July 12, 2013
Massachusetts

Governor says he would back independent turbine study

By ANDY METZGER | STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE | July 12, 2013 | www.southcoasttoday.com

BOSTON – Gov. Deval Patrick, responding to a talk show caller Thursday, said he would approve of a study looking into the effects of wind turbines in proximity to homes.

“I’m not going to object to an independent scientific study,” Patrick said during his regular appearance on WGBH. “My guess is an independent scientific study is going to say that there’s one set of harms, if there are harms, if you stand under it for long periods of time, and they diminish the further away you get.”

The caller, identified as Linda from West Falmouth, said she was speaking in favor of legislation (H 2048) that would study the issue.

Referencing Patrick’s new grandson to make her points, the woman said: “I fear the effects on my visiting grandchildren. What would you tell your daughter? I’d love to know.”

Some Falmouth residents have called for the town to take down two wind turbines at a wastewater treatment plant, claiming they caused adverse health effects, but a ballot referendum on that issue failed.

In January 2012, an independent report commissioned by the Patrick administration concluded that wind turbines present little more than an “annoyance” to residents and that limited evidence exists to support claims of devastating health impacts.

Falmouth and Western Massachusetts residents argued at the time that the report was biased and based on “cherry-picked” information that ignored the true impact of turbines.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/07/12/governor-says-he-would-back-independent-turbine-study/