February 17, 2020
Letters, Massachusetts

No response on Hoosac Wind complaints

The Berkshire Eagle | February 17, 2020 | www.berkshireeagle.com

Early the morning of Feb. 6, I was woken from noise and vibrations from Hoosac Wind yet again audible in our bedroom. The noise from the turbines was loud enough to wake me and I was not able to sleep.

I called the Landowner Concern Line even though the last four calls were ignored with no response over the last five months. Neighbors also tell me of a similar situation with calls to the line with no response from the company.

Does anyone wonder why neighbors don’t call? Let me say lack of complaints isn’t to do with lack of concerns by the neighbors. I debated getting out of bed because I wasn’t rested but decided if nothing else to have it on the record and remind others what we are experiencing.

Wind turbines were running with icing conditions around the project yesterday, and I suspect that was part of the reason the turbines were noisy. Framed pictures were vibrating on walls during this event. In the past we also have felt vibrations on windows because of the project at times. We have not been able to use anything to abate the noise and vibrations that emanate from the wind turbines and we continue to be impacted for more than eight years.

I have repeatedly asked the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection why, during ambient measurements, any turbines are running, and the reply has been “we don’t know.” When I asked a representative of the company why, he said “because MassDEP allows it.” There is no scientific basic for this and gives Iberdrola/Avangrid an unfair advantage raising ambient measurements higher than the “actual” ambient sound in the area without turbine noise.

When is MassDEP going to enforce noise regulations in Massachusetts and protect the neighbors?

Larry Lorusso,

Clarksburg

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2020/02/17/no-response-on-hoosac-wind-complaints/