Hearings Continue This Week
The Patrick administration effort to site wind turbines continues this week with the Mass. Department of Public Utilities hearings in Pittsfield on Monday evening (1/27/14 at 5:00 at Berkshire Community College) and in Gloucester on Wednesday evening (1/29/14 at 7:00 at the Gloucester High School auditorium).
This investigation into so-called “best practices,” which is really another effort to by-pass the legislature’s authority, is in a hearing and comment period. The final hearing date is February 6th, with a 4:00 pm meeting in Hyannis. The comment period has been extended to February 20th.
Read Chris Kapsambelis’s submission. Among his other points–most related to noise–is this recommendation:
The present practice that relies on sound studies as the basis for compliance with 310 CMR 7.10 needs to be abandoned in favor of easily calculated separation distances that guarantee compliance throughout the year under all possible wind shear conditions.
Wind Wise ~ Massachusetts 
The Cape Cod Commission, after lengthy hearings has rejected a 5-turbine WEF project in Bournedale, and has adopted a bylaw with a WEF setback distance of 10-rotor diameters. This condition amounts to a separation distance of about 3,000 feet for megawatt turbines, and effectively eliminates land based WEFs on Cape Cod. While the 10-rotor setback condition may work well on Cape Cod and the surrounding coastal area, Hoosac is demonstrating that in the mountainous regions of the Berkshires separation distances of three or more miles are necessary to ensure public safety.