Jun 2 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Christine McConville Boston Herald



Mark Cool is an air traffic controller whose job requires clear thinking and plenty of confidence.

But ever since March, when the town of Falmouth's 1.65-megawatt wind turbine started spinning less than 1,200 feet from his home, the whirring, banging and clanking has meant sleepless nights and frayed nerves for Cool.

"My concern is, 'Am I going to be operating at my full capacity and, if not, what safety risks are being heightened?' " said Cool.

Today, Cool and others from across Cape Cod and the Islands will ask state public health commissioner John Auerbach to probe the potential public health and safety impacts of living near wind turbines.

 Their letter lands as legislators consider a law that could bring turbines to hundreds of Massachusetts neighborhoods. Gov. Deval Patrick's Green Communities Act requires the state to use more renewable energy by 2020. The proposed Wind Energy Siting Reform Act would help accomplish that goal by streamlining the turbine approval process.

Supporters say it will boost renewable energy usage in the state. Critics say it strips communities of local control.

Cool said that, when Falmouth first proposed the turbine as a way to power the local wastewater treatment plant, "I thought it was a wonderful idea."

But weeks after the $4.9 million turbine started turning, he was begging the town to turn it off.

Falmouth later erected a second turbine on the land, and a private developer is building a third one nearby.

Falmouth Assistant Town Manager Heather Harper said that, after 12 households complained, the town decided to turn off the machine when winds gust past 22 miles an hour. They've also hired acoustical engineers to do more review.

"We are taking the noise complaints very seriously," said Harper.

A spokeswoman for the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs said the turbine-siting law would create an advisory panel that would address potential health impacts, among other issues.

cmcconville@bostonherald.com

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