December 30, 2011
Massachusetts

Board of Health may seek legal counsel on wind turbines if chairman signs letter

By Peggy Aulisio, www.southcoasttoday.com 29 December 2011

FAIRHAVEN – Selectmen voted Monday to allow the Board of Health to seek legal counsel for advice on its jurisdiction as far as the health impacts of wind turbines.

Selectmen gave their approval contingent on the letter being signed by Chairman Peter DeTerra. The letter was signed by another health board member, Dolores Caton.

No one answered at the Board of Health or at Mr. DeTerra’s home when the Advocate called Wednesday morning.

Thus it was unclear if the letter to selectmen was approved by a majority of the three members of the health board, which also includes Jeannine Lopes.

The Board of Health has been left out of the loop among boards involved in the approval process for the two 1.5 megawatt turbines to be built near the new bike trail on town-owned land near the Department of Public Works.

But concerned citizens, including members of Windwise, packed recent meetings to ask the Board of Health to consider the potential health risks.

At those meetings, Ms. Caton expressed a willingness to devote some study to new research that would address the residents’ concerns.

These include infrasound and the so-called flicker affect of the blades, among other issues.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/12/30/board-of-health-may-seek-legal-counsel-on-wind-turbines-if-chairman-signs-letter/