DISCUSSION DRAFT
Concept Paper for MCAN Wind Turbine Siting Project
EXPLANATION OF NEED:
Over the last year, many Massachusetts on-shore community scale wind projects have come
under attack by well financed, professional and sophisticated opponents to wind energy. MCAN
chapter communities of Duxbury, Salem, Greenfield, Lenox and Falmouth have already
experienced this backlash against wind energy and the Patrick Administration’s future goal of
2,000 megawatts of wind generation capacity by Massachusetts by 2020.
Wind opponents armed with legal, engineering and acoustical consultants have proved
themselves to be more than a match for local pro wind community advocacy groups who do not
have ready funds available to hire professional consultants and are currently not prepared for the
onslaught of misinformation, personal criticism and, in some cases, intimidation. To assist local
officials and community wind energy advocates in their efforts to successfully develop properly
sited and publicly supported wind generation projects MCAN believes that a variety of siting
tools, a public education program and a turbine sound monitoring program need to be developed.
MCAN with a statewide network of renewable energy advocate groups and recognized
leadership in the New England Climate Coalition is well positioned to help MassDEP and other
State agencies do this.
PROGRAM OUTLINE:
MCAN proposes to collaborate with MassDEP in the in the development of items: A through D
and strongly recommends that MassDEP develop item E.
A. Hold a Wind Turbine Best Practices Conference for Massachusetts wind stakeholders and
work to establish State wind turbine siting guidelines for: turbine noise levels; residential
standoff distances for noise, shadow flicker levels and ice throw; and a State wind turbine noise
monitoring program.
B. Development of a Wind Turbine Siting Handbook for community officials, developers and
community wind proponents that would provide general wind turbine information such as: state
siting guidelines & best practices (when established), general operating procedures, tips on ways
to enhance public participation in local wind turbine project development along with a handy
bibliography, set of key references and resource listing.
C. Wind Siting Training Program for Massachusetts communities that would provide in
lecture format the basics of wind turbine: construction, operation, possible health effects,
economics, state guidelines (when established) and ways to enhance public involvement.
D. Expand the Web Presence for all of the information developed by this effort and expand the
overview of all wind projects in Massachusetts on the MassCEC and Green Communities
websites along with establishing a presence for key information on the websites of MCAN, CLF,
UCS, NESEA and on leading wind industry sites.
E. Establishment of a Massachusetts Wind Turbine Health Effects Research Team to provide
the necessary scientific, medical and engineering findings about current wind turbine health
effects and to continually improve the State’s siting guidelines and best practices.
PROGRAM GOALS:
A. To expedite and enhance the development of wind energy in Massachusetts.
B. To minimize any negative health impacts from wind energy generation in Massachusetts.
C. To establish and maintain for Massachusetts a leadership position in the development and
deployment of wind generation across the State.
D. Improve general knowledge of and public education about wind turbines and the challenges
of how to properly site them.
PROGRAM TIMELINE:
Time is of the essence in providing these necessary tools and support programs for
Massachusetts communities to ensure that the goal of 2,000 megawatts of renewable energy
generation is met by 2020.
Specific item timelines for MCAN’s participation in the effort could be as follows:
Item A. MCAN could organize, publicize and hold a Wind Turbine Best Practices Conference
for a variety of stakeholders within four months.
Item B. MCAN could draft the handbook section on public participation within two months.
Item C. MCAN could assemble the training team, develop the training materials, develop the
presentation and organize the initial three month training schedule within six months.
Item D. MCAN could develop a proposal for the web format and information to be displayed and
workout arrangements for posting the materials with key environmental and industry
organizations within four months.
EXPECTED OUTCOMES:
A. Issuance of State guidelines and best practices on wind turbine location would help to
reduce possible negative health impacts for residents living near turbines and help to prevent
turbine shut downs and siting delays due local resident opposition.
B. A Best Practices Conference could provide additional insight into “fine tuning” State
guidelines and help to build broader support for them.
C. A Wind Siting Handbook, Wind Siting Training Program and Expanded Web Presence
of this important information would help Massachusetts communities make better wind turbine
siting decisions.
D. A Wind Turbine Health Effects Research Team would provide the necessary scientific,
medical and engineering findings about current wind turbine health effects to continually
improve, if necessary, the State’s siting guidelines and best practices.