Neighbor News
Arguments Halts Vineyard Ocean Wind Hearing Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard Commission Meeting Continued To March 21, 2019 - Questions Over Health-Safety -Underwater Electric Cables-Infra- Sound
Questions were asked last Thursday February 21,2019 over the health and safety of two 220-kilowatt ocean wind turbine electric cables to be buried underwater in Muskeget Channel, Martha's Vineyard.
The main question is what are the unknowns related to the potential effects of 220 kilo-volts of electricity coursing beneath the ocean floor ?
Recent history shows in June of 2016, when the underwater electric cable was installed by National Grid, for the Block Island wind turbines the utility encountered hard, impassable seabed about 200 feet from shore, making the requisite burial depth of six feet unattainable for an 80-foot stretch. As a result, that section of the cable was buried to a depth of about two to three feet, presenting a major concern to the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council and the Department of Environmental Management.
Find out what's happening in Martha's Vineyardfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
National Grid installed a protective sleeve over a section of the Block Island ocean wind turbine cable that was not buried at proper depth. National Grid officials said the cable would need future monitoring, as harsh weather conditions and shifting sediment could lead to further shallowing.
Also Marth's Vineyard Commissioner Richard Toole, who led the hearing and is a member of Vineyard power,heard about the massive wind turbines can emit Infrasound, which is sound below the level of human hearing, and that it can be hazardous to humans.
Find out what's happening in Martha's Vineyardfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
As oral disagreement continued over infra-sound and its impact on human health has been known and documented and then hidden for over 30 years the meeting was continued until March 21, 2019
This initial Vineyard Wind 800 Megawatt ocean wind turbine installation, covering 252 square miles, would dwarf the current WORLD’S largest offshore wind installation, the “Walney Extension,” which is contained within 56 square miles in the Irish Sea.
#Note Wind turbines generate two distinct types of noise one is measured in decibels the other is human annoyance also known as infra-sound or low frequency noise