Falmouth Ma. Wind Turbine Warning Light Nuisance

Falmouth four years later wind turbine nuisance continues!

Barnstable Superior Court Judge Cornelius Moriarty determined the turbines at the town of Falmouth wastewater treatment facility a nuisance and ordered them permanently shut down in June 2017. The select board voted not to appeal the decision.

Judge Moriarty's decision was affirmed a few months later in the Massachusetts Appeals Court by a panel of three judges.

The FAA states that lighting used on turbines can cause safety and nuisance issues or negatively impact the aesthetics of a wind project.

For these reasons, some rural communities prohibit wind projects from exceeding FAA standards for lighting. In other words, the FAA agrees that wind turbine lights close to residential homes create a nuisance.

Going into the fourth year after the shutdown the airplane warning lights remain on every night reminding the up to 200 residential neighbors of the noise described as torture and shadow flicker from the wind turbines. There is no clear view of the sky from the rural community at night as the turbines remain standing.

Wind turbine red, flashing lights have an intensity of 2,000cd at night. A cd is short for 1 wax candlelight in the international system of units. The flashing red light from a typical wind turbine is 2000 candle lights off and on all night long.

The United States Federal Aviation Administration and the state of Hawaii have acknowledged these warning lights are a nuisance to residential homeowners.

The nuisance continues in Falmouth. The courts ordered the turbines to shut down on June 17, 2017. It's time to remove the turbines according to Falmouth zoning regulations.

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Below links to the FAA and Hawaii:

FAA: "As a result, it has created a light pollution nuisance to residents living near these obstructions."

The United States Federal Aviation Administration is an operating mode of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

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FAA-approved paint markings or lighting fixtures to ensure that they are visible to pilots at night.

Due to the number of existing telecommunication towers and wind turbines, combined with expected future construction, the number of obstructions that have these required lighting fixtures has greatly increased. "As a result, it has created a light pollution nuisance to residents living near these obstructions."
http://www.tc.faa.gov/its/worldpac/techrpt/tc18-22.pdf

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STATE OF HAWAII: BILL NO. 2802 RELATING TO WIND TURBINES. THIRTEENTH LEGISLATURE, 2020


BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that lights atop wind turbines are disruptive to the environment. The safety lights, known as obstruction lighting, create light pollution at night, either disturbing sleep patterns or creating an impediment to a clear night sky.
"§196- Wind turbines; installation and maintenance of lighting systems. (a) Every wind turbine that is equipped with obstruction lighting that is located within five miles of a residential community shall be equipped with a sensor-based aircraft lighting detection system that:
(1) Uses passive radar sensors to detect approaching aircraft; and
(2)
Automatically activates the obstruction lights until the lights are no longer needed by the aircraft.
An aircraft detection lighting system may include features that transmit

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2020/bills/SB2802_.HTM