Consider the ‘local’ perspective on industrial wind power too 

This is in rebuttal to Dr. Richard Jennings’ Aug. 27 commentary “Windpower series sows seeds of confusion.”

Dr. Jennings says, “Victims of Hurricane Katrina, the earthquakes in Haiti and now floods in Pakistan all had no warning of their imminent disaster, though they do at least have some hope of help from outside. Climate change is here: Witness the heat, the recent tornadoes and other extreme weather events in Maine. We have, then, the blessing of clear and adequate warning (and no hope from help from “outside”). We must not ignore it.”

Dr. Jennings says that these are all examples of the effects of “global warming”/climate change.

To dispute him, one only has to to look back at past events to see that these types of natural disasters and weather abnormalities have been going on for hundreds of years. Hurricane Betty took a very heavy toll on New Orleans decades before Katrina. Earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes are not new phenomena and there’s absolutely no proof that I’m aware of that these events are happening globally with any more regularity that in the past.

But I’m not writing to debate global climate change; I’d like to dispute Dr. Jennings’ stand on industrial wind power projects as they relate to inland Maine. He goes on to say, “A striking example of the spread of misinformation, half truths, no truths and innuendo is seen in the recent three-part series by Naomi Schalit.”

I find that statement to be very offensive and arrogant. Dr. Jennings accuses Ms. Schalit of being a liar (i.e., allegedly writing “half truths” and “no truths”) because she happens to present facts and information that are different from his opinion on this issue.

Yet, many of us applaud the fact the she’s the only reporter/journalist in the state who has taken a pro-active stance with some actual investigative reporting on the issue. Virtually all other reporters have done nothing more than to regurgitate the pabulum that the wind developers spew forth from their multi-million-dollar public relations campaigns.

If Dr. Jennings and other wind power supporters would take the time to educate themselves on BOTH sides of this industrial-scale windpower development issue, they’d soon see that there are some serious problems with most of these projects.

I live about 20 minutes away from Stetson I/II and can say with all certainty (and with witnesses) that these turbines make an alarming amount of noise that is as clearly audible from 1 1/2 to 2 miles away (across Hot Brook Lake). I can only compare the noise we heard to having a neighbor two houses away running a generator 24/7. It’s loud, it’s constant, and it’s psychologically infuriating. How those home and camp owners on Hot Brook can continue to enjoy their investments, I’ll never know.

In fact, at least one of the camp owner families that I’ve come to know can no longer stand to to even use their camp. Readers should call Harry and Marilynn Roper in Houlton if they’d like to hear that directly from their mouths.

Dr. Jennings goes on to say that “there is at this time no medical support regarding negative health issues, despite contrary anecdotal claims.” Dr. Nina Pierpont of New York, who has spent years studying the effects of wind power on humans, would easily challenge that statement. Perhaps Dr. Jennings would debate her and we’ll see who’s more knowledgeable on the subject.

Anyone who would like to read a different opinion than the one Dr. Jennings espouses can log onto the websites at ppdlw.org or windtaskforce.org

Kevin Gurall lives in Lakeville.