National Wind Watch: Wind Energy News » Small, ‘unfiltered’ protest held against Falmouth turbines

FALMOUTH – Led by selectman candidate David Moriarty, 12 people gathered at the wastewater treatment facility Saturday to speak out against wind turbines.

Signs with slogans such as “silence the turbines now” and “health matters” outnumbered the people in attendance and a life-sized decorative skeleton wearing a T-shirt that read “Falmouth victim wind turbines” sat in a chair with its back to “Wind 1” and “Wind 2,” which were both spinning at about 10:30 a.m.

Falmouth’s two 1.65-megawatt turbines have been the source of controversy for about two years. Some abutters say noise, infrasound and light flicker from the spinning blades cause headaches, vertigo and even suicidal tendencies.

“All we’ve been doing is begging for help,” said Elizabeth Andersen, 55, who said the police have responded to her home twice when she said she would harm herself.

Andersen balked at the selectmen’s recent decision to shut the turbines off 12 hours per day, saying the deal is insufficient. But she applauded the board of health’s scheduling of a public hearing later this month to decide whether the turbines pose health risks serious enough to order them shut off.

A contingent of people from Fairhaven wearing T-shirts with pictures of turbines inside a circle with a slash through them attended the protest as well. The town recently installed turbines there.

“Yesterday I got a call from a woman and she was getting vertigo from the (light) flicker in the morning,” said Ken Pottel, a Fairhaven resident.

Louise Barteau, 53, of Fairhaven said she recently broke the lease on a condominium out of which she planned to teach classes on making paper out of concern for the well-being of her possible future customers.

“Once the turbines became an issue, I wondered if it would be safe to have people there,” Barteau said. Her landlord let her out of the lease about three months early, she said.

One attendee brought a video camera and 10 of the protesters gathered in front of it around the sitting skeleton and several signs.

“I have with me today some of the victims of wind turbine syndrome,” Moriarty said when the camera began recording. “Gov. Patrick, you need to stop this policy”» we’re not going to take it anymore.”