LOCATION/TYPE

NEWS HOME

[ exact phrase in "" • results by date ]

[ Google-powered • results by relevance ]



Archive
RSS

Add NWW headlines to your site (click here)

Get weekly updates

WHAT TO DO
when your community is targeted

RSS

RSS feeds and more

Keep Wind Watch online and independent!

Donate via Paypal

Donate via Stripe

Selected Documents

All Documents

Research Links

Alerts

Press Releases

FAQs

Campaign Material

Photos & Graphics

Videos

Allied Groups

Wind Watch is a registered educational charity, founded in 2005.

News Watch Home

Wind farm health investigation pitched 

Credit:  Christine Lee, 22News State House Correspondent, WWLP, www.wwlp.com 20 October 2011 ~~

Green energy companies are proposing to build more wind farms in Western Massachusetts – and folks from Brimfield who don’t want them in their backyards say they’re worried they can cause a whole host of health problems.

Brimfield residents testified before the Joint Committee on Public Health Tuesday, asking lawmakers to set up an independent commission to evaluate whether wind turbines can cause health problems.

“All of the international data is showing that turbines can affect people up to a mile and a quarter away, so we’re concerned about the effect for people across the state,” said Dale LaBonte of Brimfield, MA.

They said homeowners in the Berkshires and the Cape who live by wind turbines complain that they cause headaches, sleeplessness, and heart problems.

“The noise is part of it,” said Carol Platenik, who also lives in Brimfield. “[Wind turbines] can break down, they can catch fire, the flames can damage the wildlife, damage the grass. Oil is in those things. Oil can go into the ground and damage groundwater.”

A key reason for the state’s push toward wind energy is Governor Deval Patrick’s goal to get 800,000 homes powered by wind turbines by 2020.

Representative Todd Smola (R-Palmer) warns that the effects wind farms have on host communities hasn’t been properly studied by independent experts or professionals. As a result, he’s filed a bill to make that happen.

“Let’s do the homework, do the research and know what we’re getting in to,” said Smola. “What we shouldn’t be doing is having this knee-jerk reaction of bringing on a technology that we’re not 100% familiar with in terms of what the negative impacts are.”

Earlier this year First Wind, an independent energy company, backed out of a proposed deal to build a wind farm in Brimfield after facing vocal disapproval from local residents.

Source:  Christine Lee, 22News State House Correspondent, WWLP, www.wwlp.com 20 October 2011

This article is the work of the source indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.

The copyright of this article resides with the author or publisher indicated. As part of its noncommercial educational effort to present the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development to a global audience seeking such information, National Wind Watch endeavors to observe “fair use” as provided for in section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law and similar “fair dealing” provisions of the copyright laws of other nations. Send requests to excerpt, general inquiries, and comments via e-mail.

Wind Watch relies entirely
on User Funding
   Donate via Paypal
(via Paypal)
Donate via Stripe
(via Stripe)

Share:

e-mail X FB LI TG TG Share

Tag: Video


News Watch Home

Get the Facts
CONTACT DONATE PRIVACY ABOUT SEARCH
© National Wind Watch, Inc.
Use of copyrighted material adheres to Fair Use.
"Wind Watch" is a registered trademark.

 Follow:

Wind Watch on X Wind Watch on Facebook

Wind Watch on Linked In Wind Watch on Mastodon