12/27/11
Dear Neighbors:
By local standards (whereby residency is measured in generations), I am a newcomer to
Shelburne. I purchased my property on Little Mohawk Road in 2000. Since then I have built a
home. I have come to know and enjoy my neighbors. I love the town; its rural authenticity; the
authenticity of its people; the views; and the quiet retreat it offers. To compromise the
characteristics of the town in some substantial way would certainly be a significant loss to me. I
believe it would be a significant loss to many in the community.
A proposal has come before the town concerning an industrial wind turbine (IWT)
project that has the potential to change the town in a substantial way. Despite the ZBA rejection
of this project for insufficient supporting documentation, this project has not gone away. Make
no mistake; it will be back in greater force.
I am an advocate of alternative energy sources. However, I firmly believe that such
alternatives need to be developed without violating the nature of the setting in which they are
placed; without imposing upon the esthetics of the setting; without causing injury to abutting and
non-abutting neighbors; and without diminishing the property values of abutting and nonabutting neighbors. Unfortunately, the evidence indicates that IWT will have these adverse
effects.
Wind turbines are seductive. Developers aggressively promote them as quiet,
unobtrusive, and indeed scenic alternatives to traditional power sources – perhaps suggesting the
windmills of Holland. However, there are detrimental side effects generated by IWT farms in
rural settings. These side effects are never mentioned by the developers until it is too late – the
IWT farms have been built and the developers are gone.
There have been many rural-based IWT farms constructed and in operation, in this
country and in Europe. The residents of Shelburne can draw from the experiences of these
installations. To help the discussion, I have donated 8 copies to the Shelburne libraries (4 to the
Little Stone Library and 4 to the Main Library on Bridge Street) of a recent book by Nina
Pierpont, MD and PhD summarizing some of the scientific findings regarding the adverse health
effects of industrial wind turbines. Her book is entitled, Wind Turbine Syndrome, A Report on
a Natural Experiment. Her research conclusions are supported by a variety of other recent
scientific articles.
Before any decision is made about allowing the proposed Mount Massaemet industrial
wind-turbine farm to go forward, prudent review of the adverse health problems caused by actual
installations should be undertaken by all residents of Shelburne. Hopefully, this book will assist
neighbors in understanding the health risks involved with IWT installations.
I am a mathematical economist (PhD and MA from MIT; BA from Princeton). I have
been a member of the faculties of MIT and Boston University. I feel I can offer an informed
opinion regarding IWT installations. Since receiving my PhD from MIT in 1977, I have worked
extensively on consulting, research and litigation involving the electric power industry. While
on the MIT faculty, I was part of a group that studied alternative energy sources, most notably
solar photovoltaic sources. Over the last 25 years, I have appeared as a testifying expert on the
economics of electric power systems for a number of states across the country. I have appeared
on behalf of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and other New England states with regard to
plans to deregulate the electric power industry in Massachusetts and New England as a whole. I
have studied, taught and published peer-reviewed academic research on a variety of aspects of
the electric power industry. As I have come to research the poor operational characteristics of
IWT and, more importantly, their serious adverse health side-effects, I have become an opponent
of IWT installations in populated or lightly populated rural settings. The adverse health effects
are serious and can be catastrophic to particular families. I believe IWT installations should not
be sited in such settings. The book by Dr. Nina Pierpont will clarify the reasons for my
conclusions and opinions. I urge the residents of Shelburne to read the book and to read
additional research cited in the book.
Raymond S. Hartman