Wind Power News: Massachusetts
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They are the products of the organizations or individuals noted and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch.
Wind turbines don’t make good neighbors
Two wind turbines were put up in the town where I live in close financial collaboration with the state. The neighbors only found out when the land was cleared on Veterans Day 2011. At that time the project was so far advanced that there was little the neighbors could do to stop it, although we tried very hard. After the giant blades (total turbine height is 394 feet) began to spin, the turbine neighbors turned to the state Department of . . .
Scituate Wind turbine noise still a problem for some
Residents living near the Scituate Wind turbine are asking town officials to agree to an independent noise compliance investigation of the turbine in an effort to collect the evidence necessary to take protective action under both the Nuisance Law and under the state’s Noise Pollution Regulation. “Nothing has changed,” said David Dardi, who lives near the turbine. “Scituate Wind’s turbine continues to disrupt the sleep and adversely impact the lives and health of both my neighbors and myself.” The 400-foot . . .
Negatives outweigh benefits of Neighbors From Hell
The upcoming vote in Savoy about increasing the height of the 425-foot high limitation in the town to 455 feet has me very concerned for the neighbors. These are not windmills, these are huge industrial wind turbines, as tall as the tallest buildings in Massachusetts! And what is the return? As someone who lives about a mile from wind turbines at Hoosac Ridge, I know from first-hand experience how industrial wind turbines wreck the environment as well as steal peace . . .
A warning to Savoy about wind turbines
People of Savoy: It is wise to learn from your mistakes and even wiser to learn from the mistakes of others. I live in Scituate, 3,200 feet from a single 1.5 MW wind turbine. Six years ago the wind industry came to town and sold a bill of goods to our town officials. They said that the turbine would not have any negative impact on the community and they believed it, for they were persuasive and very believable. For the . . .
Fishing industry takes more action against New York offshore wind lease
A group of fishing organizations, businesses and communities, led by the Fisheries Survival Fund (FSF), has taken more action to halt the lease of Statoil’s planned wind farm off the coast of New York. The suit, filed against the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), is seeking summary judgment and requesting the court to invalidate the lease, which was awarded to Norwegian firm Statoil to develop the New York Wind Energy Area (NY WEA) late . . .
Savoy voters shouldn’t believe the spin
I am following the Savoy wind development story with great interest because a developer tried to build turbines in my town of Peru. Just like Savoy, the developer tried to change our bylaws to make the requirements and limitations more suitable for his project and, of course, for his bottom line. But what about Savoy’s bottom line? My understanding is there is no financial agreement as of yet between the developer and the town. Having no agreement in place is . . .
Hawley, too, has reason to worry about turbines
I live in Hawley and on Aug. 24 I attended a hearing in Savoy. The stated purpose of this meeting was changing Savoy’s wind turbine bylaw to allow for larger blades on turbines that Minute Man Wind and Palmer Capital Corp. plan to build in Savoy. However, it became clear that many Savoy residents have doubts about living with these massive machines. Lindsay Deane-Mayor, project manager for Palmer Capital Corp., and John Tynan, chairman of the Savoy Select Board, fielded . . .
A warning to Savoy before the turbine vote
The town of Savoy will soon be voting on whether to allow wind developer Minuteman Wind to increase the size of the five wind turbines planned for construction on West Hill. From we who have had direct experience attempting to live with wind turbines, please heed our warnings. During turbine operation, the downswing motion of each turbine blade (each 190 feet long and weighing over 8 tons) creates a disturbing low-frequency pressure pulse that negatively affects several of the physiological . . .
Wind turbine plan bad for Savoy home-owners
Seeking a more accurate idea of property devaluation we could expect from Savoy’s wind turbines, I contacted a North County appraiser. He told me that when turbines were built in Florida and Monroe every house in the area went on the market. “How much depreciation did they suffer?” I inquired. “I don’t know.” “You don’t know?” “Oh, I have an idea,” he said, “professional appraisals are based on comparative sales, and since the turbines were built, no houses have sold. . . .
Agency: Turbines could spin during migrations
A federal agency charged with protecting rare birds has again recommended that offshore wind turbines be allowed to remain spinning during migration periods, after an appeals court ordered a review for the stalled Cape Wind project. A “feathering” measure – basically, stopping the turbines – to protect piping plovers and roseate terns during their migration will not be included in the project’s incidental take statement, Paul Phifer, assistant regional director for ecological services for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, wrote in . . .
