July 9, 2012
Wisconsin

Senator will testify to PSC about wind-turbine links to health troubles

www.rivertowns.net 9 July 2012

MADISON – A state senator who wants more limits on wind energy turbines says he’ll give evidence to the Public Service Commission Wednesday on the medical risks of living near those turbines. At a news conference Sunday, De Pere Republican Frank Lasee said he wants the PS-C to pass strict rules banning high-tech windmills within a mile of people’s homes, and to require the consent of nearby residents before they can be built.

Currently, the limit is 1,250 feet. Sue and Darryl Ashley of rural Glenmore in Brown County told reporters they had to move last summer, to give their 16-year-old daughter relief from headaches and sleep deprivation caused by turbines from the nearby Shirley Wind Project.

Alyssa Ashley said her health problems subsided after the family moved but it left them paying two mortgages. Dr. Herb Coussons said the noise from wind turbines can cause elevated blood pressure, diabetes, and a higher risk of heart disease for those living close by.

In 2010, the PSC’s Wind Siting Council said there was not enough evidence of negative health effects to justify stricter limits. Soon after taking office last year, Gov. Scott Walker pushed for longer setbacks for new wind farms at the request of the state’s Realtors.

A legislative committee voted to strike down PSC rules which sought to encourage new wind farms, but after lawmakers failed to pass subsequent measures, the PSC’s rules were put back in place after the legislative session ended in March of this year.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/07/09/senator-will-testify-to-psc-about-wind-turbine-links-to-health-troubles/