Health Board says the Shirley Wind Project is a health hazard

GLENMORE, WIS- This week the Brown County Health Board went on record declaring that wind turbines "are a human health hazard."

Folks living in the Glenmore area near the Shirley Wind Project have been saying this for years though, and now they have the health department on their side. By state statute wind turbines can be within 1250 feet of a home. The Brown County Board of Health says that's too close for comfort. But Duke Energy, the company that owns the Shirley Wind farm disagrees.

Glenmore farmers won’t touch this topic with a ten foot pole. But Audrey Murphy the Chairman of the Brown County Board of Health says it's her duty. "We didn't take this lightly this was a serious thing and we all struggled with it," says Murphy.

Potential lawsuits and good neighbor agreements signed with Duke Energy is keeping most people silent around the wind farm. So Brown County is doing the talking for them. "It's not so much that we're trying to get information out there we're trying to help those citizens because they're impacted by wind turbines," says Murphy.

After several local and national studies the health board made one of the first decisions of its kind in the country. They have declared that the Shirley Wind Project is a human health hazard. "Ear pain, ear pressure, headaches, nausea, many are suffering from sleep deprivation," adds Murphy. Today Duke Energy released this statement saying: "A third party scientific test has already determined... That they could not document any link between turbine noise and adverse health impacts."

The Brown County Health Board alleges however that these turbines are emitting acoustical energy too close to homes. They are waiting for the next step when the Director of the Health Department makes an appointment with the corporate council to decide how to proceed from here.