Richard James is a noise control consultant and acoustical consultant with E-Coustic Solutions in Michigan. In his testimony before the Tazewell County Zoning Board of Appeals in IL, Mr. James addresses the noise study conducted by Horizon Wind for the Rail Splitter wind energy proposal. His testimony can be accessed in full by clicking on the link below and reading from page 22 of the .pdf file. Mr. James' testimony is informative and compelling.

At a special meeting of the Prattsburgh, NY town board, the Board members voted 3-2 to authorize the commencement of eminent domain proceedings against landowners unwilling to sign easement agreements with UPC Wind (First Wind), a private wind energy developer seeking to erect 36 turbines across forty-eight properties town. The draft minutes of that meeting along with the resolution can be accessed by clicking on the link below.

Wind turbines are known to produce shadow flicker by interruption of sunlight by the turbine blades. Known parameters of the seizure provoking effect of flicker, i.e., contrast, frequency, mark-space ratio, retinal area stimulated and percentage of visual cortex involved were applied to wind turbine features. The proportion of patients affected by viewing wind turbines expressed as distance in multiples of the hub height of the turbine showed that seizure risk does not decrease significantly until the distance exceeds 100 times the hub height. Since risk does not diminish with viewing distance, flash frequency is therefore the critical factor and should be kept to a maximum of three per second, i.e., sixty revolutions per minute for a three-bladed turbine. On wind farms the shadows cast by one turbine on another should not be viewable by the public if the cumulative flash rate exceeds three per second. Turbine blades should not be reflective.

We had heard about the windmills but when we asked how they would affect us if we bought the land, the town manager told us we wouldn't even see them, much less hear them because they were going on the front of the mountains. We believed them. That was our biggest mistake. At that time we had no idea that the town fathers had not even read the application that they had co-signed on or hired a lawyer to explain it to them. They had no idea what they had agreed to. They, in turn, had believed everything UPC had told them. The biggest lie of all was that there would be no noise or you had to be within 500'.to hear anything. I believe that is still in their propaganda. ...A close friend of ours wanted to buy ten acres of land from us for a house lot. After he saw what was happening he decided he definitely did not want to live with the windmills in his front yard. Sadly, we agreed with him.

Robert and Becky Burtchell of Mars Hill, ME provided this letter to the residents of Roxbury, ME in hopes the voters of Roxbury would make an informed decision before agreeing to permit industrial turbines on their ridgelines. This letter is published here with the permission of the Burtchells.

Attorney Jim Blackburn of the Coastal Habitat Alliance presents a comprehensive summary of the development and impacts of the Kenedy County wind farms in Texas.

This letter was sent to Jim Lepinski of the Wisconsin Public Service Commission. The letter captures the anger and frustration of people living within a quarter-mile of industrial turbines.

Mark and Kate Harris of Mars Hill, ME provided this letter to the residents of Roxbury, ME in hopes the voters would make an informed decision before agreeing to permit industrial turbines on their ridgelines.

The Boyds Mars Hill, ME provided this letter to the residents of Byron and Roxbury, ME in hopes the voters of both towns would make informed decisions before agreeing to permit industrial turbines on their ridgelines. This letter is published here with the permission of Boyds.

The Fletchers of Mars Hill, ME provided this letter to the residents of Roxbury, ME in hopes the voters of Roxbury would make an informed decision before agreeing to permit industrial turbines on their ridgelines. This letter is published here with the permission of Shirley and Richard Fletcher.