WIND INDUSTRY POSITION ON ENERGY BILL IS ANTI-ENVIRONMENTAL
Industrial Wind Action Group calls upon wind industry to stop misinformation campaign, and support federal measures to protect the natural environment...read more...
The Little Bay Wind Farm...How Close is too Close
YOUR VIEW: Setback Issues
Dear Town Meeting Member,
You are asked to make an extremely important vote on Tuesday, May 15 which will impact many lives. We ask that you vote NO. Before any wind turbines are placed in Fairhaven new setbacks need to be put in place. We believe that the setback issue is the most important issue. The minimum setbacks should be 1200 feet from the nearest residence.
Why are setbacks important? Setbacks are important because they give some protection from the noise and the flicker effects of the turbines. These can be highly annoying to individuals who live close to turbines. Studies have shown that this also impacts property values. We have a case study in Hull which supports this conclusion. In Hingham, along a small river ¼ mile away, we interviewed residents who at different times could not go outside because of the noise and flicker effect. Legislation being considered will make it mandatory that realtors and sellers tell clients if a property is close to an industrial wind turbine.
What is at stake in Fairhaven is the quality of life of our citizens. After three years, the town of Fairhaven finally demanded that a noise study be done. We have only received the results of this study a few days before this vote. Keep in mind that Fairhaven's bylaw of 60 decibels is considered by experts to be too high and will affect the conclusions. Noise studies are highly complex and usually take several weeks to analyze and should be available for experts to examine the results.We ask that the Planning Board reexamine the noise issue regarding the decibel level and the setback issue and make the necessary changes.
In support of our position, we ask that you examine the following data. Please note that Europeans have been building wind turbines much longer then we have and as a result have had experience in dealing with these issues. All over Europe they now are instituting setbacks that are in most instances far greater then 1200 feet. Here are some comparisons. Germany, which has more wind turbines than any country in the world, has a 1.6 km or 1 mile setback for all turbines.
Organization/country |
Setbacks |
|
Australia |
1 Kilometer(KM) |
1 mile =1.6 km |
France |
1.5 KM |
|
Germany |
1600 meters or 1.6 KM |
|
Holland |
1 KM |
|
Raytheon |
Suggests 1000 feet |
Makes turbines |
Scotland |
½ mile |
|
New York |
1200 feet |
|
Pennsylvania model |
5 time hub height-this would be 2000 feet for Fairhaven. |
|
UMASS- Does most of the state noise studies. |
Three times the blade height |
For Fairhaven this would be 1200 feet |
These regulations are for one or more turbines. The proponents of wind turbines will try to attack this data by saying that they are for wind farms. Go to google: wind turbine setbacks. WE NEED TO DO THIS PROJECT THE RIGHT WAY-OR NOT DO IT AT ALL.
YOUR VIEW: Wind Turbine Noise is Harmful
Wind turbine noise produces a pulsing thumping sound which is more noticeable at night. The noise travels a long distance at night and has been documented at 1.5 miles.
Wind turbines noise is easily within the decibel levels to disturb sleep. The main problem is the uncontrollability of the noise rather than its intensity. Developer James Sweeney who wants to put two 400 foot high industrial turbines in Fairhaven stated in his proposal that the sound that one would hear is no more then a vacuum cleaner or other household appliances. When you go to bed at night is your vacuum cleaner, dishwasher, washing machine run all night in your bedroom. Keep in mind with turbine noise you can not shut if off.
Dr. Nina Pierpoint MD PHD cites in her study Health Effects of Wind Turbine Noise, " to protect the public health it is critical that industrial wind turbines not be place within a minimum of 1.5 miles of human dwellings, homes, hospitals, residences, schools, nursing homes or schools".
Do you work or live within 1.5 miles from the two proposed industrial wind turbines.
Dr. Pierpoint is not associated with the Wind Industry and is recognized as an authority on wind noise. For further information go to http://www.ninapierpont.com/
SouthCoastTODAY.com - YOUR VIEW: Fairhaven turbines should have greater setback
I would like to thank the hundreds of Fairhaven residents who felt strongly enough about the concerns related to the Little Bay wind turbine farm to put their names on a petition asking for a more in-depth study of the project. As Fairhaven continues to struggle with the wind turbine issue, these registered voters are voicing their concerns and are in agreement that more time is needed to look into the issues of noise and setbacks. read more...
Fairhaven by laws may be in violation of state laws
Fairhaven bylaws of 60 DC's will not work for areas close to the industrial turbines. These are quiet neighborhoods where the ambient sound levels would be expected to be no more then 20-30 DCB's This would mean that the town by laws would not apply because they would be in violation of state regulations. read more...
Fairhaven citizens scrutinize wind proposal
The following excerpt is from an article on southcoasttoday.com:
FAIRHAVEN — Residents speaking at a forum on wind power last night made a lot of noise about what kind of sound two proposed Little Bay wind turbines would produce.
During a sometimes chaotic meeting in a standing-room only hall, some wanted to know why a specific wind study has not been done on the project and why turbines would be erected closer to homes than what is recommended in other studies...read more...
Boston Globe Article
This article about how some Maine residents regret allowing a wind farm near their residences appeared in the Boston Globe on February 17, 2007
MARS HILL, Maine -- This year, when Steven and Tammie Fletcher took their traditional New Year's Eve walk to the top of Mars Hill, the crisp winter stillness mixed with something unfamiliar: the whoosh of the new windmills towering over the northern Maine mountaintop.
This is not how it was supposed to be, say the Fletchers and their neighbors on the north side of Mars Hill, where a 28-turbine wind farm, the largest yet built in New England, began operating in December...read more
A small town lives with wind turbine disturbances
"We get a 'strobe effect' throughout our house and over our entire property" (40 acres).
"Shadows are cast over the ground and affect my balance".
"We installed vertical blinds but still have some problems"
"They catch my eye and I look at them instead of the road. They are dangerous".
"Strobe light, headaches, sick to the stomach, can't shut everything up enough to stop the strobe coming into the house".An additional comment from Lincoln Township Supervisor John Yunk:
"The strobing effect is so terrible that turbines should not be any closer than 1 mile from schools, roads and residences ... They should never be set on East-West".Read more about noise,declining property values, lightning strikes
'Economic sense' blows down wind turbine plan
The following excerpt is from an article on southcoasttoday.com:
MATTAPOISETT — There will be no wind turbine off Brandt Island Road, due to the Mattapoisett Wind Power Committee's decision that it would not be economically viable... read more...
Wind turbines an issue in Fairhaven race
The following excerpt is from an article on southcoasttoday.com:
By Joao Ferreira
Standard-Times staff writer
March 30, 2007 6:00 AM
FAIRHAVEN — Selectman candidate Brian K. Bowcock has come out in favor of a proposed wind project in town, the issue of the day before Monday's town election.Mr. Bowcock said the two proposed turbines by a private developer working in partnership with the town behind the wastewater treatment plant near Little Bay are worth exploring, and that the area is the best location in town for them...read more...
Residents of Tug Hill, NY talk about their experiences of living with large-scale wind turbines.
Watch the Must View Video
WindWise Fairhaven blows open door of closed session
The following excerpt is from an article on southcoasttoday.com:
By Joao Ferreira
Standard-Times staff writer
March 28, 2007 6:00 AMFAIRHAVEN — An expected closed-door meeting between the selectmen and two wind consultants turned into a lengthy public forum Monday night after members of WindWise Fairhaven crashed the meeting...read entire article
Jeffrey Osuch town executive secretary quote
"I don't know how to respond to people who say the blades are going to kill their kids," said Jeffrey W. Osuch, town executive secretary. "I don't know where you start with facts and fiction. People just talk off the top of their head." ...please read more here
WindWise voices heard at meeting
The following excerpt is from an article on southcoasttoday.com:
FAIRHAVEN — The members of WindWise Fairhaven say they're not against wind power — they just don't want a windmill near their bike path.
Members of the citizen's group and a selectman candidate voiced concerns about wind turbines to about 20 citizens at a meeting in the Fire Station last night...read more
Feasibility study questions wind resources at Little Bay Bike Path site
"...this wind resource is on the low end of that required for commercial wind generation ..." read more
New Bedford Mayor Scott Lang on Wind Farms
Boston Globe Article May 24, 2006
``I understand why everyone is clamoring for this, I just don't think this type of a project makes sense for Southeastern Massachusetts," said New Bedford Mayor Scott W. Lang. ``I certainly don't favor wind farms out in the most beautiful protected water maybe in the United States . . . These industrial generators are bigger than any building or any tower that we have in Southeastern Massachusetts, from here to Providence, I'm sure, and from Providence all through the Cape. These dwarf what we normally consider to be tall structures." read more
Sizing It Up
Pictures from the energy companies show slim towers rising cleanly from the landscape or hovering faintly in the distant haze, their presence modulated by soft clouds behind them. But a 200- to 300-foot tower supporting a turbine housing the size of a bus and three 100- to 150-foot rotor blades sweeping over an acre of air at more than 100 mph requires, for a start, a large and solid foundation. On a GE 1.5-MW tower, the turbine housing, or nacelle, weighs over 56 tons, the blade assembly weighs over 36 tons, and the whole tower assembly totals over 163 tons...read more
Industrial Wind Turbine Concerns
Compliments to the Fairhaven Selectmen Mr. Michael Silvia and Mr. Ronald Manzone in regards to the March 5 meeting concerning the industrial wind turbines project proposed for the site in Fairhaven near the Little Bay extension to the Phoenix bike path.
Pressured by developer James Sweeney of CCI Energy to rush this project for a town meeting vote, both selectmen stated they wanted more information.
Proposed for the Little Bay Conservation area are two Vestas V82 turbines each measuring 262 feet to the hub and each rotor is 269 feet in diameter. Concerns about such a project involve problems with ice flings, shadow flickers, visual pollution, lowering of property values, killing of migratory birds, maintenance difficulties and fire.
When questioned about the severe noise pollution cited in a recent Boston Globe article ("An Idyll Lost in Turbine Humming" Feb 17) about similar industrial wind turbines erected in Mars Hill, Maine, Mr Sweeney stated that the noise would not bother the Fairhaven residents because we are used to the noise of Highway 195. That is an absurd statement especially if you have experienced the beauty and serenity of Little Bay.
We urge the selectmen to continue to allow the necessary time for public input by having public hearings and a period of 30 days for a public review of the proposed contract..Let us make informed decisions about a project that may have empty promises and be detrimental to the beauty and dignity of our town of Fairhaven.
Signed "Windwise" Fairhaven
© 2007 Wind Wise Fairhaven