Health & Fitness
Wind Fans Pending Falmouth Fiasco
Falmouth's Boards of Selectmen and Health – On Collision Course over Wind Turbine Mistake
Excerpts from the September 5, 2013 letter from Falmouth Board of Health to Falmouth Selectmen ~
“The public hearing found that 85% of complaints included sleep deprivation or increased fatigue. Furthermore, logged complaints to the Board of Health regarding turbine impacts decreased significantly after the January 2012 turbine curtailment by the Board of Selectmen. These observations are supported by the conclusions of the Wind Turbine Health Impact Study, commissioned by the DPH and DEP and released in January 2012.”
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“This review concluded that wind turbine operations during normal sleeping hours could cause disrupted sleep.”
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“Sleep interruptions have potentially serious health effects.”
“As you consider changes to the operational modes of the turbines, we believe that you should give the utmost consideration to the impacts of sleep interruptions on the health of the turbine neighbors.”
Excerpts from September 9, 2013 WIND TURBINE ALTERNATIVES REPORT #2 presented to Selectmen by Staff ~
“The four plans being considered by the selectmen all would, in theory, generate enough money to fund mitigation options for affected homeowners and could also quiet the lawsuits pending against the town.”
“The discussion has focused on plans that run the turbines at a minimum of 80 percent capacity to generate the needed revenue.”
*80% makes no allowance for an 8 hour normal sleep period
“We (Staff) recommend that up to 25% – 33% of above-defined revenue after expenses for the time period from 20I5 -2025 be made available for this purpose.” (mitigation benefit distributed ONLY AFTER the harm requiring damages or reparation)
“… the current operational scheme for the turbines — running each of them for 12 hours a day — won’t generate sufficient revenue to cover their costs, to say nothing of paying for mitigation.”
“The Town must be sufficiently conservative to ensure that annual funding needs are met given the vagaries of the wind and renewable energy markets and the potential for unconventional and mechanically demanding operational hours. Further, the wind turbines are a very large municipal project planned and constructed with municipal dollars with an expectation that it will provide tangible long term ‘town benefits."
Two clashing elements are quite obvious -
1. The Board of Health clearly believes that Wind Turbine operating plans under review of Selectmen, constitute, first and foremost, a health issue that deserves “utmost” care.
2. The Board of Selectmen are clearly being coaxed into considering proposals that prioritize wind turbine revenue certainty above that of the health of some citizens.
Two ideas should act as a guide for the Selectmen’s forthcoming decision.
“Other than responsibly and professionally managing the peoples’ money, acting as the guardian both of public funds and the public trust, no job of local government is more important than protecting the safety of our citizens.” ~ TROY CLARKSON (former Falmouth Selectmen and current Town Manager – Hanover MA)
“If there is a lack of scientific consensus in the literature… then the burden shifts to the policy makers to do no harm.” ~ BRIAN CURRIE (Falmouth Town Planner)
If that’s not enough motivation, the Selectmen should refer to Massachusetts General Law c.111, s.31C.
“A board of health… shall have jurisdiction to regulate and control atmospheric pollution, including, but not limited to… as may arise within its bounds and which constitutes… a danger to the public health, or impair the public comfort and convenience.