Strong Testimony Supports Independent Commission
From around the state, over 25 wind “neighbors” and their supporters gathered in Boston for the bills to create an independent commission to study health effects from wind turbines. Most testified before the Joint Committee on Public Health. Sean Driscoll captured the message effectively in his report for the Cape Cod Times (“Falmouth residents testify on health effects of wind turbines“):
BOSTON – Three years after the first wind turbine went up at Falmouth’s wastewater treatment facility, town residents had a message Tuesday for state legislators: A thorough, scientific study of how the devices affect the human body is long overdue.
Describing herself as a “wind refugee,” Sue Hobart led off the series of emotional personal accounts. She was forced to abandon her home, she said, because of the grave health effects she experienced from the Notus turbine at Webb Research. The 7 people from Falmouth were joined by 9 others–from Kingston, Fairhaven, Scituate, and Florida, Mass. Dan Alvez from Kingston said that although he voted for the town to become a “Green Community,” the recent study of “flicker” confirmed his experience with the strobing light thrown by the Independence turbine–it affects his home 141 days of the year.
Even the pro-wind Sierra Club supports the independent commission, according to the State House News Service report published on Boston.com (“Cape Cod lawmaker pushes for study of turbine health effects“):
Roxanne Zak, energy committee chair of the Sierra Club, said a study would provide information about the proper amount of distance between wind turbines and residents to prevent health effects on residents. Zak said it is critical for the public to acknowledge “wind turbine syndrome” is real, and that sound and pressure differences can create health problems for some people.
“We can’t dismiss the evidence that people are having problems,” she said.
Wind Wise ~ Massachusetts 
The state’s model By-law adopted by most municipalities is responsible for these problems. Three years after these problems surfaced, the state has yet to modify the By-law by increasing the setback distance to a safe point.
In the meantime, local boards across the state have taken notice and revised their by-laws to protect local residents. This action has limited the advancement of many wind turbine projects around the state.
We already had a study that whitewashed the problem. We do not need another. All we need is for the state to bail out the mistakes in Falmouth, Fairhaven, Scituate, and Kingston, and leave the local boards to deal with future installations. The system is working. Falmouth, Fairhaven and Kingston have been found in violation of state noise pollution regulations. The mistakes have been noted by local boards and corrected. There will not be any future ill-sited wind turbines.
The governor is not trying to solve the problem. The governor is using the widespread complaints to remove the authority vested in local rule, and move the siting responsibility to the state to advance his agenda. We need to stop them. The tradition of Local Rule has served us well. You do not want state bureaucrats on Beacon Hill deciding just how much noise you can stand, and still get a good night’s sleep.
In a contest between your quality of life and the money lobbyists can pump into the political system to put wind turbine in your neighborhood, you will always lose!
We need to retain Local Rule!
Reblogged this on Firetower Wind.