{"id":8909,"date":"2010-03-05T20:00:51","date_gmt":"2010-03-06T01:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/static\/?p=8909"},"modified":"2012-01-25T12:46:30","modified_gmt":"2012-01-25T17:46:30","slug":"the-people-around-the-world-describing-their-misery-are-not-lying-maine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/2010\/the-people-around-the-world-describing-their-misery-are-not-lying-maine\/","title":{"rendered":"“The people around the world describing their misery are not lying” (Maine)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

“What\u2019s bad about wind power? More than just noise”<\/h3>\n

—by Monique Aniel, MD, and Steve Thurston, Bangor Daily News<\/a> 3\/6\/10<\/p>\n

Recently Gov. John Baldacci scoffed at the Citizens\u2019 Task Force on Wind Power when we asked him to issue a moratorium on industrial wind power projects until adequate noise regulations are implemented. The Bangor Daily News backed Baldacci in an editorial titled \u201cWind Ban Wrong.\u201d The Feb. 25 piece did acknowledge how right we are on several wind power issues, yet it still concluded that giving the state time would be wrong. We disagree with this, with the conclusion that noise is our primary consideration and with the common assumption that wind power\u2019s supposed benefits outweigh its costs.<\/p>\n

In characterizing us, the editorial asserts: \u201cThat opposition centers on one key concern \u2014 noise.\u201d It also said: \u201cAt the heart of the debate is sound.\u201d This is wrong.<\/p>\n

While sound is obviously the central issue in our call for noise regulations and one of many wind power deficiencies, it is not the heart of our refusal to pawn away Maine\u2019s landscape and mountain ridges for dubious compensation. There are negative impacts with any electric generating source. But those negatives must be weighed against positives.<\/p>\n

If after careful examination of noise issues and after a public process to design and apply rules protecting the public, perhaps then low-frequency noise could be deemed an acceptable cost of creating electricity. Maybe then we could agree that we did all we could to responsibly regulate this health threat. But the state has not done such an analysis and it has not written rules. Meanwhile we are rolling out red carpet for the wind industry, using the unsubstantiated justification.<\/p>\n

The people around the world describing their misery are not lying. The residents of Mars Hill, Freedom and Vinalhaven (many of whom wanted wind projects) are not fabricating stories. While the state writes and enforces thousands of rules on everything from livestock to insurance to education, it has declined to address an imminent threat barreling like a July thunderstorm into Maine\u2019s mountains.<\/p>\n

Some two dozen mammoth, sprawling wind energy projects are now prospecting sites in some of Maine\u2019s most cherished places. The speculators\u2019 urgency is heightened by the 2010 availability of gratuitous government handouts which make the projects temporarily viable.<\/p>\n

Public protection should be no less urgent. We suggest starting with a review of the concerns expressed by leading physicians, including the World Health Organization and the Maine Medical Association.<\/p>\n

The BDN says \u201cstate regulators need not call a timeout\u201d because they can work on the issues. Yes, they can. But they won\u2019t. The Citizens\u2019 Task Force has civilly engaged the Legislature, regulators and the administration. But they all backhanded us because, as you correctly observe, \u201cstate government is so bullish on wind that it is turning a blind eye to problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maine has made a value assumption based on sentiment rather than a value judgment based on careful consideration of wind\u2019s benefits and costs. This is how houses of cards are built.<\/p>\n

The editorial referred to wind as \u201cthe next energy wave.\u201d Waves rise and fall like fads. The wind industry has thus far exploited a disconnect between fact and perception. Hence it has ridden a wave of green idealism to gain a toehold. Alas, even the press can get caught on a wave, as shown in the editorial where the BDN tacitly accepts myths about wind replacing some oil and coal.<\/p>\n

The Citizens\u2019 Task Force has thoughtfully compared the positives \u2014 such as wind is free \u2014 and negatives \u2014 such as turbine noise syndrome \u2014 and we conclude that wind power is unnecessary, unreliable, unaffordable and unsustainable. Despite being temporarily fashionable, its negatives far outweigh its positives, especially in Maine.<\/p>\n

Because we so value our environment, we might be more inclined to embrace industrial wind power if it made sense for Maine. If there were a shortage of electricity, if Maine weren\u2019t already a leader in renewables, if wind actually did anything to reduce oil usage, if 1,800 mountain-marring turbines on 360 miles of blasted ridge could contribute more than 5 percent of the grid\u2019s electric needs, and yes, if turbine noise did not cause harm, then maybe we\u2019d think the benefits are worth the costs. Noise-induced illness is one of many costs that, in total, are too high.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“What\u2019s bad about wind power? More than just noise” —by Monique Aniel, MD, and Steve Thurston, Bangor Daily News 3\/6\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[166,16],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8909"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8909"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8909\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8909"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}