On March 8, 2017

Open letter to VPIRG on wind

Dear VPIRG,

You asked for comments on the wind sound rules you would like to see in place. Since this is such an important issue to all Vermonters and your website wouldn’t receive comments, I had to seek other avenues to comment. These are statements you made to which I couldn’t help but respond.

“Wind power is now the cheapest form of renewable energy.” That is because the ratepayer and taxpayer pick up the tab. Doesn’t Hydro Quebec come in at about half the cost of wind power? It also doesn’t require blowing up our ridge lines and sadly destroying our national forest.

“VPIRG hired an expert witness to participate in the Public Service Board proceedings on the issue of wind sound.” It’s hard to believe that an expert witness could remain unbiased when paid by an organization involved in the proceedings. Most Vermonters are at a monetary disadvantage.

“Sound of wind farms does not pose a public health threat.” Could you please divulge the dates, places and length of time spent visiting wind farm neighbors to experience firsthand what they are experiencing? If you want to compile fair evidence, it would seem this is a good place to start. To avoid visiting these sites would seem to be running from the truth. “The Board both reduced the sound limit and made many key parts of the standard much more restrictive than Maine’s which could make projects impossible to build.” If a project destroys one’s health and happiness in their home and on their property, it shouldn’t be built. The 40 dBA standard you advocate ignores Germany’s standard of 35 dBA nighttime standard and Denmark’s 37 to 42 standard range.

The old rule “One man’s rights end where another’s begins” applies here.Please put Vermonters’ best interests back in your organization’s mission statement.

Kathy Hepburn Halford

Wallingford, Vt.

Do you want to submit feedback to the editor?

Send Us An Email!

Related Posts

School district budget woes are exacerbated by late changes

December 11, 2024
Dear Editor, Editor’s note: This letter was originally scripted as a message to legislators. As you get ready to go to work in Jan. I wanted to share the budget situation in our district.  Due to the penalty phase being enacted, we calculated that we would need to cut $2.5 million to stay under the…

Care Coordinators save lives and costs

December 11, 2024
Dear Editor, Is aging at home working for you? Do you have an advocate that checks in, helps find what you need, someone to talk over what going on? I do in Sharon. We have Dena, Health Care Coordinator, because 10 years ago a group us formed the Sharon Health Initiative (SHI), to get this…

End disability discrimination in general assistance hotel shelter

December 11, 2024
Dear Editor, The administration’s announcement that the discriminatory prioritization categories throughout the winter months will be used is not only inhumane; it does not follow the law, which created no such prioritization categories and states who is eligible for shelter on a first come, first serve basis. These “priority categories” deprioritize people experiencing homelessness and…

Vt eases access to food program for community college students

December 11, 2024
Dear Editor, Earning a college degree is challenging, especially for Vermont students who balance school, jobs, and family while working to put food on the table. Fortunately, a new policy change now makes it easier for Vermont’s community college students to access 3SquaresVT, the state’s name for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), to…