Wind farms raise many questions

To the editor:

I am a lifelong resident of Jay County and am concerned about the proposed wind farm.

I have done some research about the impact that they have, and I am surprised that more windmills would be considered.

First, there are health hazards associated with windmills. A 2009 report by Dr. Nina Pierpont says there is a low-frequency noise that has caused disturbances in sleep patterns. When one does not receive enough sleep, their health is compromised such as an increased risk of heart attacks, stroke, diabetes, etc.

There is also the phenomenon of shadow flicker, something residents of Kingston, Massachusetts, complained about in a 2013 article by Peter Schworm and David Filipov of the Boston Globe. This flicker is common when the sun sets behind a turbine and is often associated with headaches.

Second, there is also lost property value associated with wind farms, and in some instances, people have abandoned their homes. It is according to the distance that one’s home is from a neighboring turbine that determines the amount of depreciation that one will see when selling their home. In some instances, there has been a 30 percent depreciation and not just in the homes but also the farm ground, according to the report “Impact of Wind Turbines on Market Value of Texas Rural Land” by Gardner Appraisal Group and available at texas-wildlife.org.

There may be a solution to this problem.

Scout could provide homeowners, within a certain distance of each turbine, with a Property Value Protection Plan. This plan might ease the fears that many, including myself, have.

This plan, however, does not mitigate the health hazards that are associated with wind farms.

Another thing to consider is the funding that wind energy companies receive from the federal government, as detailed in an article “Wind costs more than you think due to massive federal subsidies” by Randy Simmons for The Conversation.

With the U.S. debt growing by leaps and bounds every day, at some point government subsidies may be diminished or even eliminated. When this scenario happens then what happens to the turbines? Would Scout abandon the project and leave homeowners with massive infrastructure rusting and deteriorating within their backyards?

These are just a few considerations that we should look at when weighing the positives and the negatives of the wind farm.

I think the most important thing that we must consider is the division that we have allowed a vast conglomerate to perpetuate within our community. We should take into consideration the thoughts and feelings of our neighbors. We should be willing to listen without prejudice and be willing to help each other out.

Do not let this community suffer one more loss.

For more information on these and other topics concerning wind farms go to wind-watch.org.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Keller and family

Rural Redkey

(Editor’s note: Decommissioning agreements are in place with the county for both Bluff Point Wind Energy Center and the proposed Bitter Ridge Wind Farm. They require that the companies involved take care of removal of wind turbines if and when they are no longer in use.)