Massachusetts Losing Climate Leadership Over Falmouth

The Town of Falmouth installed two commercial 1.65 MW Vestas wind turbine, located at the town’s wastewater treatment plant in 2010 and 2012.

The turbines were expected to produce about one-third of the electricity consumed annually by the town’s municipal buildings, saving the town millions but instead became a health and financial disaster.

Falmouth failed as one of the leading “wind turbine clean energy” towns in the Commonwealth.

Since the installation of the two wind turbines the town had been living the dream that they would have a revenue stream for 30 years and the two turbines would stop the ocean from taking their homes.

Local Falmouth politicians followed the path of having an immature political conscience over the wind turbines which became a nightmare over seven years of litigation.

Massachusetts state and local officials have omitted, denied, and ignored evidence directly linking wind turbines and sleep disruption leading to negative human impacts that are today known worldwide.

The Town of Falmouth and everyone involved prior to the first wind turbine installation were warned about noise by email and US mail. The Town had 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.

Knowing that one turbine emits 110 decibels of noise equal to a hard rock band playing 24/7 the town could not apply for a Special Permit as required by local zoning regulations. The question still remains why the town buying a foreign made wind turbine told federal regulators in the EPA permit to "Buy American" they were going to file the Special Permit.

A Special Permit would require a hearing at the zoning board and notification to the neighbors who later became the victims.

The next step was the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection threatens to recall the 5 million dollar loan they (MassDEP) brokered on the second town-owned wind turbine. If the town didn't fight the neighbors who had up to eleven litigation cases against the town MassDEP would recall the loan.

It was clearly the state of Massachusetts and Town of Falmouth against the up to 200 wind turbine victims living around the turbines.

In June of 2017 Massachusetts courts had to rule the turbines were a nuisance as documents prior to the installations showed through maps, memos, emails, letters, and a KEMA Inc study the turbines should never have been built. Additionally, ARRA federal funds should not have used to finance what the neighbors describe as torture from the wind turbine noise!

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 federal funds were used through various Massachusetts state agencies by an EPA waiver: "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"

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 federal funds caused health effects from hearing loss, nausea, and sleep disorders to dizziness, blood pressure, tinnitus, and more.

The Falmouth wind turbines stand idle for the last four years an example of a health and financial fiasco.

Time to take them down?

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Signed by President Obama; Recovery.gov Launched

For more information:

• Text of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, H.R. 1 (Conference Committee Version) – Division A