January 27, 2012
Wisconsin
Wisconsin
County committee in Green Bay says taxpayers should pay for medical bills of people living near a new wind energy farm
Pierce County Herald, www.piercecountyherald.com 26 January 2012
Pierce County Herald, www.piercecountyherald.com 26 January 2012
A county committee in Green Bay says Wisconsin taxpayers should have to cover the medical bills of people who got sick after a new wind energy farm opened near their homes. The Brown County Human Services Committee said the state allowed a quote, “irresponsible placement” of industrial wind turbines at the Shirley Wind Farm south of Green Bay in the town of Glenmore. The facility opened in 2010, and nearby residents have complained of anxiety, weight loss, depression, and higher risks of cancer. Barbara Vanden Boogart of the Brown County Citizens for Responsible Wind Energy said two adults only get an-hour-and-a-half of sleep each night due to the noise – and a 70-year-old woman lost 20 pounds because the windmills made her lose her appetite. The wind farm’s owners insist the site is run safely. But the county human service panel says the state should have consulted an expert on the health risks of living near wind turbines. Panel members say they have no idea how the state will respond. And they’re not sure how much compensation to ask for until quote, “hardships are studied and resolved.” Statewide rules for locating wind turbines were suspended by G-O-P lawmakers last March, and the matter has been in limbo since then. Senate Republican Frank Lasee of De Pere has proposed a bill to let officials go back to establishing their own rules.