Falmouth Wind Turbines More Bad ARRA News

Scientist Neil Kelley and his team in the mid-1980s thoroughly documented significant adverse health effects resulting from the inaudible, very-low-frequency sound produced by a large wind 2-megawatt wind turbine in Boone, N.C. This scientifically rigorous study was financed by NASA and the US Department of Energy. (low-frequency/infra-sound)

In 2005 a Massachusetts state agency known today as the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center financed a wind turbine study done for the Town of Falmouth. The study was done by KEMA Inc using only one General Electric megawatt wind turbine. The study showed up to 99 homes could be affected by noise and the town had to file Special Permit 240-166.

General Electric a United States company in 2008 refused to place one wind turbine due to residential setbacks and ice throw to the highway.

The Town of Falmouth went forward in 2010 placing a foreign Vestas V-82 type 1.65 megawatt wind turbine at its Wastewater Treatment Plant with email and written warnings from Vestas that just one of their turbines generates 110 decibels of noise twice as loud as the US General Electric wind turbine.

The town failed to file Special Permit 240-166 installing the foreign-made Vestas turbine. As soon as the blades began to spin the neighbors filed thousands of noise complaints.

The Town of Falmouth to install the second foreign-made identical Vestas V-82 requested a waiver from the federal EPA of 5 million dollars. The EPA waiver April 27, 2010, is known as : "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, MA"

In the waiver, the town told the federal officials there were no domestic wind turbines available but left out by omission General Electric had refused because of residential setbacks and ice throw to a nearby highway.

The waiver also stated that the town would file Special Permit 240- 166 but never filed the Special Permit for either wind turbine,

Massachusetts Department of Environmental officials working with the Federal Environmental Protection Agency and Massachusetts
Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs worked together in the program called the Massachusetts Energy Management Pilot for Drinking Water and Wastewater Treatment Facilities.

These agencies helped the Town of Falmouth obtain a second Vestas foreign-made turbine. The 5 million federal EPA funding waiver of the Buy America requirements of ARRA Section 1605 under the authority of Section 1605(b)(2) [manufactured goods are not produced in the United States in sufficient and reasonably available quantities and of a satisfactory quality] to the Town of Falmouth, Massachusetts for the purchase of a foreign manufactured wind turbine to be installed at its existing wastewater treatment facility site.

General Electric makes turbines in the United States but refused due to residential setbacks and ice throw -- The ARRA waiver should never been granted to the Town of Falmouth

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Original warning letter :

August 3, 2010
Mr. --- -----
WasteWater Superintendent
Town of Falmouth Public Works
59 Town Hall Square
Falmouth, MA 02540

RE: Falmouth WWTF Wind Energy Facility II "Wind II", Falmouth, MA
Contract No. #3297

Dear Mr. --- ----- ,

Due to the sound concerns regarding the first wind turbine installed at the wastewater treatment facility, the manufacturer of the turbines, Vestas, is keen for the Town of Falmouth to understand the possible noise and other risks associated with the installation of the second wind turbine.
The Town has previously been provided with the Octave Band Data / Sound performance for the V82 turbine. This shows that the turbine normally operates at 103.2dB but the manufacturer has also stated that it may produce up to 110dB under certain circumstances. These measurements are based on IEC standards for sound measurement which is calculated at a height of 10m above of the base of the turbine.
Truncated see the letter at the link :

https://docs.wind-watch.org/Falmouth-Wind-II-warning-2010-08-03.pdf

Sign at entrance to Falmouth Waste Water Treatment Plant - 5 Million ARRA funds