Falmouth Wind Turbine ARRA Loan/Grant Questions In Limbo

The Massachusetts Clean Water Trust, in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, provided ARRA , stimulus financing for the Falmouth Wind II turbine.

The Massachusetts Clean Water Trust is governed by a Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustee Meetings is usually held on the first Wednesday of the month.

Notice is hereby given that the meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust scheduled for Wednesday, July 5, 2017 is CANCELLED.

The next meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust scheduled is Wednesday, August 2, 2017.

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center is governed by a Board of Directors consisting of 12 directors. Secretary Matthew Beaton, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, serves as Chair, and MassCEC CEO Stephen Pike implements board policies. The MassCEC Board of Directors also includes audit, compensation and investment sub-committees.

The last meeting was June 20, 2017. The next scheduled meeting is August 15, 2017

The town of Falmouth, Massachusetts, secured ARRA, stimulus funds and a federal EPA waiver to purchase a foreign made $4.3 million dollar Vestas V 82 wind turbine for its sewer plant.

At least one domestic manufacturer, General Electric, could source a turbine, but according to the EPA, The domestic manufacturer cited the setback distance … as the basis for its refusal to make its product available for this project. The setbacks were over residential homes and ice throw to a nearby highway.

U.S. wind turbine makers which include General Electric must back their wares based on U.S. setback standards, based on rules to protect public risks like blade failures, unlike foreign manufacturers.

The EPA waiver can be found at the United States Federal Register, 4/27/2010, EPA Notice of a Regional Project Waiver of Section 1605 (Buy American) of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) to the Town of Falmouth, Massachusetts.

The purpose of the Falmouth Wind Turbine Options Analysis Process (WTOP) was to engage in an open, transparent, and collaborative exploration of the range of options for the long-term future of the Town’s two Wind Turbines – Wind I and Wind II.

The Consensus Building Institute was paid jusy under $139,000.00, for an assessment; designing and convening the process; preparing for, traveling to, facilitating and documenting 24 meetings (including all expenses); and writing and revising a final report, over the course of 13 months. These meetings in 2012 can be confirmed this with the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center.

The meetings were all video taped and shown on local Falmouth community cable television in hopes of educating the public

The September 12, 2012, video over whether the ARRA, stimulus fund was a loan or a grant was "lost " and never shown on local Falmouth television has been confirmed by the Consensus Building Institute but the puplic has never been made aware of the "lost" video.

The CBI, WTOP meetings were to improve relationships and effective communications among the Town officials, affected families and other members of the town over the poorly placed wind turbines

The Town of Falmouth also withheld information from the taxpayer financed meetings.

The town had received emails prior to the installations of the foreign made turbines that they are twice as loud as the domestic wind turbines made by General Electric who refused to place even a single wind turbine.

On August 2, 2010 the town was warned in writing the turbines generate 110 decibels of noise. The letter was never disclosed at the CBI, WTOP meetings

The loan/grant for Falmouth Wind II using American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 should never have been made.

The cat is out of the bag ......

Industrial Wind Turbines: An Upper Cape Dilemma July 2017 #3

WindTurbineSyndrome

• Recorded prior to Falmouth Select Board Meeting July 10 2017
  David Moriarty, resident of Town of Falmouth, talks to audience about the current status of the town owned wind turbines in Falmouth, MA after court injunction, and urges people in town to get involved with local decision makers and elected officials to stop appeal process which will be expensive and probably not succeed. Moriarty says we are all responsible for when we let elected officials do as they please with public money, who then may lie to get away with it after the fact, and we have to hold them accountable.