Search Results
Maine town stands firm on one-mile turbine setback
November 5, 2014Each time the residents of Frankfurt, Maine have been asked to weigh in on a proposed wind farm on Mount Waldo, the results have the same: “no thanks”—and by ever increasing margins. In 2011, an ordinance establishing a one-mile setback passed by 22 votes; the ordinance also set noise limits of 45dB during the day and 32dB at night […]
Scottish study looks at actual vs. predicted impacts on neighbors
August 20, 2014The Scottish government has commissioned a study addressing an all-too-rarely considered question: do pre-construction impact studies accurately predict the extent of shadow flicker, noise, and visual impacts on nearby neighbors? ClimateXChange will survey two thousand residents near 10 wind farms, including all residents with in 0.5km, and a sampling of residents at greater distances (somewhat […]
Falmouth turbines to stay, Fairhaven turbines too loud
May 22, 2013In the first town-wide vote on the question of what to do about noise issues around two town-owned turbines, Falmouth voters overwhelmingly defeated a measure that would have authorized the Selectmen to continue on their preferred path of dismantling the turbines. The proposal carried a likely pricetag of about $800 per household, spread over ten […]
In Round 2, Falmouth turbine dismantling fails to gain town meeting support
April 10, 2013A month after Falmouth’s Board of Selectmen voted to recommend dismantling of the two town-owned wind turbines, a Town Meeting vote fell seven votes short of the two-thirds majority necessary to authorize borrowing money to do so. A follow-up measure authorizing $100,000 to develop proposals for decommissioning will be discussed as the Town Meeting continues […]
Falmouth turbine options group: no consensus, but impacts are recognized
January 28, 2013Even before meetings began, facilitators of the multi-stakeholder group convened in Falmouth to address widespread neighborhood complaints about noise from two town-owned turbines realized that the original goal of having group develop a consensus recommendation was too high a bar to aim for. So, the process was dubbed the “Wind Turbines Options Analysis Process,” with a […]
Ambient sounds of the space station!
January 6, 2013Perhaps we’re too distraught about the ways shipping noise affects whales, airplanes intrude on hikers’ solitude, or wind turbines disturb sleep of nearby neighbors. Wouldn’t it be nice to settle into the peacefully silent world of the International Space Station? Well, maybe not. Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield has been following in the grand Canadian tradition […]
The crux of the matter: is rural peace and quiet a “right”?
November 8, 2012I just came across a comment that seems to me to cut right to the heart of the question of rural communities where wind farm noise is an issue. This particular comment is another of several made public after the controversial disbanding of a wind farm noise technical work group that appeared poised to recommend tougher […]
AEI Commentary: on negligence and the evolution of standards
October 30, 2012This week, sixty people living within a mile of the Hardscrabble Wind Farm in upstate New York filed suit against the manufacturers of the turbines, owners of the project, and consultants who prepared environmental assessments. Since the new lawsuit is apparently aiming to collect damages from the wind farm owners, rather than challenging the project’s operating […]
Your donation will help AEI attend key meetings this fall
October 10, 2012If you find that AEI’s coverage of sound-related environmental issues is useful, unique, or otherwise of value, please consider making a donation this fall. I’ve been asked to present at two key conferences this fall and early winter, and AEI’s normal budget doesn’t cover travel, food, and hotel expenses. In late November, budget permitting, I […]
Turbine sound studies coming soon in two Massachusetts towns
August 8, 2012Two small wind farm projects in southeastern Massachusetts that have stirred neighbor complaints about noise over the past several months will be tested for compliance with state noise limits. Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) rules require that noise sources increase existing noise levels by no more than 10dB. This summer, one of the turbines […]
One Falmouth turbine shut down by state DEP
May 18, 2012One of the contentious wind turbines in Falmouth, Massachusetts has been ruled out of compliance with state noise rules after an investigation by the state Department of Environmental Protection. The noise study found that the turbine created noise levels at one residence less than 1500 feet away that exceeded background ambient noise by more than […]
US east coast seismic survey EIS draft released
March 28, 2012The US Bureau of Ocean Energy and Management (BOEM) has released the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement that is the first step toward oil and gas development off the east coast. The PEIS assesses the impacts of geological and geophysical (G&G) activities, primarily seismic surveys and test wells. I’ve yet to dig into the PEIS […]
Company rep: turbines causing problems in WV raised no issues in OK, TX
February 24, 2012Local news coverage of a recent meeting about the troublesome Pinnacle Wind Farm in West Virginia reveals some interesting exchanges between residents and Brad Christopher, site manager for the 23-turbine array, which is being run by Edison MIssion Group (EMG). In particular, Christopher stressed that two other wind farms run by EMG, using the same model […]
I’m a TV star — oops, you missed it!
February 20, 2012Last month I got a call from a local TV news reporter in DC who said she’d scoured the nation for someone to discuss wind farm noise issues who didn’t appear to have a dog in the fight, and all she came up with was lil’ ol’ me. She’s covering the ongoing issues at a […]
Ontario tribunal denies health effect appeal, urges further study
July 19, 2011An Ontario Environmental Review Tribunal has ruled that the Kent Breeze Wind Farm can be built, denying an appeal by the a local resident and a community group that challenged the wind farm’s permits, largely on the basis of health effects that it may cause among nearby residents. Since Kent Breeze is the first wind farm […]
The sounds of silence at Great Sand Dunes National Park
January 27, 2011Repost of a column by park staff, printed in the Valley Courier, the local paper in nearby Alamosa, Colorado: Have you ever heard the rustling sound of a bird’s wings flapping overhead…before you saw the bird? What about the sound of a rabbit chewing on a blade of grass? Most Americans don’t have the opportunity […]
NIH-funded study finds possible mechanism behind some people’s sensitivity to infrasound
December 3, 2010Alec Salt, a Washington University scientist who studies the inner ear, has discovered that outer ear cells may respond to very low frequency infrasound, well below the frequencies that are audible or otherwise consciously perceptible. Salt suggests that his discovery may help explain why some individuals seem to be more dramatically affected by low frequency […]
Martha’s Vineyard planners visit Vinalhaven to see, hear turbines in action
November 30, 2010I just came across this fascinating article from the Martha’s Vineyard Times that discusses a recent trip by local residents and planners up to Maine to participate in a Sustainable Island Living conference sponsored by the Island Institute, which catalyzed the construction of the controversial wind farm on Vinalhaven. The entire article is well worth […]
Mediterranean Beaked Whale BRS Cruise: No Tags, New Passive Monitoring Technique
October 22, 2009A five-week beaked whale Behavioral Response Study in the Mediterranean concluded in early September with a mixed bag of results: while researchers were unable to affix D-tags to any beaked or pilot whales, they were quite successful in using a new mobile Passive Acoustic Monitoring system which could be very useful in years to come. […]
Cook Inlet Beluga Population Still Falling, as Construction Continues
October 8, 2009The carefully-watched population of beluga whales in Alaska’s heavily-used Cook Inlet continued to shrink in the most recent counts, despite efforts to minimize the disruption of a major construction project underway at the Port of Anchorage. This report from a local TV station gives a good quick overview, and this article in the Alaska Journal […]
ND Rejects Neighbor Request to Move 4 Disputed Turbines to Beyond Half Mile From His Home
August 12, 2009The North Dakota Public Service Commission declined to intervene in a last-minute request from a Luverne couple who wanted a neighboring wind farm moved from near their property line. The Jim and Mary Anne Miller build dog sleds and keep 21 huskies for testing them, and were concerned that the 80 turbines planned in an […]
Exxon Targeted for Continued Sakhalin Development As Gray Whales Arrive to Feed
August 5, 2009The World Wildlife Fund is working to build public pressure to force Exxon-Mobil to suspend development activities near the critically important summer feeding grounds of the dwindling Western gray whale near the Sakhalin oil and gas fields on Russia’s north Pacific coast. This spring, other energy companies took to heart the advice of a special […]
Recent Sound Science at AEI.org
July 16, 2009After a bit of a lull, I’ve spent much of the past couple days catching up on the folder full of research published in recent months, and summarizing key papers on the main Acoustic Ecology site. Among the studies worthy of attention are: The first direct test of harbor porpoise sensitivity to seismic survey airguns […]
OCS Seismic Surveys Pass First Senate Hurdle–And Come Packaged with Biological Inventory
June 25, 2009Conservationist fears that the end is neigh for the decades-long moratorium on oil and gas exploration off most of America’s coastlines were ratcheted up this month by the passage of the American Clean Energy Leadership Act in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. While Senate Democrats highlight the alternative energy elements in the bill, […]
Hempton’s Opus: A Quest for Silence
April 7, 2009An AEI book review of: One Square Inch of Silence: One Man’s Quest for Natural Silence in a Noisy World Gordon Hempton and John Grossman Free Press, 2009 After a quarter century of listening to and recording the sounds of the world around him, along the way becoming one of the most respected natural sound […]