Wind power’s ‘shocking double standard’

Wind power not held to the same rigorous standards for health and safety as other forms of development Jillian Melchior says, writing in Forbes. No health effects? “That wind power lobby claim isn’t honest,” she says

Even as Rhode Island makes history as the first U.S. state with an offshore wind farm, its people are not so fond of wind turbines sprouting up on land near where they live. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Wind’s double standard

October 21, 2016, Jillian Melchior
In September, 11 Wisconsin residents living near the Shirley Wind Farm filed notarized statements describing how nearby wind farms have abjectly affected their health. They noticed a marked difference when the wind farm powered off for a few days.

“I could finally sleep in my own bed,” said one resident, according to the Green Bay Press-Gazette. “I slept less and woke up earlier with more energy…it was as if a great weight was lifted off my shoulders.”

The wind farm’s neighbors have a simple request for the Brown County Board of Health: Simply do a bit more research to see if the science backs up what they’re saying they’ve experienced. Unfortunately, they face an uphill battle.

Welcome to the world of renewable energy, which has embraced a shocking double standard.

The environmental left has been unrelenting in its insistence that the federal government, states and academia exhaustively scrutinize all possible health risks from traditional energy extraction and generation. But when it comes to green energy, they don’t want the same standard of scientific inquiry.

“Wind energy enjoys considerable public support, but wind energy detractors have publicized their concerns that the sounds emitted from wind turbines cause adverse health effects,” says the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), the trade group representing this largely subsidized industry. “These allegations of health-related impacts are not supported by science.”

That wind-lobby claim isn’t honest. The science examining wind energy and public health is still developing, yielding mixed, ambiguous evidence that merits further, unbiased inquiry. But the wind industry and its green allies are trying to shut down conversation and stagnate research by claiming the science is settled.

For instance, AWEA cites a report from Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), claiming that it “refutes” claims of health consequences from wind turbines.

But that’s not an accurate characterization of the report, which actually found “no consistent evidence” of an adverse affect—and concluded that “given the limitations of existing evidence and continuing concerns expressed by some members of the community, NHMRC considers that further high-quality research on the possible health effects of wind farms is required.”

AWEA also points to a similar 2010 report by Ontario’s chief medical officer of health. But though that study says the research has not yet established a “direct causal link between wind turbine noise and adverse health affects,” it also notes that “some people living near wind turbines report symptoms such as dizziness, headaches and sleep disturbance.”

Three years after the AWEA-cited Canadian report’s publication, an Ontario-based study, published in the official publication of the College of Family Physicians of Canada, documented how many residents near wind turbines “experienced symptoms that include decreased quality of life, annoyance, stress, sleep disturbance, headache, anxiety, depression and cognitive dysfunction.” …

Read the full article here.
 

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14 Comments

  • Pat Cusack
    Posted October 23, 2016 7:46 am 0Likes

    Money over health again.

  • Sommer
    Posted October 24, 2016 8:56 am 0Likes

    In Huron County, where wind companies have surrounded peoples’ homes with cluster of turbines, people feel the enormous relief from physical and psychological effects when the turbines are turned off or curtailed.
    At night, the relief from having to see the red blinking lights would be a pure joy to behold, but the ridiculous flashing of piercing red lights occurs even when the turbines are not moving. People want their sense of the safety, security and pleasure of their homes back again! They want it desperately. They have tried everything they can think of to get through to the Ministry of the Environment/MOECC and the Ministry of Health and to all who are responsible for this situation, to get these turbines turned off..to no avail. After all efforts have failed, it’s time to submit notarized affidavits. This is surely a crime!

  • Sommer
    Posted October 24, 2016 9:09 am 0Likes

    For anyone who thinks this article has described the full list of symptoms, please look at the list provided by the Waubra Foundation. Please share this information:
    http://waubrafoundation.org.au/health/symptoms/
    People who are generally out of touch with their bodies will be surprised to see that the sensations and symptoms they’re currently experiencing may be the result of low frequency noise modulations from turbines in their community. Ontario needs to have a serious education campaign to inform otherwise ill informed or uninformed citizenry and health care providers.The lack of thorough information is also a crime.
    Within a month of one project being turned in Huron County, there were four sudden deaths within a 3 km radius of a heavily clustered wind power station. Has anyone ever done a coroner’s search to see patterns of sudden deaths after turbines are turned on?

  • Tracy
    Posted October 24, 2016 11:51 am 0Likes

    Good morning Sommer,
    When I see your comments it gives me a slight bit of hope for my fellow man. The majority  of people really dont care about what goes on in the world unless it effects their pocket book. 
    Again, I had to shake my head when I read a recent post suggesting that the wind company give $100 million to be held in trust should the wind turbines negatively impact the wildlife and the environment; no concern for the negative health impact experienced to the people who have been forced to live by the turbines?!  Is it they don’t care or don’t believe this exists? It completely disgusts me. 
    The industrial wind turbine development has destroyed my physical and mental well being. I’ve said it before and will say it again. I am having a difficult time recovering from my exposure to lfn. My deteriorating health seems to be a never ending battle. As for my neighbors who did  not move away after the turbines have been built, the last I took note a couple of years ago, 8 of them have died. This is within one concession. Heart attack, stroke, diabetes, suicide are the main culprits causing the deaths.
    Relationships with family and friends have deteriorated, they dont understand and/or believe the harm caused by infrasound. I think they think I’m nuts! I do have drs. who are supportive and I think are starting to understand the health impacts associated with living close to iwts. 
    I continue to pay a mortgage on my house that sits empty since I moved out in 2010. I am financially struggling while also paying rent where I live. 
    I have been forced to retire from my teaching profession of many years due to medical issues. 
    Former CEO of the AIM Powergen turbine development at my place and president of the Federal Liberal Party Mike Crawley is well aware of the destruction and devastation brought to the small community of Clear Creek ON, and does not care to address this issue. I am told to lay off with my case and they will not pursue legal costs incurred by them.
    I expect they are waiting for me to die and problem solved. 
    This isn’t going to happen. They’ll have to kill me first. This has crossed my mind. At times I think this would be a God send.
     I do have many things to be grateful for, and focus on positive aspects of my life. Ha! What may that be you may ask? I am not living in a war torn country. I have a roof over my head, food on my table, and people who do care for me. 
    I may not live to see the day, but the silent war in Ontario will continue and there will be justice. It will be in Crawley’s life time.
    Times are changing, outcome of the US election may be the trigger to an uprising which involves Canada; something we have not experienced here in a long time. It will be a terrible awakening should it come to this. Something’s got to give.
    Thank you for your support Sommer.

    • Sommer
      Posted October 24, 2016 3:07 pm 0Likes

      Tracy, I truly believe that the tide is turning on every facet of this gross error made in Ontario. Your story is the perfect case for a statement to be signed and witnessed by a notary public to be used as an affidavit. This needs to happen in the very near future throughout all of Ontario where people have been harmed.
      Are you following what’s happening in Brown County Wisconsin?

  • Barbara
    Posted October 24, 2016 12:59 pm 0Likes

    If the Lake Erie Connector project is approved, this has the potential to become another NAFTA case between Canada and the U.S. This is cross-border electricity trade.
    Once contracts are signed, they become enforceable.
    There is opposition to this project in Pennsylvania.

    • Lynda
      Posted October 31, 2016 11:18 am 0Likes

      Trump has said he will do away with NAFTA. At this point in time with the FBI re-opening the Clinton investigation, he just might be the next POTUS. I can’t see Justine and Trump becoming chummy….Jr will have no one to take direction from….what on earth will he do?

  • Tracy
    Posted October 24, 2016 1:42 pm 0Likes

    Will this involve putting wind turbines in Lake Erie and if so, how many? Is there no concern for the Clear Creek Ridge fault line that is located at the bottom of Lake Erie??
    Actually for myself, an earthquake would be great; suck my house into oblivion and collect the insurance. It would be not so good for those who are still in their homes..bye bye cruel world.

    • Barbara
      Posted October 24, 2016 3:56 pm 0Likes

      So fare we have seen two NAFTA issues.
      1. Unfairness to U.S. companies and not cross-border electricity trade.
      2. Cross-border electricity trade via transmission lines/cables
      IWTs in the Great Lakes could include both depending on the situation.
      Political decisions are being made and not scientific decisions.
      Has the fault line situation been looked at? We don’t know. There have been some good size shocks as I recall.

    • Barbara
      Posted October 24, 2016 5:10 pm 0Likes

      Thought to be the St.Laurence Fault Line which extends into Lake Erie.
      One study online for Lake Ontario was done in 1994.
      Most information on this is online from Ohio and the northeastern part of Ohio in particular. Shocks are recorded in Ohio as part of their emergency management plan.
      Search: Ohio + Lake Erie quakes/fault lines.
      Not thought to be a major fault line like the west coast fault lines are. Or we would have known about this a long time ago.

  • David Moriarty
    Posted October 24, 2016 9:48 pm 0Likes

    Time for a renewable revolt . No one can help you except you. God is with us all we need to do is trust, pray and act.

  • notinduttondunwich
    Posted October 25, 2016 11:53 am 0Likes

    David it’s time for a good old fashioned peasant pitchfork revolt….. pitchforks are unregistered too!!!!

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