Politics over people?
Falmouth Enterprise, September 23, 2011
The effect of “wind” politics has become dangerous. Falmouth’s wind turbine policy is being driven, being dictated by obsessing over economic health, rather than the personal health of citizens.
Mitigation strategies up for consideration concentrate on saving and salvaging money, rather than the basic problem: finding solutions to personal health concerns of citizens.
Article 9 on this fall’s Town Meeting warrant asks to suspend municipal turbine operations until further investigations are complete. The article identifies pending research benchmarks necessary for completion before further farming of profit from the wind. Shouldn’t community desire to obtain better information about health impacts deserve primary concern?
As it stands, the selectmen will either recommend the article for adoption or not. Ms. Freitag has clearly decided it not a good idea to have that (Article 9) on the warrant. Ms. Freitag did affirm the existence of injurious conditions by her vote to adopt the 23 mph wind restriction in February after all. Why the reluctance now?
If the board’s track history is telling, they’ll not recommend the article because it will cost the town too much money! A definite signal to Falmouth that economic politics hold more value than the personal health of citizens.
When the effect of Falmouth’s industrial wind program causes documented evidence of harm to residents, and while the prolonged threat of Wind 2, and operation of Wind 1, continues hurting people, town officials must be
held accountable.
Inappropriate, self-serving commentary and innuendo by town officials for public grandstanding and for promoting fiscal anxiety upon the public for a politically driven purpose should leave citizens questioning town hall’s sense of priorities.
Playing politics comes at a cost. Which begs the question, “What is the value of a citizen’s well-being?” Sadly, in this brand of Falmouth political rhetoric, we get what we paid for, some voted for, and what we all were duped into believing.
Beware the pre-spin ahead by selectmen, health, planning and energy committee members. Tell them loud and clear that playing politics with people’s health and safety has no place in this debate.
Please support Article 9.
Mark J. Cool
Fire Tower Road
Falmouth MA
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/09/24/politics-over-people/