DEP: Do right by turbine neighbors
The Berkshire Eagle | March 1, 2013 | www.berkshireeagle.com
I live about 3,000 feet from the nearest wind turbine of the Hoosac Wind Project in Florida and Monroe. I can see seven of them from my property. Yet, we residents of Moores Road in Florida were not mentioned in the “Impact Study” done by the developer, Iberdrola, a Spanish-owned company.
The first indication that we would see the turbines was when I came home from work one day and saw them there. Now that they are turned on we constantly hear them. Life as I knew it is gone.
Oddly enough, the developer had to do a study which mentioned how birds, bats, plants and wetlands would be affected, but the state didn’t ask the developer to consider in any detail how these 340-foot tall moving structures would affect us humans. My family and our neighbors are already experiencing health problems. My wife’s ears are ringing constantly and I have headaches around the clock. Our only relief comes when we leave our home.
Baseline sound measurements in our towns were never required or performed, as far we know. If that had been done, the towns could have been warned that the noise from the turbines would likely exceed state regulations. Even that type of study would not have taken into account the Low Frequency Noise, which recent research shows causes many of the health effects that are associated with living near turbines.
We are now asking the Department of Environmental Protection to do all in their power to help me, my
family, and my neighbors after the fact. We feel that our constitutional right to “the pursuit of happiness” has been taken away when we cannot feel safe in our own homes.
If you are being adversely affected by the Hoosac Wind Project, please call DEP. Visit www.hoosacwindproject.com for more information.
MICHAEL FAIRNENY
Florida
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/03/01/dep-do-right-by-turbine-neighbors/