LOCATION/TYPE

NEWS HOME

[ exact phrase in "" • results by date ]

[ Google-powered • results by relevance ]



Archive
RSS

Add NWW headlines to your site (click here)

Get weekly updates

WHAT TO DO
when your community is targeted

RSS

RSS feeds and more

Keep Wind Watch online and independent!

Donate via Paypal

Donate via Stripe

Selected Documents

All Documents

Research Links

Alerts

Press Releases

FAQs

Campaign Material

Photos & Graphics

Videos

Allied Groups

Wind Watch is a registered educational charity, founded in 2005.

News Watch Home

Falmouth Wind Turbine Noise Study's credibility called into question 

Credit:  May 22, 2011, J. Malcolm Donald ~~

Dear Falmouth Board of Selectmen,

In the course of my investigation into a matter before the Zoning Board of Appeals [ZBA] regarding a professional engineering review of the Notus/Webb turbine noise study, I obtained an email indicating that the engineers were prejudiced. I asked the ZBA to disqualify the engineer, Tech Environmental Inc. [TE], and dismiss their evaluation but to no avail.

I found the subject email to be troubling because here the ZBA had a supposedly professional engineered review performed by a firm which is actively working against “organized opposition to community wind projects”.

So here we have a Town board (ZBA), supposedly attempting to objectively implement the terms of the Notus/Webb Special Permit which affects the health and well-being of Falmouth neighbors, basing its judgment of a noise study performed by the owner on the evaluation by a “professional” engineer, TE, who is actively engaged in working against the very group which the study affects. How is that? Is this ethical? Is the work of the professional engineer credible? Is this in the best interests of the residents of Falmouth?

However, most disconcerting is the fact that this same “professional” engineer was meeting “to handle the organized opposition to community wind projects” in the very offices of the Town of Falmouth’s own professional sound engineering consultant, HMMH (Harris Miller Miller & Hanson, Inc.)!

HMMH, as you are undoubtedly aware, is the same professional engineering firm who performed the Falmouth Wind Turbine Noise Study in June of 2010 and issued its report in September of the same year.

Furthermore, the point person for information on the agenda of the meeting to discuss how “to handle the organized opposition to community wind projects” is none other than the HMMH Director of Clean Energy, Steve Barrett!

The actual complete copy of the email message can be found on page 37 of the attached document entitled: CEC FOI Records Request April 2011.pdf but I present it below for your convenience. The email message is as follows with my identifications in brackets:

From: Peter Guldberg [President, Tech Environmental]
To: Orlando Martinez [Project Manager of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center]
Subject: RE: conference call
Date: January 12, 2011 3:11:15PM

… Did you get the message that I sent about the EBC [Environmental Business Council of New England, Inc.] wind energy group meeting on 1/18 Tuesday 10 a.m. at HMMH [Harris Miller Miller & Hanson, Inc.]? The group would welcome your attendence to discuss how our respective organizations can handle organized opposition to community wind projects in Mass. Are you available? (For more information – call Steve Barrett at 781-852-3125 [HMMH Director of Clean Energy 781-229-0707 Burlington MA Headquarters of HMMH])

This email message seems to indicate that HMMH, the so-called “professional” engineer that the Town is basing its assertions that there are no problems with noise from Wind-1, is absolutely prejudiced. How can anyone think that HMMH is impartial? How can anyone think that HMMH can keep its agenda out of its work? How can anyone take the findings of the Falmouth Wind Turbine Noise Study with any credibility? How can the Town rely on statements by HMMH, the study’s author, when HMMH is actively working against “organized opposition to community wind projects”? Is not Wind-1 a “community wind project”?

I request that you call HMMH before you to testify and ask them to account for their actions. In light of the fact that Wind-1 neighbors’ own professional engineers have found serious flaws with the Falmouth Wind Turbine Noise Study, Falmouth residents may have their own questions of HMMH which they would like to ask at the same time. Falmouth residents want to know whether HMMH can be trusted.

The work by the HMMH directly affects the health and wellbeing of many Falmouth residents, who have been attempting for more than a year, to bring to your attention scientific facts and assertions related to the noise from Wind-1 and both flaws and shortcomings of the Falmouth Wind Turbine Noise Study. HMMH’s activities in working against groups, of which the Wind-1 neighborhood organization is one, may explain why Wind-1 neighbors’ scientific facts and assertions have been summarily dismissed by HMMH.

In addition to interrogating HMMH about their activity, I request that you initiate an investigation of HMMH with the objective of determining their credibility and the appropriateness of purpose for which the Town has contracted with them and continues to use their services. HMMH’s actions against “organized opposition” call into question the Falmouth Wind Turbine Noise Study’s credibility. Please determine whether or not the Falmouth Wind Turbine Noise Study should be discarded and explain to the residents of Falmouth why or why not.

Respectfully,

J. Malcolm Donald

Source:  May 22, 2011, J. Malcolm Donald

This article is the work of the source indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.

The copyright of this article resides with the author or publisher indicated. As part of its noncommercial educational effort to present the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development to a global audience seeking such information, National Wind Watch endeavors to observe “fair use” as provided for in section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law and similar “fair dealing” provisions of the copyright laws of other nations. Send requests to excerpt, general inquiries, and comments via e-mail.

Wind Watch relies entirely
on User Funding
   Donate via Paypal
(via Paypal)
Donate via Stripe
(via Stripe)

Share:

e-mail X FB LI TG TG Share


News Watch Home

Get the Facts
CONTACT DONATE PRIVACY ABOUT SEARCH
© National Wind Watch, Inc.
Use of copyrighted material adheres to Fair Use.
"Wind Watch" is a registered trademark.

 Follow:

Wind Watch on X Wind Watch on Facebook

Wind Watch on Linked In Wind Watch on Mastodon