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.

Impact on Views Noise Impact on People Maine

Controversy over a proposed wind power project in Byron and Roxbury continues to grow the closer Byron gets to its town meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday. An article in the warrant seeks to amend Byron's building ordinance to allow 450-foot-tall wind towers and turbines to be placed along a ridge between Old Turk Mountain and Record Hill. ...Some information regarding noise levels in those letters and on Record Hill's Web site is being questioned publicly by coalition members Linda Kuras and Sarah Nedeau and others.

Noise Impact on Landscape Zoning/Planning Maine

Wendy Todd of 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 Wendy Todd.

Noise Impact on People Impact on Landscape Maine

This video introduces you to the people of Mars Hill ME who are being driven from their homes due to wind turbine noise. UPC Wind installed 28 1.5 MW turbines within 2600 feet of where these families live. The problem of noise developed almost immediately after the turbines were turned on. Welcome to Mars Hill: Part 1: 9 minutes 42 seconds Part 2: 9 minutes 06 seconds Part 3: 3 minutes 15 seconds Credits: Special thanks to Carol and Paul Brouha, Bobbie Kinnel, Wendy Todd, and Praetorian Productions for creating this video. We also wish to thank Rick Bolton of Environmental Compliance Alliance for converting the DVD to .wmv format.

Impact on Views Noise Impact on People Maine

This video introduces you to the people of Mars Hill ME who are being driven from their homes due to wind turbine noise. UPC Wind installed 28 1.5 MW turbines within 2600 feet of where these families live. The problem of noise developed almost immediately after the turbines were turned on. Welcome to Mars Hill: Part 1: 9 minutes 42 seconds Part 2: 9 minutes 06 seconds Part 3: 3 minutes 15 seconds Credits: Special thanks to Carol and Paul Brouha, Bobbie Kinnel, Wendy Todd, and Praetorian Productions for creating this video. We also wish to thank Rick Bolton of Environmental Compliance Alliance for converting the DVD to .wmv format.

Impact on Views Noise Impact on People Maine

This video introduces you to the people of Mars Hill ME who are being driven from their homes due to wind turbine noise. UPC Wind installed 28 1.5 MW turbines within 2600 feet of where these families live. The problem of noise developed almost immediately after the turbines were turned on. Welcome to Mars Hill: Part 1: 9 minutes 42 seconds Part 2: 9 minutes 06 seconds Part 3: 3 minutes 15 seconds   Credits: Special thanks to Carol and Paul Brouha, Bobbie Kinnel, Wendy Todd, and Praetorian Productions for creating this video. We also wish to thank Rick Bolton of Environmental Compliance Alliance for converting the DVD to .wmv format.  

Noise Impact on People Impact on Landscape Maine

These comments were submitted by IWA/WindAction.org to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection in regard to continuing noise problems at the Mars Hill wind energy facility in Mars Hill, ME.

Noise Maine

In response to complaints of noise at the Mars Hill (ME) wind facility, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (MEDEP) contracted EnRad Consulting to peer-review the pre- and post- sound studies performed by the developer, Evergreen/UPC Wind. EnRad's report to the MEDEP can be accessed below. The stated objective of this sound level study was to compare wind farm operation sound levels with predicted estimates and evaluation of the ambient sound levels in the vicinity of the wind farm. The developer, UPC Wind, initiated an ambient and operations sound level study late in 2006 after receiving concerns from persons residing in nearby protected locations. The "Recommendations" section of the EnRad Consulting report is published below. The full report can be downloaded by clicking on the link at the bottom of the page.

Noise Maine

Environmental leaders and state energy officials are excited about all the interest in wind power, and all are learning more about it, thanks to Mars Hill. But the project has critics in its hometown. A group of about 18 homeowners in Mars Hill is angry about loud noise that is produced by the wind turbines. The neighbors say the noise is not consistent, that it can vary with weather and wind conditions. At times, it's almost inaudible. But at other thimes, they say, the noise can reach over 50 decibels in their homes, disturbing sleep and making life uncomfortable. ...the Town Manager of Mars Hill says he believes future wind projects should have guidelines for how close wind turbines are placed to homes. He says a turbine within 2,500 feet should have to get a noise easement from the homeowner, to avoid problems with complaints later on.

Noise Impact on People General Maine

LEE, Maine - The developer of a wind farm proposed for northern Washington County told state regulators Wednesday that noise levels from the massive turbines are expected to be well within legal limits. Representatives of UPC Wind Management described Stetson Mountain - located between the communities of Danforth and Springfield - as an excellent location for a wind energy facility because of the remote location, existing road network and steady winds. "No site is ideal in every respect, but from our perspective, Stetson comes as close to ideal as you can get for wind energy," Dave Cowan, vice president for environmental affairs with UPC, told members of the Land Use Regulation Commission.

Noise Impact on People General Maine

PUGWASH - Opponents of a proposed wind farm on the Gulf Shore got more fuel for the fire Friday night. Mark Harris, a pastor from Bridgewater, Maine, spoke Friday night at the Ground Search and Rescue in Pugwash about how a wind farm in Mars Hill, Maine has terrorized locals. He bought property in Mars Hill roughly 1200 feet away from the turbines, but hasn't done anything with it because of how unbearable the sound and strobing from them is. "Many of the mills we have, on certain days when the wind comes from a certain direction and the humidity is such and such, it will be all but silent at 1200 feet away where my home site would be. But come back the next day and it'll pound until you can't tolerate being there and there's no predicting when that will happen," he said. He said the wind farm has wreaked havoc on the town, with many people now dealing with health complications allegedly caused by the turbines' sounds and shadows.

Noise Lighting Impact on People General Canada Maine

The town of Mars Hill...is the test bed for all that is good and not so good about wind power in Maine. ... With the failure of two other wind power proposals - a thirty-turbine project in Redington Township outside Rangeley and a three-unit installation in the town of Freedom in central Maine - the Mars Hill experience raises the question of wind power's future in the state. An energy technology praised as the green alternative to fossil fuels and one of the solutions to global climate change has produced controversies that have split the environmental community in Maine and made enemies of natural allies.

Noise Impact on People General Impact on Landscape Maine

Richard Bolton, of Environmental Compliance Alliance critiqued RSE's methodology. His prepared comments, as submitted to the Maine DEP, can be accessed below.

Noise Impact on People Maine

In response to noise complaints at the Mars Hill wind facility, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) requested developer UPC Wind Management LLC conduct a sound level study at the site. Here is the cover letter and document ("Sound Level Study - Ambient & Operations Sound Level Monitoring") submitted by UPC to the Maine DEP.

Noise Impact on People Maine

These public comments were filed with the New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee in reference to the Lempster Wind proposal (NH SEC Docket 2006-01 - Lempster, NH). Ms. Martin's comments were prepared following interviews she had with residents living near the Mars Hill, Maine commerical wind project. The Mars Hill wind project went on line in early 2007; problems of noise were reported as early as December 2006.

Noise Impact on People Maine New Hampshire

Wendy Todd, a resident of Mars Hill, Maine, and her husband, Perrin, live about 2,600 feet away from one of the 28 turbines that compose the Mars Hill Wind Farm, Wendy Todd said. Todd's story is one opponents to the Ellis County wind project have referenced. When her family first heard about plans for construction of the project in 2006, they were not led to anticipate problems, she said. "We thought we had asked all the right questions. We thought ‘if we can deal with the visual aspect and get through the construction phase, we'll be all set,' " Todd said. "There was never any mention of strobing, shadow flicker was never even mentioned. The noise issues were put on the back burner almost immediately." However, she and her husband have been battling these issues, particularly the noise, which Todd said varies with the wind speed.

Noise Impact on People General Kansas Maine

State regulators indicated Wednesday that they plan to pay closer attention to potential noise levels generated by wind farms proposed within the Unorganized Territory. Members of the Land Use Regulation Commission said the state should learn from the noise concerns that have arisen since a wind farm in the Aroostook County town of Mars Hill became operational earlier this year.

Noise Impact on People General Zoning/Planning Maine

The following testimony was given on April 30, 2007 to the Maine legislature by Wendy Todd of Aroostook County, Maine. Ms. Todd lives near the Mars Hill wind "farm,” which went on-line in the winter of 2007. An excerpt of her testimony is included below. The full testimony can be downloaded by clicking on the link.

Noise Impact on People Maine

Thank you for allowing me to speak. My name is Wendy Todd. I am from Aroostook County. I am a resident of Mars Hill and live approximately 2600 feet from the Mars Hill Wind Project. I am here today to offer testimony that residents around the project are suffering. There are 18 families that I know of that are negatively impacted on a regular basis from the noise, strobe effect and shadow flicker from the turbines. Most of these 18 families live less than 3000 feet from the turbines. There is no one that I know of from 425 East Ridge Road to 212 Mountain Road that does not agree that there are issues with noise. Issues that are changing the way residents view life around the mountain. We have formed a group called the Mountain Landowners Association in an attempt to share information and come up to speed on the issues of living this close to turbines of this size and generation. We have had to struggle through massive amounts of documentation from the Internet and from other towns that are dealing with the same issues.

Noise Lighting Impact on People Property Values General Impact on Economy Zoning/Planning Maine

FREEDOM - The town's Board of Appeals has rejected plans to erect three electricity generating wind turbines on Beaver Ridge. After four weeks of hearings, the board late Thursday found Portland-based Competitive Energy Service's turbines would not meet town standards for noise, said Addison Chase, chairman of the appeals board. The board also ruled that CES must post bonding for future demolition of the turbines. The planning Board approved CES's application in December. Planning board members agreed with a study that determined the turbines would not exceed the 45 decibel limit set in the ordinance. The vote was 3 to 0. Francis Walker abstained from the vote. Appeals board members determined that the study had been based on faulty ambient, or background, noise levels, Chase said. The planning board had required CES to post a bond for the construction phase, but Chase said the ordinance clearly requires the company to bond for future demolition as well. CES can appeal Thursday's decision to Waldo County Superior Court or start the process over again with the Planning Board.

Noise Impact on People General Zoning/Planning Maine