The Maine Osteopathic Association Board of Directors adopted this important resolution regarding wind energy development and public health at its September 25, 2009 meeting.

This affidavit by Dr. Michael Nissenbaum was submitted in support of an appeal filed with Maine's Board of Environmental Protection. The aggrieved parties are opposing the final order permitting the Record Hill wind energy facility issued by Maine's Department of Environmental Protection on August 20, 2009. The proposed project will include 22 industrial scale turbines sited in Roxbury, Maine. Dr. Nissenbaum asserts that turbines can cause adverse effects on human health.

The Maine Medical Association adopted this important resolution regarding wind energy development and public health at its September 12, 2009 annual meeting.

On March 27, 2009, the residents of Mars Hill living within 3600 feet of First Wind's wind energy facility filed a civil complaint in Maine Superior Court seeking relief from the "significant harm" caused by the First Wind and others by the construction and operation of the site. The full complaint can be accessed by clicking on the link below.

These meeting notes detail the thinking of Dr. Dora Mills, State of Maine Public Health Director and Staff of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection regarding wind turbine noise. At the time of this meeting, attendee Andrew Fisk of Maine DEP had notified First Wind that their wind facility in Mars Hill ME was operating in compliance with the permit he had issued. Dr. Mills was preparing to present information on turbine noise before the Maine Medical Association meeting later in the month. All attendees were discussing how to proceed with two other wind projects proposed in the State. Both proposed projects use RSE to model the preconstruction noise levels.

At its monthly meeting held Tuesday, March 3, 2009, the Medical Staff of Northern Maine Medical Center unanimously approved the release of the following statement:

Following is the statement issued by the staff of the Rumford Community Hospital, and sent to Gov. Baldacci, Dr. Mills of Maine Center for Disease Control, as well as the Rumford Falls Times and the Lewiston Sun Journal.

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.