July 27, 2011
Illinois, Letters

Committee ignored wind farm concerns

www.saukvalley.com

I attended the meeting of the Whiteside County Public Works Committee on July 18. It was apparent the members had already made up their minds to go with the 1,400-foot setback for the wind turbines, regardless of the negative effects brought to light after extensive research by Amanda Norris of Sterling and myself.

One panel member stated he didn’t consider noise to be a problem with turbines after his one-time wind farm visit (probably not, as far away as Morrison, where he safely lives).

Another member of the panel asked if we had any “actual” information other than that found on the Internet. How archaic.

Why doesn’t he read the “Opinion” section of the paper, and see what people like Barbara Draper of Ohio, who can’t even look out one window without seeing them, think? She has 12 turbines less than one-fourth mile from her home. Neither blinds nor trees can keep out the shadow flicker. She states there’s always noise such as a “swish” or sometimes like a train rumbling down a track.

Larry Neubauer, master electrician with Concept Electric in Appleton, Wis., states that currents from each ground on the cables and project substations, as well as the regional transmission lines that receive electrical energy and that are electrically tied together, do not harmlessly dissipate into the soil. Energy disperses in all directions through the soil, and it seeks out other grounded facilities.

One of his customers, Russ Allen of De Pere, Wis., states that he has so much electric current on his farm that he laid a No. 4 copper wire around it for 5,000 feet, not attached to anything, yet it can light a bulb from contact with the soil alone.

God help us.

Please go to www.aweo.org/windlincoln.html for more information.

Sue McGinn, Tampico,


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/07/27/committee-ignored-wind-farm-concerns/