This week citizens testified at the Statehouse in response to the new report on Potential Heath Impacts Associated with Exposure to Wind Turbines. The report was conducted by an expert panel made up of state health officials, doctors from Massachusetts General Hospital and professors  from Boston University School of Public Health as well as Harvard School of Public Health.

   The Wind Turbine Health Impact Study is an important and welcome initiative geared at addressing the reality of wind energy with concrete facts and data.  The study confirms that there is no scientific “evidence for a set of health effects from exposure to wind turbines.”

   Community representatives from the Wind Action Committee, Conservation Law Foundation, Massachusetts Climate Action Network and other concerned citizens all spoke in favor of the findings and asked the Department of Environmental Protection to adopt the report as their official stance.  

   The report indicates that in addition to finding no significant health effects from wind turbines, proper zoning and siting can allay citizens’ concerns related to ice throw and shadow flicker.  Engineers can calculate and account for these potential risks, thereby creating safe wind turbine sites.

   Opponents to wind turbines claim noise as one of their primary concerns.  The Wind Turbine Health Impact Study demonstrates that the “the weight of the evidence suggest no association between noise from wind turbines and measures of psychological distress or mental health problems.”  

   The expert panel also noted that strong communication and open dialogue with communities could help alleviate citizens’ health concerns.  We couldn’t agree more.  Residents that understand the facts and are part of the siting process will take an ownership role over the project.  Ultimately, involved and engaged communities are more receptive to local wind projects.  In addition, state and municipalities should make a deliberate effort to provide citizens with objective information about wind energy, regardless whether there is a local project underway.

   The Commonwealth has real energy requirements.  This reports demonstrates that wind energy is a safe and healthy way to meet those needs.  Conversely, there are clear and detrimental health impacts from coal powered plants, such that it is almost unbelievable that opponents would be so outspoken about the possible health consequences of wind energy.  Wind turbines do not cause cancer, do not give our children asthma, and certainly are not attributed to over 24,000 deaths per year.  In light of the heavy costs of coal, both to our health and natural environment, development of renewable energies, including wind, should be a top priority for our State.