Wind energy siting reform hearing a question of trust
GateHouse News Service, www.tauntongazette.com 1 November 2011
GateHouse News Service, www.tauntongazette.com 1 November 2011
A hearing was held to discuss the proposed Wind Energy Siting Reform Act. The WESRA some say takes local control away from cities and towns. The state feels the local governments can’t be trusted to site commercial wind turbines.
The public needs to look at how wind legislation and siting has already been handled by the state. Here are some examples;
A semi quasi state agency bought two turbines made in Europe in 2004 for 5.28 million dollars, stored them in a warehouse at $3500 a month until 2010. The turbines were repurchased with stimulus funds and installed in Falmouth where 50 residents are sick as a result of the poor siting.
The former Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives met with wind turbine contractors in October of 2007 and then slipped an 11 page amendment into the 2008 Oceans Act without telling the members of the house of representatives. The document slipped into the legislation helped wind turbine contractors.
A local state representative failed at a wind turbine business and agreed to pay a fine negotiated with the Attorney General in 2009 . The fine was never paid.
State officials have used email pseudonyms like “Sally Reynolds” in negotiations with private wind turbine contractors. How do we trust the proposed WESRA?
Frank Haggerty
Mattapoisett
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/11/01/wind-energy-siting-reform-hearing-a-question-of-trust/