Better Plan, Wisconsin

How close to our homes should 40 story industrial wind turbines be built? The wind developers want to build them 1000 feet from our doors. A 1000 foot setback will make the project very profitable for them. But in a populated area like ours, safe set backs are a must. They won't be living amid the turbines for the next 40 years. We will.  And we believe that any renewable energy plan worth supporting must first preserve and protect our four most important NON-RENEWABLES. Our Families, our Homes, our Community and our Land.

    How tall is 40 stories? That's 11 stories taller than our state capitol dome. There is only one building in the state of Wisconsin taller than that, and it's in Milwaukee. It takes an average person less than 350 steps to cover 1000 feet. The members of our community who were part of the Town of Union's Large Wind Turbine Study Commitee found that for reasons of health and safety associated with noise, shadow flicker and other concerns, commercial scale wind turbines should not be built any closer than 2640 feet from our homes, and this is the recommended setback in their ordinance.

Here is more testimony from residents of the Town of Union, presented at the public hearing in support of the wind ordinance which includes a safe setback of 2640 feet.
We agree with every word of this well written document!

May 29, 2008 -- Town of Union Plan Commission Public Hearing. Written Comments Regarding the Town of Union Draft Large Wind Energy Ordinance

I am in favor of the Town of Union Draft Large Wind Energy Ordinance for primarily two reasons.

First, the ½ mile setback and sound level requirements in the draft ordinance protects Town of Union residents.  The problems with siting large wind turbines too close to homes are very real and should not be discredited.  Please consider the following facts:

•    The study by Eja Pedersen cited by Eco Energy in its March 2008 Large Wind Turbine Health and Safety Report, titled Wind Turbine Noise, Annoyance and Self-Reported Health and Wellbeing in Different Living Environments, confirms that noise from large wind turbines is an adverse health effect.  This study suggests that the closer people live to wind turbines, and especially at distances proposed by Eco Energy/WPPI, the more likely people will experience adverse health effects.

•    The abstract of several PubMed Journal articles attached to my April 18, 2008 letter to the Plan Commission and Town Board demonstrates that noise and its effect on health is substantiated and well documented.  (While few studies have been done concerning the direct effect of wind turbine noise on health, the lack of research does not and should not equate to safety.  Technology often develops at a pace faster than society’s ability to adequately test and ensure its safety.  Therefore, until the effects of wind turbines are adequately studied, the town should proceed cautiously and conservatively.)

•    The World Health Organization – a respected and unbiased organization concerned with human health around the world – acknowledged the adverse effects of wind turbines by recommending that night noise should not exceed 30db.

•    The National Research Council – a private, non-profit institution that provides science, technology and health policy advice for the National Academy of Sciences - prepared a report last year titled Environmental Impacts of Wind Energy Projects which concluded that noise is not a major concern if wind turbines are beyond ½ mile or so from homes.

•    Finally, countries that have extensive experience with wind turbines recommend larger setbacks than those proposed by the State of WI and Eco Energy.   For example:
•    France recommends .93 miles from homes;
•    Australia recommends .62 miles from homes;
•    UK recommends 1 mile from homes.

The second reason why I support the Town of Union Draft Large Wind Energy Ordinance is that the ordinance does not prohibit wind energy development in the Town of Union as Eco Energy claims.  The ordinance complies with Wis. Stat. 66.0401.  The ordinance allows landowners to sell their rights to wind developers for the installation of wind turbines.  The ordinance allows wind developers to make a profit and reap the government incentives for wind turbines.  The ordinance even provides for non-participating landowners to enter into an agreement with wind developers for lesser setbacks to their homes.  Most importantly, the ordinance establishes rules so that wind energy development in the Town of Union is done responsibly, sustainably and in a manner that provides a healthy and safe living environment for Town of Union residents.  

In conclusion, a 2004 report co-authored by Michael Vickerman, titled A Study of Wind Energy Development in Wisconsin, advises that “for clean energy technology to be sustainable, it must be acceptable to the majority of people, and particularly to those who live near it”.   I think the ordinance you are considering tonight, having been written by citizens of the Town of Union, fulfills this study’s advice.

 [A note of thanks from the BPRC research nerd to the authors of this testimony.]

EMINENT DOMAIN: Do they have what it takes to take what you have? Ask the people in Prattsburgh.

Last week in Prattsburgh New York, nearly 150 people attended the public hearing on a proposal for the town to seize the roadway owned by seven residents. The properties are needed for a 100-mile underground electrical cable system for the 36-turbine wind farm being developed by First Wind.

Don't believe it? 

Click here to read more 

Click here to watch video of residents faced with having their land taken in order to accommodate an industrial wind farm. Or click on each name of those giving testimony to link to video of that testimony.

FROM THE TESTIMONY OF RESIDENT RON IOCONO:
"When you had the eminent domain hearing April 21st, [I received] a certified letter that was postmarked on the 17th, a Thursday. By the time I received this letter on Monday the 21st I would have had to have driven 350 miles in six hours to attend the hearing."
    "Right now what's taking place in this town affects people all across the United States. Eminent domain is a very serious issue, --- nobody's property is safe."

FROM THE TESTIMONY OF EDWARD CERRA:
"If you think a project of this magnitude is accepted by the residents of Prattsburgh, then why wasn't this put up for a general vote by the residents? The reason is because you all know it never would have passed. A man's land and his home are second only to his family. I hope you realize the Pandora's box you are opening over this eminent domain. The magnitude of the power you are authorizing is beyond expression. Whether you are for the turbines or not, authorizing eminent domain will affect every member of this community.
What's next for eminent domain issues? Gas companies are pounding on our doors as we speak for easement rights. If I say no, they're going to come running to this board and request eminent domain. You do it for one, then the precedent is set for all other corporate giants to hand this board a bauble and get their way. "

FROM THE TESTIMONY OF CARL RAYMOND
Was it proper to threaten property owners with eminent domain before the April 22 meeting? Because two of my neighbors were threatened, and eventually did sign easements. One of my neighbors did not cave in, but she was also threatened with eminent domain before it was even discussed in a public hearing. It's a question of ethics, and what's right and what's wrong. And for foreign owned companies to come into this community and tell people they're going to take their land, U.S. property, because of eminent domain, is not right."
 

FROM THE TESTIMONY OF STEPHANIE LIPP:
"Prattsburgh is indeed economically and socially depressed. It has been for many years. It's clear that's one of the main reasons members of the board have signed host agreements with industrial wind turbine corporations that promise to bring such growth and positive changes. 

If the wind farms are allowed to come here based on eminent domain, it will truely be a miscarriage of justice. The streets of this village will be paved with gold if what [developer] First Wind is promising is true. You have only to look at other communities where they have built, and then left, to know that will not be the case.

I urge everyone who believes this power is clean or green to do your own research. You really don't have to dig very far to see the truth. It's important for all of you to know that many who oppose industrial wind turbines are very committed to the earth and trying to reduce our personal carbon footprints, reducing our consumption, using solar, or photo voltaics, which doesn't hurt your neighbors."

FROM THE TESTIMONY OF JUDITH HALL
"This is not about turbines or no turbines this is about fundamental rights of all property owners.  .....The night you passed the resolution [for eminent domain] the entire presentation by UPC was about eight properties along Fisher Road. When the resolution was read, it encompassed the whole project area. "

FROM THE TESTIMONY OF CARL WAHLSTROM
"There are just three Prattsburgh residents [who will benefit from the wind farm] --Mr. Taylor t the Jensons and the Smiths. Ms Jenson made a statement at a public hearing and she mentioned she had lived around wind turbines and it wasn't bad, that you get used to them. After the hearing my wife and I approached her and asked how close she had lived to the turbines. She replied, 'Around twenty miles away' "

FROM THE TESTIMONY OF NANCY WAHLSTROM
"Taking land from individuals to push through this project is disgraceful.... we know that only three people with wind turbines actually live in Prattsburgh. We know all 170 adjacent landowners whose property will be devalued will result in harm to the entire tax base of this town...
We need confirmation that any insurance that is provided through UPC project is aware of the setbacks of this project and that they are within what has been determined to be a hardhat area for Vestas turbines, 1300 feet, and does not meet GE manufacturers specifications for safety. "

 FROM THE TESTIMONY OF BROOKE PREVEAR
Last month I was informed of the town boards intent to use eminent domain in order to complete UPC's wind farm project. I attended the April 21st town board meeting.  The main focus of this meeting was on eight parcels of land in which eminent domain would be used in order complete UPC's project. It was stated that the owners of these properties had been sent certified letters informing them of the vote to be held that evening. The eight properties discussed are positioned on Rosie Hill, Block School, Fisher and Cook School Roads. Those are four roads. --  Just prior to voting, the resolution was read. Rather than listing the eight properties discussed during the meeting, the resolution gave approval for eminent domain to be used on any property positioned along those four roads as well as four additional roads that were not mentioned once during the meeting. I find this exclusion of information very deceiving. My property happens to be located on one of those roads. I am directly affected by the town boards vote to use eminient domain but I've received no notification regarding this matter. No certified letter inviting me to attend a meeting in which a vote was held to condemn my land. It concerns me that the town board would or could pass a resolution of such magnitude without contacting all the landowners who would be directly affected by it. It also concerns me that a resolution of this magnitude is being passed in favor of UPC, a private corporation, not a public utility. In fact at the April 21st meeting, UPC was asked, and refused to reveal their wind data. How can we consider this project a benifit to the community when UPC won't disclose their supporting data? "

FROM TESTIMONY OF STEVE TRUDE

What's really surprising about eminent domain is what it's doing to your community --- it's ripping you apart. What it's also doing, which is not listed in any of the studies is people's health or welfare, or any health effects from emotional stress due to an eminent domain situation.... What we're doing here is setting a precedent for the rest of the state. All these wind farms, which you know are coming in all over the state now, are going to use anything possible to get the job done. ... Is any amount of money worth it?

FROM THE TESTIMONY OF ALAN ISSELHARD
The beneficiaries of Prattsburgh's eminent domain actions are not the general public, as required by eminent domain laws, the fundamental justification for exercising property condemnation and acquisition has not been met. ...This eminent domain action will benefit only the wind developer and not the community at large.  "

 FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS IMPORTANT NATIONAL ISSUE, VISIT OUR EAST COAST COUSIN SITE, COHOCTON WIND WATCH , BY CLICKING HERE

 

Is Your Refrigerator Running? Go catch it and see if it makes the same amount of noise as a 40 story tall industrial wind turbine.

In the next few days we plan to post some of the testimony given at the public hearing for the town of Union's wind ordinance on Thursday night. We'll begin with a document submitted by a member of the Town of Union's Large Wind Turbine Citizens Study Committee regarding a statement widely used by wind developers which compares the noise an industrial wind turbine to the noise of a refrigerator. The committee member tried to track down the source of this quote and submitted these results which are now part of the public record. It reads:

There’s a statement out there that has been used by people involved in the wind industry, most commonly cited on the American Wind Energy Association site that goes like this:

Today, an operating wind farm at a distance of 750 to 1,000 feet is no noisier than a kitchen refrigerator or a moderately quiet room.

 A similar statement appeared in the National Wind Permitting and Siting Guide 2002. So I wrote the NWCC and asked them if they knew the source since there wasn’t a footnote listed with a supporting reference.

They didn’t know.

AWEA referenced the National Renewable Energy Lab as the source, so I wrote them

Even though they were very helpful and put me in touch with their staff noise authority, they could not come up with the author of that statement, however they did copy pages from books that their noise authority called the quintessential references on wind energy and noise.

So, then  I Googled it. I typed in the refrigerator statement in question and came up with these statements from the American Wind Energy Association.

Author Tom Gray, AWEA:“Today, an operating wind farm at a distance of 200 meters (658 ft.) is no noisier than a refrigerator “.

Author Tom Gray: “Wind turbine noise (at 200 m) is as loud as your refrigerator heard from the living room”.

Author Tom Gray, AWEA . “Today, an operating wind farm at a distance of 300 meters  (987 feet) is no noisier than a kitchen refrigerator or a moderately quiet room”.

Author Tom Gray, AWEA.  “Today, an operating wind farm at a distance of 350 meters (1151.5 feet) is no noisier than a kitchen refrigerator or a moderately quiet room”, to:

Author Tom Gray, AWEA.  "Today, an operating wind farm at a distance of a quarter of a mile is no noisier than a kitchen refrigerator or a moderately quiet room"

and finally:

Author Tom Gray, AWEA. “Objective measurements with sound meters show that a wind turbine, at a distance of 500 to 750 meters, (1645 to 2467 feet) is no noisier than a kitchen refrigerator or a moderately quiet room. If you doubt this statement, we invite you to visit a wind farm and see for yourself”.

(NOTE FROM THE BPRC RESEARCH NERD: Who is Tom Gray? Click Here to find out) 

From the very beginning, our committee was determined to take on the challenge of supporting our draft ordinance setback recommendations with references from the wind industry. It may just be an assumption, but we understand if the information comes from the sources that [wind developer] Ecoenergy listed as acceptable, that would then be deemed as a credible source.

    Setbacks:
AWEA, 1645 to 2467 feet (approx. ½ mile) for noise.

NWCC Permitting and Siting Guide 1998, and appropriate distance may be 1000 feet to ½ mile or more for noise.

AWEA Recommended book to buy: Wind Energy Handbook by Tony Burton. A minimum spacing from a dwelling for shadow flicker 10 rotor diameters (1/2 mile). Also added that a spacing of this magnitude is likely to be required in any event by noise constraints...

To note if there is an issue whether or not we are in an area susceptible to shadow flicker, there is Harvest the Wind: A Wind Energy Handbook for Illinois. Even though it wasn’t on the preferred list, Lisa Daniels from Windustry and Wes Slaymaker from Ecoenergy were authors so I thought it would be acceptable. “Shadow flicker may be more of a problem in northern Europe, Canada, and the upper Midwest than elsewhere…”

I looked up upper Midwest on Wikipedia, and Wisconsin is included in the upper Midwest.

Windustry, Best Practices and Policy Recommendations. “Turbines should be sited no less than 5 times their rotor diameter (1320 feet) from property lines unless written permission is given by the neighbor. This recommendation is designed to protect wind rights of all landowners and minimize the impact of wind turbines on neighbors.

Noise Limits:
NREL: National Energy Renewable Laboratory which is part of the US Dept of Energy, said as mentioned earlier that the quintessential reference for wind turbine noise is Wagner 1996 , “Wind Turbine Noise”, and Manwell’s “Wind Energy Explained”.

These pages that they sent me from these books referenced these items in the draft ordinance:
Germany night time rural noise  limit 35 dBA, outdoors.
A fixed noise limit alone will not eliminate noise complaints.
A change in the sound level of 5 dB will over ambient noise will  typically result in noticeable community response.
Tonal noise penalty.
Distance attenuation and sound propagation.
Differences in noise from day and from night.
Frequency of noise and dBC filter.
Aerodynamic Noise.
Multiple wind turbines. 2 at equal value increases the noise level by 3 dB.
Weather effects and noise.
Downwind noise.

In closing, finally some key points from the new AWEA Wind Siting Guide 2008:

“The studies required in the permitting process should be science-based and tailored to the specific site. Each wind developer has a responsibility to further the reputation of the industry by providing appropriate and sound oversight of the regulatory process. (1-3)”
Shadow Flicker
“A wind turbine’s shadow flicker impact area does not generally extend beyond 2 kilometers ( 1 ¼ miles) and high-impact durations (≥ 200 hours per year) are generally located within approximately 300 meters(987 feet)  of the turbine. …The potential for shadow flicker has been raised as a visual issue by close neighbors of wind farm projects. (5-33)”
Sound
“Most states and localities establish noise limits at property boundaries based on specific sound pressure levels measured in decibels. (5-35)”
“The relative increase in sound from the project may be as important, or more important, than the absolute sound levels of the project itself. (5-36)”

Ice Shedding
“It has also been observed that the rotor ice can break off, and if the rotor is moving, can be cast some distance. (5-47)”
Please submit to Public Record.
Thank You.

 MORE TESTIMONY: WHAT'S NOISE GOT TO DO WITH IT?

Q: What is Aerodynamic modulation? What is distance attenuation? How do dB's add up? Three Turbines producing  45db equal what total dB? Do wood frame walls attenuate low frequency and high frequency noise equally?

These questions are part of the following document which was also submitted to the town of Union's Plan Commission members by a member of the town of Union's Large Wind Turbine Study Committee who has spent the last year researching the subject of noise from industrial wind turbines.
Here is his testimony:

Public hearing comments

Survey
Government officials have an intrinsic responsibility to protect the citizens.  State statute 66.0401 restricted the wind committee research and recommendations to health and safety issues.  Now the Plan commission members are faced with the same restriction.  The supposed popularity of wind turbines should not carry any weight in making a decision concerning health and safety. 

Noise
Noise is subjective.  The town government and local residents should decide how much noise we should be subjected to during the nighttime hours.  Not a wind developer.  The developer has never offered anything less than 45dB which will be 15 to 20 times louder than we have now. Sleep deprivation is a well established health risk.  It leads to a multitude of other health related issues.
The World Health Organization has found that sound levels during nighttime and late evening hours should be less than 30 dBA during sleeping periods to protect children's health.
Atmospheric conditions can wreak havoc with nice clean sound propagation models, especially at night.  And, as turbines get bigger, their noise can be deceptively hard to predict.  Temperature inversions, wind layers, and other atmospheric effects can lead to surprisingly distant sound impacts.  The noise levels can easily be 15 dB louder than predicted.

In some cases, low-frequency noise can become an issue with wind turbines.   It  is a component of a broadband noise field generated by spinning turbine blades. Low-frequency noise travels greater distances with less loss of intensity than higher-frequency sound.
Noise standards can very easily fail to protect nearby residents from disruptive levels of noise.  When standards are exceeded the task of enforcement will quickly out distance the ability of local government and law enforcement.  It is crucial that everyone involved (industry, government, residents) resists the easy temptation of relying on "paper" assurances that wind turbines will not create acoustic impacts.
With continual incorporation of best technology and best practices in siting, wind energy need not be stymied by noise issues. However, with noise impacts gaining more public credence, it is clear that the current boom in wind farm development could well backfire, for both the industry and a clean energy future, if the current generation turbines are sited too close to residences.

Noise impacts are not necessarily deal-killers for wind energy, as long as developers are honest about what is likely to be heard and continue to work diligently to investigate the aspects of wind turbine noise that are still not fully understood.

Better to be conservative, accepting the fact that even occasional atmospheric effects should be factored in to siting decisions today, so as to build a reservoir of good will, rather than a rising tide of complaints.

Questions
What is aerodynamic modulation?
What is distance attenuation? 
How do dB’s add up?
    Three turbines producing 45dB each equals what total dB?
Do wood frame walls attenuate low frequency and high frequency noise equally?

If you are unable to answer these questions you need to rely on and trust that the wind committee has researched these issues.  The recommendations of the wind committee for setbacks and noise limits should be considered the minimum to protect public health and safety.

Paul Cheverie, chairman of the Eastern Kings Community Council (Prince Edward Island, Canada) said.  "There are no rules and regulations on windmills,"  "The more we get into it, the more we realize we jumped the gun.”

[end of testimony]

(To download the Town of Unions Large Wind Tubines Study Committee's Final Report which includes all supporting documentation for the wind ordinance, click here)

To watch video and hear audio of the May 29th Town of Union public hearing, visit the Evansville Observer by clicking here

To watch a Milwaukee Channel 6 news segment which shows the trouble with living too close to industrial wind turbines. click here

If you'd like us to send you a free DVD copy of this news segment contact us by clicking here or by writing us at Better Plan, Rock County  PO Box 393 Footville, WI 53537. We'll be glad to send you a copy right away.

Calling all cars! Calling all cars! Big public hearing tonight in the town of Union! 7pm! Eager Free Public Library, 39 W. Main Street, Evansville. Lower Level Meeting Room. The plan commission agenda includes a public hearing for the town's wind ordinance which recommends 40 story wind turbines be built at least 2640 from homes. We agree with this safe setback. Please come and show your support for safe renewable energy in our community.

Click here to visit the town of Union's Website 

Why are safe setbacks so important? Scroll down to read the latest update of the noise log kept by a family in Brownsville, WI who live in the middle of a wind farm with a turbine that is less than 1500 feet from their house. Noise is the main problem with living too close to industrial turbines. We thank the Meyer family for sharing this noise log with our community.

Read the entire Brownsville Diary from March 3 to May 27  by clicking here

Here's the update of the Brownsville noise log from May 14 through  May 27 with pictures of turbine #4 and a note from Mr. Meyer:

                                                      "The photos are a few I took tonight. It was an aggravating afternoon working in the garden.

The first photo is in my garden about 1390' from turbine #4.

The second photo is from the back foundation of our house or 1560'.

The third photo is from our sidewalk 30' from our kitchen door. You can see the neighbors wood on the left and our pine trees in the center of the photo. One would think the trees would deaden some of the sound. Maybe they do so what would the sound be like if there were not trees?

On September 16th we will have lived here 27 years. We stabilized the barn to make it solid, completely remodeled the whole house and built a 36' X 58' garage/shop. We planted over 3000 Norway pine trees, blue spruce trees and oak trees plus we have close to an acre of wild flowers along with at one time 40 apple trees, 10 cherry trees and 10 pear trees. We currently have only 1 pear and maybe 16 apple trees plus many other improvements to our 6+ acres.

Now we have the 5 turbines we hear on a daily basis plus being able to see all 86 turbines from this wind factory from somewhere on our property. 

THE DIARY CONTINUES:

May 14 –
6 AM. Loud. Turbines # 4 and 6 are pounding.
3:30 PM Turning but not loud.
About 4:10 PM #4 to a different direction and is quiet. I could hear #6.
10PM. Moderate sound. My stomach has the feeling of being full and slightly sick.

May 15 –
7:00 AM #4 turning slow and quietly. Today was a fairly quiet day.

May 16 –
7:00 AM Very slight wind with low noise.
2:00PM slight wind form south west. Grinding or humming sound.
3:35 PM The wind is picking up and so is the turbine sound. I can hear #’s 4, 6 and 73.
I just came in the house and can hear #4 or 6 from inside our family room
4:00 to7:30 PM I worked in my garden planting vegetable seeds. Turbine #4 is about 1390’ north of the garden. It was extremely annoying. I am on edge or angry from hearing it for such a long time.
I still have the full, sick feeling in my stomach. I still hear turbines # 4, 73 & 6.
My wife came out to the garden after checking out our flower gardens and said. “I don’t say much but tonight I have a headache from hearing the turbine sound and have to go in the house”.
11:50 PM Still loud and can hear the turbine sound in the family room.
I opened the kitchen door and was “hit” with the jet sound.

May 17 –
7:00 AM Wind is from the NW. Turbine #4 quite as loud as last night.
12 PM to 5:30PM I have been working in our garden most of the afternoon. This used to be fun and especially relaxing. It no longer is because turbine #4 is 1390’ from the garden and spewing out it’s sounds. As the day went on I got very tense and agitated over the constant, annoying sound emitted from the turbine.
7:00 PM. Got home from Fond du Lac. Moderate sound.
11:50 PM I walked out the kitchen door and was hit with turbine sound.

May 18 –
7:00 AM Wind is from the NW, very calm on the ground. Moderate turbine sound.
8:20 AM My wife just told me she can her a turbine from the dining room. This is over the sound of the refrigerator running which is 15’ away.
12:00 PM. We can hear with visiting guests turbines 4, 6 & 73.from our driveway.
 7:00 PM. Fairly quiet. My stomach feel good enough to eat more than the past four days. 10:30 PM Calm wind low groaning sound from #4.

May 19 –
5:15 AM Fairly quiet.
 4:10 PM Low sound.
10:00 PM I can hear low humming sound of #4. Today is the quietest day in a while.

May 20 –
6 AM Fairly quiet.
3:45 PM Modereate sound.
5:30 PM I am leaving for a  meeting. Our son said, “Dad I have a bad headache”. I said, “Is it from a bad day at school”? His reply, “No it is from the wind turbine”. When I got home at 10:30 the turbine was humming. My wife said our son had a headache and was down at 9:30 and wanted more Tylenol. My wife had given him Tylenol at 5:30 and told him she could not give him more as she had to wait until 6 to 8 hours had elapsed from the first dose. He immediately said, “I’ll be down in two hours”. Keep in mind he has learning difficulties in school. That simple math problem for us would normally not get such a quick response from him. He also said he can hear the turbine from his room.

May 21
6:00 AM Jet sound.
3 to 5  PM I planted peppers in our garden. I can hear #’s 4 and 6. It is a very annoying and irritating sound.

May 22 –
It is a few days before Memorial Day and all through the land, not a turbine was stirring making wildlife grand. That was written to the sound of “T’was The Night Before Christmas”. It is quite peaceful and is amazing the cardinals, orioles and other birds are excited and singing. I have noticed that when the turbines are not turning or are very quiet I hear song birds. I think it has an effect on them as well.
4:00 PM Turning slow and quiet.
10:15 PM Not turning:☺

May 23 –
6:15 AM Turning slow and quiet. Almost no wind.
4:40 PM Slow and quiet.
10:00 PM Slow and quiet.
12:00 AM Jet sound.

May 24
- Sometime in the night my wife said, “I can’t sleep”. She got up and read a book for 45 minutes until she got tired. She came back to bed and couldn’t sleep.
6:15 AM I can hear #6 from the bed.
2:15 PM Loud and annoying. We are leaving for our cabin.

May 25
– 12:30 PM. I am angry. We just got home from our cabin in Waupaca county. The first thing we heard when we opened the car door was turbine #4 ripping the sky apart. It is loud and violent. I am at the almost constant sound of the turbines it being the first sound we heard when we got home. The other “anger” is being tense or on edge while we are outside, or even inside from hearing this aggravating sound on almost a 24 hour basis.
          At our cabin I get up early and go out with my camera looking for deer and their signs of movement in our woods as well as other wildlife. It is so peaceful and quiet there. When I got back to the cabin my wife had just gotten up. The first thing she said was, “This is the first night in weeks that I slept all night”. This is on an old wore out bed that we brought from home after years of use.
   6:00 PM Turbines 4 and 73 sound like they are fighting to see which is the loudest and strongest and ripping the sky apart.
   9:00 PM The loud aggravating sound continues.
   11:00 PM When we turned the TV off to go to bed we could hear #4 from our family room.

May 26
– 6:30 AM The loud sound continues.
12:00 PM Still loud jet sound.
5 to 8:30 PM I worked in the garden with #4 very loud. As I planted pepper plants I found I got more  tense, annoyed and angry as time went on with the loud turbine sound all around me. Yes, from #73 across the road too. I have a slight headache. I rarely get headaches. 10:30 PM Wind direction has changed and sound not quite as loud.

May 27 – 5:15 AM Jet sound from #4.
4:45 PM I can hear the turbines while we are in the yard loading
 

NOTE FROM THE BPRC RESEARCH NERD: Although the wind developers refuse to admit there are serious problems for people living too close to industrial wind turbines, the same story is being told all over the country. Here is an article that ran today in Missouri.

Farmer Displeased with Turbine Issues
Mark Sherry
May 18, 2008 

 (Read this at it's source in the Tri-County News by clicking here)

Al Hass has been crop farming a long time in the Johnsburg area, and he knows what his soil needs to be like to grow a good crop.

What it cannot be is the rocky mess he said was left behind in areas following the installation of several wind turbines on his property just south of Malone.

"I'm not talking about just my farm- I'm talking everywhere," Hass said during a recent visit to his farm.

The condition of the soil is just one of several complaints Hass has about the turbines. His parents, Leonard and Leota, signed contracts to have the turbines erected before Al purchased the family farm a couple years ago. Asked what he would say to wind energy representatives now if he had it to do all over again, Hass said, "You see the door? Get out and don't come back. I don't ever want to see you again."

Andy Hesselbach, project manager for the Blue Sky Green Field wind farm which will be operated by We Energies, said the company and its subcontractors are working to provide long-term solutions for Hass and any area landowner who has any concern about the 88 wind turbines which have been erected in the towns of Marshfield and Calumet.

Hass said he understood that trenching would need to be done to lay electric cables across farm fields as part of the wind farm construction. He knew the rocky ground found in the four to five foot deep trenches would be dragged to the surface in the process, but Hass said the contractor should have had dump trucks standing by to take that ground away. The good topsoil should have been set aside and then replaced when the cables were buried, he added.

Hass said he even pointed out another area on his 700-plus acres from which contractors could have pulled all the good topsoil they needed, but that was not done. "I was even willing to do it for them," he said. "I didn't even want the money for it."

We Energies' Hesselbach said Monday morning that cropland restoration is still ongoing at a lot of farms, including the Hass farm. He said they are open to using the topsoil from the area Hass pointed out.

Hass said he is no longer just concerned about the topsoil issue but also whether or not his crops' roots will be able to penetrate the rocky soil left underneath it. "It can never be restored the way it was," he said. The trenching area in question on his farm is about 20 feet wide and stretches for perhaps up to a mile.

Hesselbach said, "Are there areas where topsoil wasn't used as good as it can be? Yes." But he and project engineer Richard O'Conor of We Energies also showed fields behind the company's permanent building on Johnsburg's north side which have been reclaimed and are now ready for another farmer to start planting.

Hesselbach added, "We'll be making payments to any landowner who can't plant crop," adding that the payments will reflect the value of the crop lost and will be "very fair." But he said he also remains convinced that the soil reclamation work, once completed, will be very satisfactory. "We'll get there and we will do a good job," he said.

Hass said he normally aims to start planting around April 15, but a very wet spring delayed that into May-otherwise he said he might have been even more frustrated with delays in getting his soil situation rectified.

Hass said the noises made by the turbines are another concern. He said when he toured a much smaller wind farm near Montfort, there was no noise. He said he was surprised when the Johnsburg area turbines started spinning that there was noise-   noise which he said his parents can hear in their bedroom and which he said is upsetting neighbors. "That land can be fixed," Hass said. "That noise will be here forever."