By Molly Line
Published February 26, 2013FoxNews.com
http://video.foxnews.com/v/2189054120001/
"It gets to be jet-engine loud," said Falmouth resident Neil Andersen. He and his wife Betsy live just a quarter mile from one of the turbines. They say the impact on their health has been devastating. They're suffering headaches, dizziness and sleep deprivation and often seek to escape the property where they've lived for more than 20 years.
"Every time the blade has a downward
motion it gives off a tremendous energy, gives off a pulse," said
Andersen. "And that pulse, it gets into your tubular organs, chest cavity,
mimics a heartbeat, gives you headaches. It's extremely disturbing and it gets
to the point where you have to leave."
The first turbine went up in 2010 and by the
time both were in place on the industrial site of the town's water treatment
facility, the price was $10 million. Town officials say taking them down will
cost an estimated $5 million to $15 million, but that is just what Falmouth's
five selectmen have decided to move toward doing."The selectmen unanimously voted to remove them. We think it's the right thing to do, absolutely," Selectman David Braga said. "You can't put a monetary value on people's health and that's what's happened here. A lot of people are sick because of these."
Now the matter will go to a town meeting vote
in April and could ultimately end up on the ballot during the municipal
elections in May.
"It's highly likely that what the voters
will be determining is are they willing to tax themselves at an appropriate
amount to cover the cost and dismantle and shut down the turbines?"
Falmouth Town Manager Julian Suso said.
In the meantime, the turbines are being run
on a limited schedule as the selectmen respond to the concerns of nearby
neighbors. The turbines only run during the day -- from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. --
which means they're operating at a loss.
The dispute has been a bitter three-year
battle in the seaside town where officials argue the project was thoroughly
vetted, researched and put to public vote multiple times.
"To say 'let's let the voters decide' --
it sort of flies in the face of what we went through all these years,"
said Megan Amsler of the Falmouth Energy Committee.
"We never tell somebody 'hey, you're
going to have to take that coal plant down or you're going to have to stop
mining the mountain tops.' These are very visible and a lot of other ways that
we get our energy are invisible to the average American," Amsler argued.
"People don't even know how much energy they consume on a yearly basis so
I think it's good for people to be able to see where their energy comes from
and know that it's coming from a clean source."
"I think if we end up taking these
turbines down it will be a shame. It will be an embarrassment for the Town of
Falmouth," said Amsler.
Town leaders say the state bears some
monetary responsibility for the situation because Falmouth was granted
renewable energy credits and received advice from state level energy officials
through an ongoing partnership.
"They certainly have been involved and
have a tremendous stake in this process," said Assistant Town Manager
Heather Harper. Harper said the Mass Clean Energy Center "provided the
technical assistance to conduct all of the feasibility studies."
"I feel the state is responsible because
they were really pushing for more wind power which, believe me, the whole board
of selectmen are supportive of renewable energy. I am. Maybe wind, but not in
this location," said Braga.
Ultimately, town leaders are hoping the
controversy will be resolved and the community will find a way to move forward
together.
"It's imperative to the community that
we do have a coming together and a healing and find a resolution one way or the
other," said Suso. His advice to communities considering a similar project
to the one causing strife in Falmouth is "move cautiously, communicate
well, have extreme public dialogue and listen well."
