen.
| Bill No | Information |
| HD1341 | Wind Emergency Relief Act filed by Representative David Vieira “An Act relieving the adverse effects of wind energy” described in the press release from his office. This is the same language as SD679 below. |
| SD679 | Legislation to relieve the adverse effects of wind energy development filed by Senator Knapik. This bill and H1341 (above) establishes one fund to compensate people suffering from the effects of living too close to wind turbines and another fund to help towns that want to remove wind turbines. Both funds are supported by monies already deducted from our electricity bills. |
| HD2907 | An Act to Protect the Health of Citizens of the Commonwealth filed by Representative Peterson. This legislation establishes a commission to study the health impacts of wind turbines and to recommend administrative and legislative changes to mitigate or eliminate any adverse health effects from wind turbines. |
| HD1398 | Resolve to Establish a Commission to Study the Health Impacts from Wind Turbines filed by Representative Peake. This legislation is similar to HD2907 but has a more specific mandate to investigate and study the incidence and impacts in the Commonwealth of adverse health impacts from wind turbines. |
| HD1615 | An Act creating a special commission to study the health impacts of wind turbines filed by Representative Smola. This bill is similar to HD2907. |
| SD599 | An Act Promoting Transparency in Electric Bills filed by Senator Knapik. This is the same bill as HD2913 below. |
| HD2913 | An Act Promoting Transparency in Electric Bills filed by Representative Peterson. This bill and SD599 requires utilities to itemize all the hidden costs embedded our electricity bills. It had been filed last year, also. |
| SD600 | An Act Establishing a Renewable Energy Commission filed by Senator Knapik. This is the same bill as HD2885 below. |
| HD2885 | An Act Establishing a Renewable Energy Commission filed by Representative Peterson. This bill and SD600 call for an accounting of the cumulative costs of all the state’s renewable energy initiatives. It was filed last year and a version was enacted but the result is a commission that’s dedicated, instead, to continuing the status quo. So legislators have this year re-filed the bill. |
WWMA OPPOSES WESRA for onshore industrial wind plants
Please contact your state senator and state representative to remind them that the Wind Energy Siting Reform Act (WESRA) is a controversial bill–and ask them not to co-sponsor it.
| Bill No. | Information |
| SD803 |
An Act relative to comprehensive siting reform for land based wind projects filed by Senator Finegold. |
| HD3320 |
An Act relative to comprehensive siting reform for land based wind projects filed by Representative Smizik. |
Wind Wise ~ Massachusetts 
Peaceful civil disobedience does not threaten the safety of anyone.And, should people in a free society feel the necessity to make such a statement do it !
The Massachusetts Constitution affirms the dignity and equality of all individuals. It forbids the creation of second-class citizens. Yet, in the mad rush to implement green energy policies, the state of Massachusetts is creating a second class group of citizens through the poor siting of commercial wind turbines.
The Falmouth Select Board has stepped up to the plate for all the citizens of Massachusetts. Falmouth spent almost $400,000.00 on talks between abutters and public officials and twenty six meetings.
The installation of commercial megawatt turbines shows compellingly that the symptoms and illnesses called Wind Turbine Syndrome and Vibro-Acoustic Disease are caused by exposure. This is the low frequency noise from the large megawatt turbines in residential locations.
The state noise regulations were written in the 1970s long before wind turbine installations. The Massachusetts Model Bylaws written in the 1990s by the state of Massachusetts were written for 660 Killowatt turbines. In the last few years the large megawatt turbines have been sited near residential homes.
Kingston Massachusetts
http://www.enterprisenews.com/news/x898123360/Kingston-Hurry-up-and-wait-on-wind-turbine-study-impact
Scituate:
http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/scituate/2013/01/scituate_board_of_health_decid.html
Fairhaven:
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130201/NEWS/302010341/1001
Falmouth :
http://www.wickedlocal.com/falmouth/news/x206919835/BREAKING-NEWS-Selectmen-support-removing-wind-turbines#axzz2JVjnGaSk