MA DEP/DPH Letter

Dear Commissioners Kimmell and Auerbach:

A group of health professionals and representatives of citizen groups last year wrote a letter to Commissioner Auerbach and subsequently attended a meeting with the Commissioner along with two State Representatives.

We formally requested a review of public health and safety standards near wind turbines. We expected to be contacted concerning a study and expected to have a seat at the table when study convened. We recently met with Suzanne Condon, Associate Commissioner/Director and Daniel Delaney, Legislative Director at the Department of Public Health.

As health professionals and representatives of citizen groups and members of a state-wide organization, we submit this request for your immediate action.

Commissioners of the DEP and DPH are entrusted with the responsibility to protect the health and safety of the citizens of Massachusetts. We are therefore confident that you will enter into evidence the information we have collected, for review by the expert panel.

The information found attached to this email includes:
• A partial listing containing over 200 documents. The documents will be submitted to you via subsequent emails (prior to the July 22nd deadline additional materials will be submitted)
• A short summary of background information
• Relevant documents referenced in the background information and other important information (found attached to this email and subsequent emails)
• A partial listing of videotapes available on the web to watch (prior to the July 22nd deadline additional materials will be submitted)

You will also receive in the mail the following, of which we formally request you make copies available to all members of your expert panel:
• A CD-ROM with all of the materials submitted via email
• Several DVDs with videotaped footage of those living with wind turbines
• The book: Wind Turbine Syndrome: A Report on a Natural Experiment written by Nina Pierpont, MD, PhD.

We were assured by highly regarded administrators of DPH that the experts chosen for the panel will be totally independent and unbiased, and that no member of the expert panel has ever been paid, or is currently being paid, by the wind energy industry, pro-wind advocacy organization, wind developer, or any related industry.

We also respectfully request that the meetings of the expert panel are public meetings and that public hearings be held so the public is able to speak to the panel and to appropriately express concerns in a timely manner but without a three minute time limit.

Furthermore, we respectfully request at least one seat at the table of this expert panel be from the unfortunate group of over 50 physically ill citizens in the town of Falmouth, MA who are living with wind turbines that are sited too close to their homes.

We also respectfully request for DEP to set up a citizens’ advisory committee.

It is imperative that your agency undertake an independent and comprehensive review of all health aspects of wind turbine siting, particularly in those communities where wind projects have resulted in significant numbers of residents becoming ill, including Falmouth. Such affected communities should be the focus of a standard epidemiological study in an attempt to learn from them and improve future wind turbine siting. Furthermore, your agencies have the obligation to immediately help the people who are now suffering due to health impacts from operating wind turbines.

The public health and risks posed by industrial wind turbines represent unacceptable threats to the citizens of Massachusetts and require your personal and immediate intervention and action.

In an effort to promote transparency in government, we respectfully request that the DEP post online all submitted materials and comments so that any citizen may view the submissions and further that the link to such site be prominently advertised.

It is very important to note that the experts, engineers, health care professionals, and authors who are sourced throughout this document and others attached and in the materials sent to you via mail from our organization have NO financial interests in energy companies or related industries, nor have they received funding from industry for the research and publishing work they have completed.

By the same token, a note of extreme caution: Please ensure that the information and research that you review for your final report and recommendations comes from independent experts, engineers, and health care professionals and is not produced by individuals or organizations that have a financial interest in the wind energy industry.

As health care professionals and concerned citizens of Massachusetts we expect that you will communicate with us to confirm that our submission of materials has been accepted and the panel will have full access to the materials we have submitted. We further expect to hear from you personally to let us know the extent of public participation that will take place concerning the review you are conducting.

We maintain the most responsible outcome of a truly independent study of the siting of wind turbines is to invoke the precautionary principle and a moratorium on building all wind turbines in Massachusetts until more research is completed.