‎"Those (developers) told her that “neighbors were less than civil, ... no health issues could be linked to wind turbines....”

It's a normal reaction -(less than civil)- ... to lies being told, to ignorance toward the trend of case study and literature pointing to ill effects.

Are not being safe, having ones health and being afforded a good nights sleep (with a clear conscience) basic qualities in life we all have come to expect?

These are fundamental, undeniable rights of a citizen that warrant becoming 'less than civil'. Given the lies, given the "head-in-the-sand" posturing, Who's really being less than civil?

Actually , given the way we have been treated we have been AMAZINGLY civil! Having your ability to sleep and enjoy any kind of peaceful rest in your own home is a huge violation of our personal rights as taxpayers and citizens of this country...
Here's what you can do with this so called "consensus!" And where was it when they were choosing who's life to ruin.. I just really think the Selectmen should have to trade homes with some of the less than civil residents around Blacksmith Shop road and see how well they hold up!!!!!

It's well documented that these turbines were purchased by the Massachusetts Technology Colaborative in 2005 and resold to the town of Falmouth in 2009 using stimulus funds.
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-9751.pdf

In fact the proposed installation of these same two turbines in Fairhaven and Mattapoisett ,Massachusetts was opposed by citizens groups using local by laws and zoning regulations .

The state of Massachusetts under the current administration has proposed the WESRA ,Wind Energy Siting Reform Act .This act takes away your towns bylaws and zoning regulations. It is not a reform act . The pro wind advocates have proposed this legislation because citizens groups have stopped the installations in their residential back yards .They want our residential property rights for a commercial and industrial project in our backyards

Now I get it . The 50 families who live around the wind turbine that have been complaining about the noise for 16 months are going to get consensus building approach.

The consultant hired by the town to assist with a consensus-building approach to the controversial issue is going to give everybody a cup of coffee and a donut ? I like the part about the "box of muffins". Why not a fruit cup with those muffins ?

200 or so emails and complaints, suggestions and plenty of comments here... NOBODY has EVER responded except once... And then it was melissa Frietag who was offended that I mentioned her playing on her computer rather than listening to our testimony.. so she gets to defend herself but I don;t..
I used to be nice too...

These commercial turbines should never have been purchased with stimulus funds . They were purchased in 2004 or 2005 originally before the stimulus plan was ever in effect .The semi quasi state agency the Massachusetts Technology Colaborative was stuck with these politically embarrassing turbines since 2004 .

The Town of Falmouth was the dumping ground for these two turbines that were being held in a warehouse in Texas at $3300.00 per month since 2005 at taxpayers expense .

Follow the money trail ! It shows the political corruption in Massachusetts !

How about a real, enforceable noise by-law to benefit all of us, not just people who are getting used to the sounds in their neighborhood. The rest of us have to deal with a lot of noise too, and there aren't any wind turbines in Teaticket.

The issue here is the town depended on the semi quasi state agency that was stuck with these two turbines to provide the studies to install them. Most reasonable town officials should have read the specifications. The wind turbine motor alone weighs 55 tons.That's 55 tons of gear noise of over one thousand parts moving together .The Abrams A1 tank weighs about that same amount .The blades weigh 1 and 1/2 tons each .
The Massachusetts Technology Colaborative, the engineers at the semi quasi and those that put the feasibility studies and sound studies together should be brought to task !

Senate President Therese Murray (D-Plymouth) is worried about your health and how close wind turbines are to your home. This what she said :"Your health and well-being is of the utmost concern to me and nobody should experience discomfort".

What exactley happened between the semi quasi state agency and the town ? At some point in time this is going to get national attention and the Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley is going to have to get involved in this whole mess.

I've been to the turbines many many times they are virtually noise free.
And "flicker" I see more flicker when the wind blows the branches and leaves of a tree..
This world is comming apart at the seams due to fossil fuel Use.
War, global warming, and fuel costs that will crush any growth in the economy
Are all results of our resistance to renewables.

I agree Willis, a week or so ago there was a mirror cycle rally on marthas vineyard.
I would have to bet hundreds af harleys drove past my house. It was loud .
I would ask anyone who believes these turbines are noisy to stand under one.
I had to turn off my truck to hear them. Even the bell ringing because the door was open was louder. Please don't take my word for it. I ask people to listen for themselves

"motorcycle"^

http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2011/08/our-oil-constrained-future
Here's a link for you bill.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2010/11/101109-peak-oil-iea-world-energy-outlook/
And in the mean time we bicker over flicker. Read the article bill. Pull your head outa the sand

D mac
The wind industry is very aware of a real 'noise' problem. You visit(s) to gauge noise at a turbine may have been well intended but the wind industry tries to "hide" the problem (take your visit for example) by taking visitors directly under the turbines where there is typically little noise or conducting tours from May-September when wind speeds are typically much lower( I'm just guessing but you visit sounds like it may fit theses specific months). Turbine noise is a very distracting nuisance, often causing people to seek medical attention ( I went to the doctor when Wind 1 first started turning thinking my spring yard clean-up headaches were pollen related.. took the prescibed pollen meds to no avail. Growing concerned, thinking I had a brain tumor, the only change in my environment was the operation of Falmouth's commercial turbine. Then I started finding 'case studies' by medical field professionals that reported similar symptoms ). In fact, contractual agreements with landowners usually include a "noise easement" provision so the industry is well aware of the turbine 'noise' that you were unable to access on your visit(s). For more information about this issue, consult -
http://www.nowap.co.uk/docs/windnoise.pdf .

D mac
Here's another read to help your interest -
http://www.acousticecology.org/docs/AEI%20Wind%20Turbine%20Noise%20FactSheet.pdf

I'll go again when it's windier. At what wind speed do they shut them down.
As I said before the turbines are a lot quieter than the motor in my truck.
You may want to pursue a psychosomatic remedy the disorder is well documented. Not sure lawyers can get into any deep pockets with that diagnosis but they're pretty clever.
Needless to say,, when renewables are compared with their fossil fuel competitors then I think we can all agree which is more destructive to man kind . Wether in the form of resource wars. Spills like what took place in the gulf a year ago, global warming ect ect ect. So spare me the drama. Next time we loose another soldier in Iraq take a look in the mirror and ask yourself how bothersome these alternatives are.

D mac
I'm not sure what speeds at which they shut down. In Jan - Feb my log said we had some 35-45 mph blows overnight and the turbines were still operating. As for your comparison to you truck.. Does your truck motor cause a vibratory effect from sound waves you can't hear but can feel. How often do you try to sleep 6-8 hours in your truck while it's running? How's that work out for you? Point made on the psychosomatic aspect. Whether the case or not, isn't it odd, or at the very least concerning, that the headaches are only experienced when the turbine operates and the wind is from the NW-N-NE, making my property downwind of the turbines? The only physical change to my environment, while trying to figure out a causal effect, was the turbine. I agree, it's necessary to both reduce energy consumption (your article) and ween off fossil energy. No drama here. But answer me this... if a soldier dies quickly (relatively speaking) or a unsuspecting neighbor (his wife or children) is slowly killed by greed and a societal 'wind' mania doctrine.... which is the greater tragedy? It's unfortunate ... the soldier's death or the neighbors torture... both seemingly illustrates how detached we become, as society, from a sense of right and wrong and moral compassing. What will be the next panacea, after wind energy, that will save mankind while sacrificing only one.. one hundred,, or a thousand neighbors? Check your conscience

Let me try to understand what your saying. It's not noise you can hear??? It's silent waves?
How bout the soldiers who have to live with blown off limbs or suffer PTSD
How about the hundred of thousands / millions of civilians who have died or had their lives shattered because of our addiction. How about the millions of Americans who live on the gulf of Mexico who's lives have been shattered . How about the fact that virtually every exxon Valdez clean up worker has died before the age of 51. How about the effects of millions of barrels of oil and corexit (dispersant ) and absolutely toxic brew and it's effects on the Maine life .
I live in a world of constant back ground noise few don't.
And wind mania ??? You got to be kidding ! Greed?? Who's greedier than the oil and gas industry???
The fact that you compare your possible psychosomatic issues to these atrocities speaks volumes
The IEA reported (last fall) in it's world energy outlook that conventional oil peaked in 2006. The ramifications of this insurmountable decline in world conventional oil production are staggering.
We don't live in a vacume sir,, sometimes choices need to be made based on the greater good
I would like to to position my self( similar to yours) to hear or not hear the "soundless waves " you speak of. Any suggestions??

You touch on a principal (sacrifice for the greater good) that I believe in strongly. My sacrifice (in any circumstance.. but for the sake of this argument.. let's use the well being of my family, my neighbors and my self) is offered if the benefit of 'Wind Energy' does, infact, benefit society. It does not! Wind power's exaggerated claims of pollution abatement and other benefits can easily be disputed and shown to be false and misleading. You, my friend, are being con'd... convinced that wind propaganda and their presented ideals & concerns are loftier than economics or the health and well being of your neighbors. I get it... that fossil energy is, and has been bad. Two wrongs don't make it 'right' or make for the 'fix'. Wind power is not what I believe you wish it to be. And it definitely does not qualify for my sacrifice for the greater good. Check these for proof..

http://docs.wind-watch.org/ProblemWithWind.pdf
http://docs.wind-watch.org/boonej-waywardwind.pdf
http://www.windaction.org/documents/30628
http://www.windaction.org/documents/28251

Some FACTS to consider-------
Fact: We need to address greenhouse gas emissions and a more sustainable energy source.
Fact: Wind energy, when wind is available, produces clean energy.
Fact: We need to find a balance between energy production and community acceptance. The residents in close proximity to these proposed wind turbines are NOT expendable. This small group should NOT be expected to carry the burden for the greater good.
Fact: Wind energy is NOT going to reduce our dependence on oil, stop wars in the Middle East, nor shut down fossil fuel energy plants. Wind energy is only produced when the wind is blowing; there is no technology available to store this energy for future use.
Fact: The 5th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides that “no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.”

Fact: Wind turbines produce flicker and both sound and pressure waves that make people who reside near them sick. Symptoms include headaches, nausea, sleep deprivation, dizziness, anxiety, depression, and high blood pressure. Once moved away from the turbines, symptoms dissipate.
Fact: Property values near wind turbines decline anywhere from twenty to forty percent. No one will purchase property with a view of a five hundred foot machines. Unsalable homes near turbines are being abandoned.
Fact: Wind turbines emit electromagnetic waves which we already know make people ill. Power lines and cell towers have regulations in place to protect the public from these effects. Wind turbines have no such regulations.
Fact: Wind turbine noise is disruptive to sleep. The World Health Organization guidelines affirm noise levels over 30 decibels cause sleep disruption. The way to mitigate noise levels of turbines is distance; turbines in my neighborhood regularly operate at levels higher than this and often exceed the MassDEP 40 decibel limit.
Fact: Wind turbine rotors travel at approximately 180 miles per hour. Their blades are capable of throwing two pound chunks of ice several hundred feet. Homes in close proximity are at risk from these ice throws.

The US military tank has a turbine. The inner workings of a turbine engine, as used in the M1 Abrams, include over 1000 moving parts just like a commercial wind turbine. The Abrams tank uses a turbine power-plant as opposed to a traditional diesel engine. This was chosen because it offers a better power to weight ratio and is much smaller in size.

The M1 Abrams military tank and the commercial wind turbine nacelle (or what is called the motor) weigh about the same, around 60 tons.

The gear noise of 1000 gears turning at the same time are what is called the “wind turbine syndrome.” I’m sure that any ground troops that hear an Abrams tank 2500 feet from them quickly become tuned into the sound of the gears of that military tank!

The point here is the gear noise or low level hum is an additional noise of commercial wind turbines left out of studies !

What would qualify. Bill . These psychosomatic illnesses are caused by the desire for compensation. Whether released or not. Your comparisons are ludicrous . There's going to be alot of people dying because people like you

There is nothing psychosomatic about what is happening here... Stop mincing details and come live here for a noreaster .
Radiation cannot be seen or felt either... ! cigarette ( as in 1 visit to under a turbine) cannot kill you either.
uv rays cannot be seen.
Asbestos was the hot ticket for a good long while until they figured out all the facts.

I and my neighbors have been imposed a full tilt dose of the equivalent of smoking, x rays and or uv rys 24/7. How right is that ?

All the facts about siting turbines near homes are coming out! REAL science Will prove this out and is coming fast on this....Google up wind turbine syndrome to hear the same stuff and health effects happening WORLD WIDE...

Comparing soldiers and residents is absurd, Both are tragic...

A question on a more basic level.. Would you want to bring home and raise a baby under a turbine vibration... ?

Vibro accoustic disease, learning and concentration issues... etc...

Wind power out in the middle of nowhere... no need to have sacrifices ... do it right or don't do it at all...

Please look at the issues that the City of Salem is faceing with it's proposed site on public park land . Search Salem news and view the uproar .WIND POWER is SPIN POWER. Ps I make money with wind power every day ,and it does not come from a turbine .

Does anyone know how much our taxes will go up if the turbines are taken down? The revenue will have to be replaced somehow.

The older type gear driven wind turbines installed in Falmouth were built around 2003 to 2004 . The literature back then said that these turbines have a life of around twenty years . The facts are now out . Many of the gear driven turbines experience high maintenance problems as soon as two to three years .

New direct-drive turbines promise to lower the cost of gear box problems in the older type turbines . When these turbines were proposed in Mattapoisett and Fairhaven the maintenance issues were brought up by the citizens group which I was president.

The reliability problems associated with transmission or gearbox equipped wind turbines is expensive and the existing solutions of switching to direct drive gearless turbines is even more costly .

I'm afraid the Falmouth wind turbines if left standing will be used by every NIMBY ,not in my back yard ,anti wind turbine resident . The MTC had been trying to unload these since 2005 and Falmouth ended up getting sucked in on a bad deal !

The turbines have national attention and I think it's a matter of time before they start to fail . Just google Portsmouth High School wind turbine check out the problems they have . These turbines are Falmouths Trojan Horse ...

The feasibility study has been completed pursuant to the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. MTC Early Stage Feasibility Study Grant Summary was paid for and showed the turbines were feasible.

Now comes the 50 residential home owners who disagree with the noise studies as do many others in other states .

The turbines have become a health issue and need to be shut off at night and when wind speeds hit a certain speed . The turbines are no longer feasible .The cost of maintaining the turbines based with the gear driven technologhy out weighs keeping them .

It won't be long before the federal government will be looking into how these two turbines were purchased with stimulus funds in 2009 as used turbines from the MTC who purchased them in 2005 and kept them in Texas at $3300.00 a month until 2009 .

I am doing everything I can to bring national attention to how this whole deal went down and there should be some explainations how these turbines were sited so close to the homes .The MTC and the wind turbine manufacturer should pay to have them removed !

I believe litigation is the only answer and hopefully the residents around these turbines seek damages for the loss of parts of their bundle of residential property rights ! Each home owner has a bundle of rights called sticks . When you remove one or more of these sticks for the greater good of the town then those residents have a right to compensation .

Let me ask you a question ; If you leave these two turbines up how much in legal fees and compensation will the Town of Falmouth have to pay ? When I say the Town of Falmouth I mean the Jill and Joe taxpayers .

Well as the closest home to the ALL FOR PROFIT TO AN ALREADY MILLIONNAIRE WEBB turbine... And someone who can longer sleep in or enjoy her home in any way... I will say that i have contacted 4 lawyers now and none of them will take my case for less than a $30,ooo retainer plus half any settlement I might get...
So lucky me...I get to pay for the town to fight my neighbors with my taxes and for subsidizing the millionnaire that got the second outdated turbine erected for state grant money... who then took the money and locked it all up in his limited liability corporation so he can't be held liable for these very shady and very profitable dealings. ( 3 to 500 grand per year best guess...not a public service in sight there either)
My head pounds, my home vibrates, my property value is nowhere and now do I risk going up against a millionnaire to fight for my health?
Welcome to green America... as in green money money money...

I swear if I could find a place nobody would do this to me again I would even stop using electricity , gas and whatever... Just make these damn headaches go away..

I had the best day of my whole summer sunday during irene...He turned the thing off and I could think, breathe and rest... Almost torture to remind me all I have lost when it came back on...

I'm still waiting for an address where I can hear and feel the effects. I was under a turbine every time I went to listen. So I'm trying to understand your complaints folks. But I want to see for myself

dmac... think about a sprinkler... is most of the water underneath it or swirling out off the sides.?! Pressures is released from the top center and blades and fans out from there... thus they are not "noisy"
It's simple basic physics and if you work your head from that angle you might begin to understand. An apparently small waterfall can feed a big wide strong brook...
All I can say is my house feels a bit like living in a submarine and i am not suited to that... And frankly , believe it or not noise has nothing to do with it..
Happy to let you come by and experience the feeling . I am on lower blacksmith shop (476) which is the end of gifford street... please be respectful enough to call first if you want to come inside... but on any windy day you very surely will be able to feel the thumping on the right hand side down by my studio.
You my come anytime during the day hours. I do have a very long driveway and dogs so please drive carefully as you come into the house...you can email me to get the phone number but i do not feel good about posting it here tosuehobart@gmail.com.

no more comments when it comes to actually getting the facts? nobody stopping by...?

The lack of renewable energy scam enforcement in Massachusetts by Attorney General Martha Coakley is a big part of the problem here on Cape Cod . The Democratic party should change their name to the Social Democratic Party . President Obama is expected to announce a new jobs program which includes commercial wind turbines and Gov Patrick argues we need the government to invest in renewable energy but mostly commercial wind power .

Support for wind energy at the Liberal Democrat party conference last Sept 2010 confirmed the political posture of the Democratic Party .

Therese Murray was elected Senator of the Plymouth and Barnstable District in 1992 and became the first woman President of the Massachusetts Senate. She knows exactley what is going on with the semi-quasi state agency the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative and the liberal press !

The state is taking our residential property rights through poor wind turbine siting and making us second class citizens !

The Massachusetts Constitution affirms the dignity and equality of all individuals. It forbids the creation of second-class citizens. The state through its semi quasi state agency and the cities and towns along with the agenda of the current governor are creating a second class group of citizens with the poor siting of commercial wind turbines.

The wind turbine fray is sparking class warfare. Time after time the blue collar section of town after town has been selected to lose their property rights for the good of all the others in town.

We feel bewildered and betrayed by our own government, which is maliciously trying to steal our land through the poor siting of commercial wind turbines. We have lost our democratic rights and have become second class citizens, facing the theft of our land through regulation. Massachusetts State law forbids the creation of second-class citizens

The current energy policy in the united states is imperial take over. Using the pentagon to post pone our the eventual inevitable turn towards renewables is a moral outrage . The answers are right here at home. Fuck building bombs, build green energy

I agree that efficiency is a great idea as well but as you say it is not a solution. I'm very energy cautious I unplug things not in use and minimize what I use. I also drive a diesel car which gets about 45 mpg. But I don't like laws associated with efficiency if someone wants to be more inneffcient then that is their money they're wasting.

Mark I know what a huge unprecedented task lies ahead.you don't have to tell me. But it has to be done and we had better get to work. There is no single good solution to our energy problems we need to start doing every thing we can. here at home

You guys are having fun battling this out aren't you...?
I am glad that for you this is an academic discussion. The pros and cons can be debated ad infinitum... have at it.
The turbines in Falmouth are not saving the planet and I would go so far as to say they are doing major damage to their cause because of the unsafe placement. This is not a cutting edge installation , this is a stupid greedy and ill researched bait and switch gig... I stand behind my offer... and visit on a windy day... Noreasters are the most telling winds..
If you are genuinely interested in really experiencing the deal bring a laptop, crossword puzzle or some kind of cognitive task and sit in the line if the thing and see how long it takes you... That is the real hit.. The brain is so busy trying to process the unnatural energy coming at it that it takes a lot of energy from the cognition level.

But hey what do I know? I only live it.
This little exercise is getting old..

The

Sue
I was going to call you yesterday. But on my way home I noticed the turbines were shut down . I've been to the base of one .. Many times and was completely amazed a how benign they were. I was told I needed to be out in front of one to gauge the effects . As you can see I'm attempting to do just that.

Well I guess anybody who's been following this thread knows I'm more than a little bias. It's my belief that we (America) needs to aggressively pursue renewables in every way we can.
That said I had to take into consideration the complaints of the turbine naysayers .
I have been underneath the turbine in the industrial park many times under varying wind conditions . Every time let me repeat every time I was amazed at how quite and effortlessely they operated . But I was confronted with an argument that stated I could not appreciate the disturbance while directly underneath .
Well today I drove around until I found the route to the waste water treatment plant
I stopped at the gate looked and turned right parked my truck and followed a path up a small hill and stood about a 100 yards in front of one of the generators. It was virtually soundless and I certainly did not feel any presure waves. It maybe one of the most quite spots in Falmouth . It's certainly a lot quieter than most of the main streets.
But please don't take my word for it go out there your selves. From down town Falmouth drive out past the high school and keep your eyes open for a turn to the left
I think it was blacksmith dr. It's pretty much under one of the turbines follow that street keeping your eyes open to the right you will see the sign for the waste water treatment plant take that right and follow the road until you get to the gate. Take the walk that I did,, and see and hear for yourselves.

those were my observations each time in each position. if i had observed differently i would have described my experience differently. 5 times to given you the benefit of doubt and made the effort to understand your side of the story. i explained at the top of my letter my bias. i have never tried to hide that... thats why i invite anyone one interested to make there own observations what do you want me to do lie?

sue
i have made an effort to understand your position. i have made observations with varying wind speeds in different locations. i shared my bias with the readers. I'm not trying to hide anything. thats why i invite the the readers to make their own observations. I'm not lying sue...

neveyingr said you are lying... but you have not experienced what i have to go through with this... I am sick of trying... if you were one of us you would know...
Just be careful..More are on the way and hopefully not in YOUR backyard.