Neighbor News
Falmouth Wind Turbine Litigation Fees Soar -ZBA Trial Postponed
Litigation preparation is very expensive. Town Meeting aware of the preparation costs as they approved $260,000.00 November Article 18
Falmouth Town Meeting Members approved another $260,000.00 for wind turbine litigation for Article 18 at November Town Meeting November 2016. It was made clear to members that the town was not slowing down the litigation it was the courts. The litigation fees increase as outside law firms and the town attorney prepare for trial and then have to prepare again if the courts postpone the trial
Today May 8, 2017 was the start of the Town of Falmouth vs the Town of Falmouth Zoning Board of Appeals trial at Barnstable Superior Court. The trial case number is 1327CV00281.
The trial was postponed because a case from the previous week overlapped into this week. A call to the courthouse reveals the case will be rescheduled in the "future."
Find out what's happening in Falmouthfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
When the trial is rescheduled all the attorneys will have to prepare again at taxpayer expense no one works for free.
Undoubtedly Falmouth Town Meeting will have to "tow the line" for more litigation fees for the foreseeable future.
Find out what's happening in Falmouthfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center rewrote the renewable energy contract for 1.8 million dollars to help pay litigation. Town Meeting has been approving up to $300,000.00 every six months for wind turbine litigation
Falmouth Wind I remains shut down 24/7 and Falmouth Wind II only operates 6 days a week 12 hours a day when the wind blows over 6 miles per hour. The gear box driven wind turbines are supposed to last twenty years but in many cases fail between 5 and 7 years.
The Falmouth wind turbine Land Court case number 16misc000234 is scheduled for a pre-trial conference on May 23, 2017. The Land Court case will take place at 3 Pemberton Square, Boston, MA 02108
There are around nine ongoing lawsuits which most have still not been scheduled.
At this point it is fair to say the litigation fees in the next few years will exceed the purchase price of the turbines
Everyone is losing. The neighbors their health and property and taxpayers their money
The only ones wining are the attorneys. Time to get out those wallets again .
