December 6, 2011
Massachusetts

Wind turbine opponents regroup with online effort

By Brian Boyd, www.southcoasttoday.com 6 December 2011

FAIRHAVEN – Opponents of the town’s plan to build two wind turbines are making their case online.

Regrouping after a legal setback last week, they met Monday night to discuss what happens next. They watched a video produced by two Fairhaven residents, who planned to post their work on YouTube, and heard from Falmouth resident Barry Funfar, who lives 1,662 feet from a turbine that was shut down last month in response to opposition from him and others.

“I would fight this thing tooth and nail,” Funfar told about 40 people gathered at the Northeast Maritime Institute. “It’s a lot easier to stop it before it goes up.”

About 10 Fairhaven residents tried to halt construction last week but a Taunton Superior Court judge denied both a temporary restraining order and a request to revive a 2008 lawsuit against the project.

The turbines with the blade in a vertical position would be about 390 feet high, according to a 2005 Massachusetts Technology Collaborative feasibility study for the project.

Fairhaven resident John Methia presented a 17-minute video called “Too Close” that he produced with Peter Goben. They interviewed residents in Hull and Falmouth who said their health and quality of life were harmed by wind turbines. Methia said there will be a link to the video on the opposition’s website, windwise.org.

The video included Funfar, who likened his experience to being on a plane and having pressure build up in his ears with no popping.

Local opposition to the project was rekindled last month when the town began making preparations for construction, including clearing trees at the Arsene Street site. Some residents had believed the project was defunct and complained that the town should have notified them that it was in fact moving forward.

For their part, Fairhaven officials said they took all necessary legal steps, including obtaining the required building permit and Conservation Commission approval.

Goben said in an interview the opposition was organized in 2008 but has to ramp up again after learning the project was still alive. He said it will be sending petitions to local and state officials and raising money for legal expenses. Methia said opponents would continuously update the video, which will help them get their message out to the public.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/12/06/wind-turbine-opponents-regroup-with-online-effort/