Falmouth Wind Turbines- Time To Stop "Drinking The Kool-Aid "

"Drinking the Kool-Aid" is an idiom commonly used that refers to any person or group who knowingly goes along with a dangerous idea because of peer pressure.The phrase is derivedfrom the November 1978 deaths in which over 900 members of the Peoples Temple, who were followers of Jim Jones, died, many of whom committed suicide by drinking a mixture of a powdered soft drink flavoring agent laced with cyanide that looked like purple Kool-Aid.

At one level, the deaths at Jonestown can be viewed as the product of obedience, of people complying with the orders of a leader not unlike the residents of Falmouth, Massachusetts concerning megawatt wind turbines.

In 1987 the US Department of Energy and NASA determined through studies conducted by scientist Neil Kelly that wind turbines generate infra sound. The studies took place in Boone, North Carolina where residents complained of sleep problems near the turbine.

In 2004 the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative today the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center a semi quasi state agency purchased several Vestas V-82 commercial 1.65 megawatt (110 decibel) wind turbines to kick start the state renewable energy agenda of 2000 megawatts of wind turbine power by the year 2020.

The wind studies done for multiple towns interested in commercial wind power after 2004 financed by the state warned of two distinct types of noise, regulatory measured in decibels and human annoyance or what today is called infra sound. The semi quasi state agency could not sell the turbines to any town and was unable to auction the turbines. No one wanted the turbines.

Ultimately the state agency had a wind study done for Falmouth that did not include the warnings of two distinct types of noise and gave the Town of Falmouth one million dollars in advance to take one of the turbines. The turbine is Falmouth Wind I. In 2013 after the MassDEP found the turbines breaking state noise guidelines the MassCEC admitted making acoustic noise studies "mistakes" in the preliminary noise studies prior to construction of Wind I.

The one million dollars for taking the turbine was Quid pro quo. The MassCEC was tasked with the renewable energy agenda their jobs and future depended on getting someone to take the turbine off their hands. The turbines in storage had been racking up storage fees since 2005 at $3000.00 a month. The solution was simple drop the noise warnings of two distinct type of noise and offer one million dollars and the project got its start in Falmouth.

General Electric a domestic wind turbine company refused to build one of its 103 decibel turbines in Falmouth because of setbacks to residential property and ice throw. The GE turbine was half as loud as the Vestas turbines purchased by the Town of Falmouth.

The Town of Falmouth avoided Special Permit 240-166 because a written noise letter warning from Vestas wind company stated the 110 decibel noise warning and a KEMA Inc, map from 2005 showed the turbines break state noise guidelines in multiple neighborhoods around the turbines.

KEMA Inc the company that conducted the preliminary noise tests recommended filing Special Permit 240-166. Filing the permit would require additional notifications to the neighbors and studies by the Falmouth Zoning Board of Appeals. In other words filing the Special Permit would end any hope of installing the turbines because of noise.

Documents released through the FOIA, Freedom of information Act requests, letters, memos, maps and Vestas company emails all show the town was aware of the noise problems prior to the installations.

In September of 2010 two months after the town received the noise warning letter from Vestas the manufacturer of the turbine Assistant Falmouth Town Manager and wind turbine project manager Heather B. Harper met with officials from another town and told them : "We took on a huge risk and I think we were successful but we’re a large community and I think we can take on that risk.”

The town knew the risk and you the taxpayers can afford to pay for that risk. There are nine ongoing lawsuits today.

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center refinanced the renewable energy contract for 1.8 million in 2014 to help the town finance litigation. The Falmouth Town Meeting Members have been approving up to $300,000.00 every six months for wind turbine litigation.

Voters in the Cape Cod town of Falmouth in May of 2013 rejected a plan to take down wind turbines because they were never told of the hidden noise warning letter,maps,memos and negative documents including emails that showed the turbines are a health hazard.

The taxpayers of Falmouth today face up to nine lawsuits against the wind turbines by residents who are not going to give up their health and property rights. Most of the litigation has not been scheduled by the courts.

The litigation fees will soon equate to the purchase price of the turbines another fact never told to the voters in 2013. Your tax dollars are being poured into large law firms. The town was originally promised a revenue stream from the turbines. The only ones today with a revenue stream are the attorneys

The town has been telling Town Meeting Members for seven years this is a slam dunk.

Folks, It's time to stop drinking the Kool-Aid.