Response to turbine letter
Falmouth Enterprise | August 31, 2012
Why a campaign to operate the wind turbines without curtailment (The Falmouth Enterprise, August 23 letter to the editor)? Why would a Wind Turbine Option Group (WTOG) member want Falmouth to knowingly violate State (DEP) noise guidelines?
The DEP noise measurements near Wind 1 did result in violations. Making it likely other properties, given the testimonials provided to the Board of Health (May 24, 2012), would be violated too.
The state’s expert panel study, Mr. Hackler cites in his letter, wasn’t a study at all. It was a literature review. Mr. Hackler failed to cite conclusions made by the panel that repeatedly admitted the need for more research if regulatory noise policy is to be effective. Yet, since the published review, not one state authority has visited, interviewed or reviewed medical records of alleged Falmouth victims. Why?
Perhaps it’s the opinion of Mr. Hackler, since the turbines aren’t disturbing to all the neighbors, that the blame for our wind turbine problem must therefore lie with the complaining neighbors themselves. Why would someone place blame for these turbine siting mistakes on the “messenger” when proof of noise violations, pressed by the complaining neighbors, have been demonstrated by the state?
Why would a WTOG member disregard scientific data indicating wind turbine noise triggers more than twice the annoyance caused by other typical noise sources? The chart presented by Acentech, a Mass Clean Energy Center consultant, was selected, reviewed and referenced by the state’s expert panel. Pedersen & Waye (2004), “Perception and annoyance due to wind turbine noise—a dose-response relationship,” is available at windfarmrealities.org/wfr-docs/ pedersen-dose-response-2004.pdf.
One has to wonder what exactly will it take to convince nay-sayers that there’s a health problem? One has to wonder whether a certain agenda is preventing someone’s understanding? Or perhaps is it that Mr. Hackler believes that affected neighbors are liars?
One has to wonder why such a member with contempt for obvious fact is entertained by the WTOG, the group facilitator (Consensus Building Institute) or even selectmen? Does their lack of response represent their approval of this ridiculous idea?
Concentration needs to re-focus on scientific, medical (urged by the state’s expert panel) and the ethical examination of wind turbine operation too close to people. This view by a WTOG member does nothing to develop fair solutions that will solve the principal problem, which has been caused by the currently sited turbines that make people sick.
Mark J. Cool
Fire Tower Road
West Falmouth
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/08/31/response-to-turbine-letter/