October 20, 2015
Massachusetts

Kingston Board of Health modifies Independence wind turbine abatement order

By Kathryn Gallerani | The Kingston Reporter | Oct. 19, 2015 | kingston.wickedlocal.com

The Board of Health Monday night approved a modified abatement order that changes the requirements for shutting down the Independence wind turbine when in excess of state noise regulations, standards and policies.

Wind direction will no longer be a determining factor dictating when the turbine will be shut down, and the turbine would need to be shut down for an additional hour a day under certain conditions.

The order requires that the turbine be shut down year-round between the hours of midnight and 4 a.m. when wind speeds reach at least 7 meters per second at the turbine hub, regardless of wind direction, and between 11:30 p.m. and 4:30 a.m. when wind speeds exceed 9 meters or more per second, also regardless of wind direction.

The first abatement order approved by the Board of Health in August 2014 required shutdown from midnight to 4 a.m. when the wind is blowing from a south or southwest direction in excess of 8 meters per second.

Kingston Wind Independence LLC is also ordered to conduct additional sound sampling to refute predicted exceedances of state noise regulations at locations east of Route 3 and in the Copper Beech Drive neighborhood west of Route 3. Additional study would be conducted in accordance with state protocol.

The order additionally opens the door to KWI employing a low noise mode rather than shutting down the turbine, but KWI must first prove that the turbine would be in compliance with the state’s noise regulation by conducting further studies.

For the complete story, check back at www.kingston.wickedlocal.com and read Friday’s Kingston Reporter.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2015/10/20/kingston-board-of-health-modifies-independence-wind-turbine-abatement-order/