September 17, 2013
Massachusetts

Anti-wind group disputes federal report about turbines’ impact on property values

by NAW Staff Monday September 16 2013 nawindpower.com

A U.S. federal study that claims there is “no statistical evidence” that real estate prices near wind turbines are negatively impacted is misleading because it lumps homes close to the turbines with those miles away, claims Wind Wise Massachusetts (WWMA).

“The study’s authors are just perpetuating the myth that wind turbines are not responsible for significant property losses,” says Virginia Irvine, president of WWMA, which describes itself as a statewide alliance of grassroots environmental groups and individuals.

The report – A Spatial Hedonic Analysis of the Effects of Wind Energy Facilities on Surrounding Property Values in the United States – was published by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) in August.

Irvine argues that independent appraisals have found that land-based wind turbines can cause property values to plummet within two miles by 15% to 40%.

“There is a major difference between turbines in a power plant 10 miles from homes in the country to those that are less than one mile from homes in residential communities,” she said. “But the sad fact is that whether a wind turbine is near a solo home in the country or in a more heavily populated area, the homeowner is going to see a significant loss in the value of his home.”

[rest of article available at source]

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/09/17/anti-wind-group-disputes-federal-report-about-turbines-impact-on-property-values/