Check facts about wind energy
St. Joseph News-Press | June 25, 2016 | www.newspressnow.com
In a May 21 letter to the News-Press, NextEra manager Jeremy Ferrell encouraged residents to get the facts about wind energy rather than hearken to “myths and fears.” So, I have some facts to share.
Ferrell writes: “Never has a member of the public been injured because of one of our turbines.”
Fact No. 1: In 2014, an aircraft impacted a NextEra turbine, resulting in the deaths of four men, two of whom had been married less than a year.
Fact No. 2: When Dave and Stephanie Hulthen of Illinois discovered their home had been rendered uninhabitable by NextEra turbines, they begin warning others. NextEra finally bought the Hulthenses’ property with a gag order stipulation. Being forced to relocate from a home is definitely “injurious” in my opinion.
Ferrell states large sums of money will come to the community via tax revenues “over the life of the project.”
Fact Nos. 3 and 4: In Gilford Township, Michigan, NextEra is challenging the taxes it should pay and how the value of wind turbines is determined. The case is on the Tax Tribunal docket for later this year. In 2013, NextEra filed tax appeals for its Tuscola Bay Wind Complex in Tuscola County, Michigan. The takeaway: Promises made in the project planning stages are not written in stone.
Lastly, Ferrell cites “peer-reviewed scientific studies (have) found no link between wind power and adverse health effects.”
Fact No. 5: If one wants to cite “peer-reviewed studies,” there are volumes on the side of wind opponents. You just won’t find them quoted on the NextEra website.
Glenda Aughinbaugh
Stewartsville, Missouri
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2016/06/25/check-facts-about-wind-energy/