Watch and Listen–devastation and opposition
Dr. Ben Luce speaks in Lee on Friday night at 7:00 about the destruction of mountain tops to meet the state’s wind ambitions. The venue is the Lee Courtroom is at 32 Main Street (U.S. 20) at Park Place, in the town hall, next to the First Congregational Church.
Planning continues for projects throughout Massachusetts.
Listen to the radio interview with Raymond Hartman from Shelburne or watch two videos. One tracks Scituate’s Industrial Wind Turbine from port to completion and the second illustrates the destruction of Brodie Mountain for one of the 10 turbines of the Berkshire Wind Project.
|
|
|
|
Wind Wise Radio presents Saving Massachusetts from IWT
Louise Barteau, Ann DeNardis, Viriginia Irvine, Andrew Wells — Sun. April 22 7pm ET
We will be talking with leaders in the efforts to save Massachusetts from the onslaught of the Patrick administration and the wind developers who are attempting to put their political ambitions and their greed ahead of the interests of the citizens of Massachusetts
Louise Barteau is an environmental artist living and working in Fairhaven, MA. Her studio is located approximately 1200′ 
from Fairhaven’s two 400′ Industrial Wind Turbines which were installed this winter and are about to be turned on this month. A reluctant activist, she was drawn into a troubling tale of covert actions between the developers, Fairhaven Wind, and the town government that began years ago when the town passed its liberal wind energy by-laws in 2004.
A small group of determined neighbors fought off the first turbine project in court in 2008, but a second turbine project was always in the works behind closed doors. Construction on the present turbines began in November with no notice given to abutters. Particularly troubling in Fairhaven is the placement of these turbines in a densely populated area, with 701 homes, the senior center and the elementary school within 3000 feet of the turbines.
Ann DeNardis is a tireless advocate in the struggle against the improper siting of industrial scale wind turbines. An accomplished lawyer from Bedford, Massachusetts who one of her clients described this way: “You are a great advocate and when necessary a warrior. You put your mind, body, heart and being into your work…”
Viginia Irvine is one of the founding members of Wind Wise ~ Massachusetts – a statewide alliance of grass roots organizations and individuals who are concerned about the negative health, environmental, and economic impacts of poorly-sited wind turbines. The alliance members are all volunteers.Virginia is a geologist with a specialty in hydrogeology. She is also a Licensed Site Professional in Massachusetts which means she am licensed to assess, clean-up and close hazardous waste sites under the state’s privatized hazardous waste clean-up system. She also holds a professional geologist license with the state of New Hampshire.
Andrew Wells has been active on wind issues in MA since 2006, first on the Cape and more recently in western MA, where he resides. In 2007 he fought a four turbine project proposed mere hundreds of feet from a densely settled residential neighborhood in Eastham. He served on a wind turbine bylaw committee that recommended siting standards. He was an organizing member of Windwise Massachusetts. In 2010 he served as chairman of another wind turbine bylaw committee, this time in the Berkshire hilltown of Ashfield, site of several proposed wind projects. Here he is testifying at the public hearing on (now dead) Wind Energy Siting Reform Act that was held last year in Hancock, Massachusetts:
IWTs: Fairhaven–Imminent, Kingston–in Dispute
Fairhaven–Imminent
The Fairhaven turbines will be turned on early next week, reporter Ariel Wittenberg says in her South Coast Today article.
FAIRHAVEN — The Fairhaven wind turbines will finally be turned on early next week following months of controversy over their potential health effects on the surrounding community. Wind One will activate on April 24, with Wind Two turning on the following day.
The turbines, located near the town’s wastewater treatment plant off Arsene Street, were originally slated to begin energy production two days earlier on Earth Day but were delayed because of a holdup in receiving parts for the turbine’s transformers. The parts are expected to arrive in Fairhaven from the Midwest late this week and crews will work through the weekend to meet the April 24 deadline, Fairhaven Executive Secretary Jeffrey Osuch said.
To mollify residents who have heeded the warnings of Windwise Fairhaven, the town will set up a complaint system to register issues with the turbines: Fairhaven health board to create turbine complaint process .
Kathryn Gallerani reports in Wicked Local Kingston Indian Pond neighbors file cease and desist order to stop turbines
Eleven Kingston families are requesting that Zoning Enforcement Officer Paul Armstrong issue separate cease and desist orders to prevent operation of the wind turbine Independence on the town’s capped landfill and stop operation of the three wind turbines on business owner Mary O’Donnell’s Marion Drive property.
Shelburne, Plymouth Meetings Proceed
Wednesday action
- In Shelburne at 7:00pm at Town Hall, the Shelburne Planning Board will meet to discuss the citizens’ wind bylaw petition.
- In Plymouth, the Anderson Bog Hedges Pond Road proposal is again going before the ZBA at 7:00 pm. This is a continuation of the first meeting, and public comment is not yet closed.
- Buckland has a hearing on a moratorium for wind and solar development.
Later in Shelburne:
- Friday April 27th 7:00 pm at the Elementary School, the Planning Board will hold a public hearing on their proposed moratorium on wind.
- Tuesday May 1 at 7:00 at Memorial Hall, Shelburne Town Meeting. This is Shelburne voters’ chance to decide the fate of Shelburne. Please save the date. You have to be present to vote.
Wind Wise Radio presents Strife in Ontario
windfarmrealities.org takes a stab (with push pins) to illustrate the potential extent of turbine development in southern Ontario
Ontario has a dangerous build-out of industrial wind turbines and as a result has spawned a fierce opposition movement. Listen as co-hosts Harley Keisch and Annie Hart Cool interview 6 people engaged in the fight.
Wind Wise Radio airs each Sunday at 7:00 pm Eastern time or anytime on the web.
- Mark Davis is Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of Arran Elderslie, about 3 hours northwest of Toronto. He works with the Inter Municipal Wind Turbine Working Group to influence public opinion around the Ontario Green Energy Act and to reassert local control.
- Greg Schmalz is the founder of S.T.O.P. (Saugeen Shores Turbine Operation Policy), which has opposed placement of 35-story turbine on the grounds of the $70M resort run by the Canadian auto workers union.
- Lisa Thompson is the Provincal representative for Bruce-Huron. She was elected to the Ontario Legislature on October 6, 2011. In spite of defeats, she has allowed the concerns of rural Ontario to be heard.
- Jane Wilson is a Registered Nurse and health care writer and editor, who is the current president of Wind Concerns Ontario, a coalition of individuals and community groups in Canada’s most populous province, Ontario.
- Gail and Ed Kenney are residents of Wolfe Island Ontario who appealed their property value assessment only to be rejected this past week by Ontario’s assessment review board–because they could find “no evidence” (this despite no homes sold since the 86 Turbines went up).
Shelburne Falls bylaw would rule out IWTs
Industrial scale wind turbines would be out if the Shelburne voters approve a bylaw heard Tuesday night by the Planning Board. Yoojin Cho of Channel 22 news in Springfield reported under the headline, “Some residents oppose Shelburne Falls wind turbines proposal.” The towns of Shelburne and Buckland, both have a stake in the outcome, as the wind plant proposal of Frederick Field for Mt. Massaemet–now downscaled from its original size–would tower over the village of Shelburne Falls. Known for its Bridge of Flowers and as a cultural district, the falls connects the two towns. Diane Broncaccio‘s reporting in the Greenfield Recorder provides regular updates on the developments of this ongoing story.
Direct Impact Presented by Wind Wise Radio
Direct Impact: Talking with victims of IWT. Neil Anderson, Barb Ashbee, Richard Braithwaite, and Gerry Meyer — Listen to Sunday’s webcast
WWR spoke with the victims of industrial wind from different regions and projects.
Neil Anderson hails from Falmouth, Massachusetts and has been a leader in the effort to tell the story of the many families in Falmouth who have been severely impacted by the turbine know as Wind One. Wind One is located at the town’s wastewater treatment plant a little more than 1300 feet from Neil’s home. As many as 50 families have been impacted and they have managed, for now, to get the turbine turned off. Neil was an advocate of the turbine before it turned on and started to impact his health. In fact, his career was focused around home efficiency measures. Both his and his wife’s health have been impacted adversely
.Barbara Ashbee was forced out of her Amaranth, Ontario home by the siting of industrial turbines too close. Barbara could easily count 15 turbines from her yard. Her experiences with the local and provincial government is scary and disturbing.
Richard Braithwaite lives in Keyser, West Virginia and was one of seventy-five neighbors who signed a petition seeking a solution to the noise coming from the Pinnacle Wind project. He purchased an inexpensive sound meter and routinely registers 60 – 70db outside his home. As he says, “Let them bring their thousand dollar machine and take their own readings.” The wind developer has paid lip service to the complaints and is installing, of all things, a muffler!
Gerry Meyer lives in the 86 turbine Forward Energy project in Brownsville, Wisconsin that was erected by Invenergy of Chicago. There are 5 – 400’ turbines within ¾ of a mile and 11 within a mile of his house.
Falmouth Town Meeting Concludes
Photo by Virginia Irvine
On the fourth night, Falmouth town meeting approved the article to keep turbines Wind I and Wind II off-line until testing is completed and the project reviewed at the next town meeting. On Wednesday Kathryn Elder and Todd Drummy had presented explanations of the issues, according to Sean Teehan’s Cape Cod Times reporting, “Falmouth turbine debate to resume tonight.”
The passage of Article 23 was a relief to people whose health and livelihoods have been adversely impacted by the two turbines, located as close as 1300 feet of some homes.
Photo by Cape Cod Times/Steve Heaslip
Dozens of letters were sent to the Board of Selectmen from around the state and the world, urging them to support article 23.
The town meeting also passed Article 27, an article that supports mitigation of abutter complaints but keeps the turbines running. As Teehan reported in “Falmouth turbine votes go both ways,”
They voted to shut the turbines off, then less than an hour later, they voted to leave them on.
…Both articles are nonbinding — which means that selectmen are not required to adhere by the decision — so the contradictory articles are both valid…
The dilemma in Falmouth comes at a time when the Brown County, WI Health Department has passed a resolution “requesting emergency state aid for families suffering around industrial wind turbines.”
Fairhaven elected a new Selectman as well as new members to the Board of Health and School Committee, in an election that came down to trust and candidate responsiveness to resident concerns, according to Beth Perdue’s report in South Coast Today (“Espindola wins Fairhaven selectman race”).
One Windwise-Fairhaven member emailed later, “WE WON – wow! Door to door canvassing I think in the end delivered the votes.”
Fairhaven’s town election is Monday, April 2, 2012 with the polls open from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm.
Polling places for the following precincts are:
- Town Hall
- High School
- Hastings Middle School
- Hastings Middle School
- Leroy Wood School
- East Fairhaven School
Windwise-Fairhaven is planning a victory party for Monday night.
A hearing before the Planning Board on Tuesday April 3, 2012 will ask the town to consider changes to the by law on height and setbacks for industrial wind turbines. The meeting at town hall begins at 6:30 pm.
Falmouth holds its Spring Town Meeting on APRIL 2, 2012. A standout at 6:00 pm at the Lawrence School Entrance precedes the 7:00 pm meeting.
ARTICLE 23 on the warrant proposes to stop the #1 and #2 turbines except for necessary testing and maintenance until the Fall Town Meeting–by which time the sound testing should finally be completed and the selectmen should have their mitigation plan on the table.
It is now TWO FULL YEARS since residents began suffering but the town’s selectmen are just now proposing to form a committee in an attempt to find some “common ground” to mitigate the problem in the town’s favor. The turbine abutters define “common ground” as the return to the same enjoyment of home, garden, and uninterrupted sleep, as other Falmouth residents.
Support the Falmouth turbine victims and Article 23 by joining the standout from 6:00 to 7:00 pm along the roadway/sidewalk entrance to Lawrence School at 113 Lakeview Ave., Falmouth.
Wind Wise ~ Massachusetts 