The Winds of Change

Tonight from 5 pm - 7 pm at the Katharine Cornell Theater in Vineyard Haven,
the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) will host
officials from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) for a public information meeting to provide information and take public comment on BOEM’s notice of intent to prepare an environmental assessment for the potential development of offshore wind energy projects in an area of federal water on the outer Continental Shelf south of Massachusetts.

It is important that Vineyard residents attend Monday’s meeting and weigh-in on this issue of profound environmental and socio-economic impact to our Island community. Regardless of your opinion on the subject, you should be there to listen, ask questions and add your voice to the dialogue.

When this off-shore wind farm was initially proposed a couple years ago there was a big hue and cry about the esthetics. I was all for the wind farm and felt that anything would be better than nuclear power plants. Talk about ugly! Then I heard about the health implications: some residents living near wind turbines have reportedly suffered from heart palpitations, increased blood pressure, heart disease, circulation problems and tachycardia (increased heart rate). These are all symptoms of an associated condition known as vibroacoustic disease. This disorder is related to the low-frequency noise and vibrations associated with wind turbines. There are also those who have reported hearing loss as well as a severe form of ringing in the ears called tinnitus. Well, that’s one I need not worry about because I already suffer from it! Still others have reported internal pulsing, a feeling of the need to flee, internal quivering and general irritability. (Internal quivering? Mercy!)

Increased instances of panic attacks are also documented. Conditions of the nervous system have been attributed to the abnormal stimulation of the inner ear by the low-frequency noise produced by turbines. However, these are conditions reported by people who live less than a kilometer away from a wind turbine; our proposed wind farm would be 13 miles or so off-shore.  Studies show that people who were opposed to the idea in the first place are more apt to complain about adverse health issues. In addition, the health problems are significantly reduced if the contraption is out of sight.

Another disadvantage to wind turbines is that they can hit birds who attempt to fly between them. However, it should be kept in mind that birds are also affected by the disadvantages of other power generation methods, especially pollution. Hence, the Audubon strongly supports properly-sited wind power as a clean alternative energy source that reduces the threat of global warming.  

In view of the 2011 Tohoku Japanese earthquake and the ongoing level 7 meltdowns at 3 reactors of the Fukushima nuclear power plant complex and the associated evacuation zones affecting hundreds of thousands of residents, I think it’s back to square one and my loving the idea of a wind farm. The structures
resemble big strong men gathering up and embracing clean, renewable energy that can reduce the need for fossil fuels, and by doing so, help tackle climate change and air pollution.