Neighbor News
Falmouth Turbine Loan Investigation ARRA Mass SRF Funds
MassDEP Used American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Funds Used To Finance Turbines Despite Health-Safety Warnings
The Massachusetts State Revolving Fund (SRF) with funds given to them from the federal government's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 offered affordable loan options to cities and towns that deal with wastewater treatment plants. (Falmouth wind turbine #2)
The Massachusetts Clean Water Trust controls the funds in the State Revolving Fund.
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection brokered a 5 million dollar loan between the Town of Falmouth and the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust using the SRF funds.
Find out what's happening in Falmouthfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The MassDEP loan agreement the town agreed to is called a PRA, project regulatory agreement or more simply put under federal regulations Falmouth Wind II the second town-owned wind turbine had to remain an energy-efficient project or the loan is due plus interest.
The loan has been due for almost three years!
Find out what's happening in Falmouthfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
On June 29, 2009, Falmouth Town Meeting Members at a rare summer Special Town Meeting voted for and approved three articles. Those three articles allowed the town to enter the project regulatory agreement loan brokered by MassDEP using the federal ARRA funds from the control of the Mass Clean Water Trust out of the State Revolving Fund.
In order for Falmouth to buy Falmouth Wind II a foreign-made wind turbine effective April 19, 2010, the federal EPA granted a waiver of the Buy America requirements of ARRA Section 1605. The town in the federal waiver stated that it had a special permit process 240 -166 to install wind turbines.
The town had previously been warned prior to construction of Falmouth Wind II by email and letter the turbine generates 110 decibels of noise. The town never filed a special permit 240-166 as stated in the federal waiver application.
The federal ARRA money should never be used to endanger health and property rights.
Corruption in state and local government in Massachusetts was so pervasive in the 1960s and 1970's that it became ''a way of life.'' Here we are today approaching the year 2020 after in the recent history three Massachusetts Speakers of the House have been brought up on corruption charges. One House Speaker went to federal prison for eight years and he was the father of the Massachusetts Green Communities Act.
The installations of wind turbines in Falmouth and twenty-one other communities bring up questions of the conduct of a state government, the commission of possible bribery, extortion, tax evasion, illegal campaign contributions and the laundering of money to disguise its origins. Note# (sally.reynolds@state.ma.us)
Falmouth residents appear to think there is a tacit understanding between public servants and private professionals that this is how business is done in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts courts and Falmouth zoning board shut down Falmouth Wind II in June of 2017 almost three years ago.
The Falmouth Select Board and Town Meeting in Article 14 recently voted 2.5 million to take down the nuisance turbines.
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds are not allowed to create a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety.
Falmouth owes 3.5 million-plus interests - State officials are hiding all correspondence between the state and town in an effort to sweep the loan under the rug.
The Massachusetts Clean Water Trust needs to demand the federal and state taxpayer money now.
Tine To Pay Up 3.5 million plus interest due now
