www.windaction.org | Massachusetts

Wind turbine battle in Falmouth just 'Tip of the Iceberg'
April 9, 2013 by Wind Wise-Massachusetts in The Sacramento Bee

"Peer-reviewed scientific studies have proven that living near wind turbines makes people sick, as evidenced by 21 wind turbine locations in Massachusetts from the Cape and Islands to the Berkshires where people have reported serious health problems," said Lilli-Ann Green, a spokesperson for WWMA.

Also filed under [ General]

Turbine debate heads to meeting
April 7, 2013 by Jessica Bartlett in Boston Globe

Though town officials say they're not obligated to follow the direction of the vote, and turbine owners caution against immediate action, residents are still hopeful that their voices will have some impact.

Also filed under [ Impact on People]

Falmouth residents asked to pony up $14M to raze wind turbines
April 6, 2013 by Sean Teehan in Cape Cod Times

"We got the message from the state and we're moving forward," said Selectman Kevin Murphy, chairman of the board. Even if town meeting votes against the article, selectmen will offer a ballot question asking voters if they want the turbines removed, Selectman Mary Pat Flynn said. The question would likely appear on the May 21 ballot. "Everyone wants to vote on this, not just town meeting," Flynn said.

Also filed under [ General]

Scituate wind turbine issue to go before town meeting
April 6, 2013 by Patrick Ronan in The Patriot Ledger

Town meeting voters will consider a citizens' petition asking Scituate officials to rescind the special permit - awarded by the planning board in 2010 - that allowed Scituate Wind LLC to build a 390-foot-tall turbine off the Driftway. The petition was filed by turbine neighbors who say noise and flicker from the turbine have hurt their health.

Also filed under [ General]

Turbines create headache for Falmouth
April 6, 2013 by Sean Teehan in Cape Cod Times

"This is something that has polarized the community. It was a situation in which Murphy's Law played out," said Selectman Kevin Murphy, chairman of the board, with no pun intended. ...But the suffering Falmouth residents endure in their own homes requires the turbines' removal, Cool said.

Also filed under [ Impact on People| Noise]

Kingston Board of Health turbine monitoring request denied
April 5, 2013 by Kathryn Gallerani in Wicked Local Kingston

“We have filed noise complaints with the Board of Health since May of 2012, we have been at every meeting and have led most of the discussions regarding noise issues related to the Independence turbine and the negative impact to our lives,” Doreen Reilly said. “It is crucial that our home be included as part of the acoustical sound study.”

Also filed under [ Impact on People| Noise]

Falmouth selectmen, finance committee stand firm on removing turbines
April 5, 2013 by Scott A. Giordano in The Bulletin

The Falmouth Board of Selectmen and the Falmouth Finance Committee held a joint April 4 meeting and unanimously stood by the selectmen's prior vote to remove the town's wind turbines, despite receiving none of their requested financial assistance from the state to do so. The latest estimate is that it will cost the town about $14 million to remove both Wind 1 and Wind 2.

Also filed under [ Impact on People| Energy Policy]

Flickering shadows from wind turbines draw complaints
April 5, 2013 by Peter Schworm and David Filipov in Boston Globe

Dan Alves calls the shadows thrown by the rotating blades a "nightmare" he deals with about 16 weeks a year when the sun sets behind the turbine. "It's an invasion of my property," he said from the deck outside his back door. Alves said he particularly worries about his son, a ninth-grader who was diagnosed with epilepsy as a young child. ...At the request of town officials, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center recently agreed to examine the issue.

Also filed under [ Impact on People| Shadow flicker]

Scituate Wind: Two firms, two studies
April 4, 2013 by Ruth Thompson in Wicked Local Scituate

Two firms - one chosen by the board of health and another chosen and paid for by the neighbors of the turbine - will be conducting sound analysis on the turbine.

Also filed under [ Impact on People| Noise]

Mass Clean Energy Center meeting regarding Falmouth REC contract modification
April 2, 2013 in Massachusetts Clean Energy Center

These notes from the Mass Clean Energy Center (CEC) Board of Directors meeting indicate that the CEC will be moving forward on a plan to forgive the Town of Falmouth for renewable energy credits that are not generated by the town's Wind-1 turbine in the event the voters implement mitigation measures to relieve the noise impacts. The MassCEC waiver shall not be available for a Town action involving decommissioning and/or removal of the Wind 1 turbine.

Also filed under [ Impact on People]

Falmouth To Vote On Removing Wind Turbines
April 2, 2013 by Bob Oakes and Kathleen McNerney in WBUR

State energy officials, with their goal of expanding wind energy in Massachusetts, are watching all of this closely, but have been careful to not step in to the Falmouth fray. Alicia Barton, head of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, a quasi-public agency, would not say whether there were mistakes made in Falmouth, but she did say there were some lessons.

Also filed under [ Impact on People| Noise]

Massachusetts Clean Energy Center commits to Kingston turbine flicker review
March 30, 2013 by Kathryn Gallerani in Wicked Local Kingston

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center has agreed to commission a shadow flicker study of Kingston's wind turbines. Massachusetts Clean Energy Center spokesman Catherine Williams confirmed there will be a study.

Also filed under [ Impact on People| Noise| Shadow flicker]

Algonquin Heights objects to Stop & Shop turbine
March 30, 2013 by Emily Clark in Wicked Local Plymouth

Attorney David Paliotti, representing Algonquin Heights, refuted the Stop & Shop engineer's claims, saying the proposed wind turbine will exceed the sound limit guidelines. He also questioned the company's shadow-flicker study and the applicant's research on the visibility of the turbine. ...The Stop & Shop turbine would be located approximately 600 feet from the Algonquin Heights apartment complex and 962 feet from the nearest home on Westerly Road.

Also filed under [ Impact on People]

Scituate says no to combining wind turbine studies
March 30, 2013 by Patrick Ronan in The Patriot Ledger

The neighbors, who say the turbine is hurting their health, announced earlier this week they would hire an acoustical engineer to test the noise levels of the turbine. They want their study to be performed on the same nights as the study conducted by Tech Environmental, the firm picked by the health board to study the turbine.

Also filed under [ Noise]

Scituate: Advisory committee considers municipal wind turbine shut down proposal
March 28, 2013 by John Penny in WATD FM

"We are not sleeping. We are suffering the adverse effects of shadow flicker. One of the members of the board of health at the October meeting brought forth the issue that we suspend the operation of the industrial wind turbine during night time hours, until we can complete the study. ...we're imploring the town to suspend the operation," Kelly said.

Also filed under [ Impact on People| Noise]

Neighbors to commission sound study on Scituate wind turbine
March 28, 2013 by Ruth Thompson in Wicked Local Scituate

A second study of the effects of the Scituate Wind turbine has been planned. ...the Community Group decided to conduct its own study “given the inadequate scope of the study supported by the board of health.”

Also filed under [ Impact on People| Noise]

No word from state on funding removal of turbines
March 28, 2013 by Scott A. Giordano in The Bulletin

Falmouth selectmen gave an update March 25 on the town's plans to dismantle the town's two turbines located at the Falmouth Wastewater Treatment Facility, known as Wind 1 and Wind 2 - and whether the state will help fund their removal.

Candidates struggle with turbines, framing of debate, at West Island debate
March 28, 2013 by Ariel Wittenberg in South Coast Today

Wethington said the race was less about the turbines and more about the unresponsiveness of DeTerra toward the residents who claim the turbines have had an adverse effect on their health. "I want to take the board in a new direction so that people with problems can come to the Board of Health without being fearful that they will not be heard," he said.

Also filed under [ General]

Two acoustical engineering firms place bids for Scituate turbine study
March 26, 2013 by Patrick Ronan in The Patriot Ledger

Two engineering firms have expressed interest in conducting a sound study that will determine whether Scituate's wind turbine is too loud by state standards.

Also filed under [ Noise]

Use of town letterhead questioned in Fairhaven ethics complaint
March 26, 2013 by Ariel Wittenberg in South Coast Today

"What I wrote was a dumb statement but it wasn't a threat," he said in an interview with The Standard-Times last week. "He wanted to keep me quiet about the turbines and is painting a picture of me as some kind of crazy person." Selectman Bob Espindola said Monday neither he nor fellow board member Charlie Murphy had been aware of Bowcock's letter until Ferreira complained to him in September.

Also filed under [ Impact on People]

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