Carol and Wes Kupsky, Ken Buechel and Len Davis have asked several questions of those county residents and fellow taxpayers they have labeled the “Anti-Renewable Energy Crowd.”
As a member of that concerned grassroots citizens group, known as CCC4RE, Calumet County Citizens for Responsible Energy, I appreciate the chance to provide them with much-needed information.
No. 1. CCC4RE held a public informational meeting in August 2007 at Chilton High School. Seven hundred people attended. The wind company was invited to present facts. However, it declined.
No. 2. The CCC4RE informational meeting was advertised on TV, radio and in local newspapers. Everyone was welcome to attend. The wind company sent out a letter Aug. 2, 2006 to various landowners. It was stated the only land owners “family and friends who support wind” were encouraged to attend. The wind company further stated, “The press and other members of the public are not invited.”
No. 3. At the Calumet County Fair, CCC4RE as well as the wind company EcoEnergy, had booths for four days and presented both sides of the issue.
No. 4. In November 2007, energy companies held an informational meeting which was open to the public at Chilton High School. CCC4RE asked if its members could present factual information but we were denied the opportunity.
No. 5. Several weeks ago, people from across the state traveled to Madison to give testimony to Assembly and Senate committees. Both sides of the issue were represented. We did not see Carol, Wes, Ken or Len present, nor have we seen them at any Ad Hoc, County Board or informational meetings.
No. 6. We have been accused of producing “unfounded” information. Yet we presented real people giving real testimony at the forum in August 2007. These real people live next to real wind turbines in real places such as Maine, Canada, Iowa, and now Johnsburg. We offered an open discussion at the forum for those who had questions or statements. There was a live phone interview with Nina Pierpont, MD, PhD, Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and a former clinical professor of pediatrics at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, N.Y. We had professional acoustic specialists from Michigan and Wisconsin Dells. We have spoken to a physicist from New York. We have documentation from two international meetings on wind turbine noise held in Lyons, France, in the fall of 2007. We have compiled information from a study done by the National Academies of Science, appointed by the U.S. Congress to carry out a study on wind energy. The people on the county Ad Hoc Committee are from both sides of the issue and have spent countless hours researching to make an informed, educated decision.
Even RENEW Wisconsin, in a memo on “Wind vs. Coal” in 2005, stated, “Wind: Wind emits no air pollution, nor does it produce greenhouse gases, which are the cause of global warming. Some individuals living within a one-mile radius of large wind farms complain of headaches and sleeping problems, due to noise pollution. Wind turbines are mechanical devices that emit low-frequency sound waves. Large wind farms should be appropriately sited for this reason.”
Why is it that now RENEW only wants a 1,000-foot setback from a home?
We are not opposed to wind energy. However, proper siting is critical to ensure the safety and health of nearby residents.
For more information, contact Calumet County Citizens for Responsible Energy, P. O. Box 1, Chilton, WI 53014.
Respectfully,
Jim Bruckner
Chilton
30 April 2008
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/04/30/ccc4re-member-clarifies-groups-position/