May 20, 2013
Massachusetts

Update: Independence turbine owners refusing to cooperate with sound study

By Kathryn Gallerani | Wicked Local Kingston | www.wickedlocal.com

KINGSTON – Tomorrow night, selectmen are expected to finalize a letter to the state Department of Environmental Protection asking for assistance with compliance testing for the Independence wind turbine in the aftermath of its owners’ refusing to participate in a long-awaited acoustic monitoring study.

At their meeting tonight, members of the Board of Health agreed to approve the letter and intend to sign it after selectmen approve it. Chairman Joe Casna said he’s in disbelief that KWI would wait until the 11th hour, with the start of the study just days away, to make this decision.

Board of Selectmen Chairman Elaine Fiore described the decision by turbine owners Kingston Wind Independence not to cooperate as expected in a study that was set to start Saturday as a major setback and a disappointment.

“We understand the urgency of all this, and we’re putting out a two-week window to the DEP for a response,” she said, explaining that officials will request that DEP respond by the next selectmen;s meeting June 4.

Friday, DEP spokesman Ed Coletta released the following statement.

“MassDEP also received notification from MassCEC yesterday about the issue with the Kingston wind turbine,” he said, “and we are exploring all of our options at this time.”

Thursday, Alicia Barton, chief executive officer and executive director of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center that was overseeing the study, announced KWI’s decision in a letter to town officials and interested residents. Basically, KWI objected to the study’s methodology.

“We have also consulted with MassDEP to discuss whether MassDEP has the authority to seek cooperation from KWI in order to allow the collection of acoustic data to proceed,” she said in the letter. “We expect that MassDEP will work directly with town officials to explore those possibilities.”

The Board of Selectmen will begin its public meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday night.

For more on this continuing story, read the Kingston Reporter and check back online at www.wickedlocalkingston.com.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/05/20/update-independence-turbine-owners-refusing-to-cooperate-with-sound-study/