Big wind too noisy

To the Editor:

On March 5, 2013, Maine Supreme Court ruled lower noise on Saddleback Ridge wind turbine project for “health” reasons.

There was enough information on “adverse” health affects for the Board of Environmental Protection and the legislators to lower Maine’s night time noise limit to 42 dbA. World Health Organization has studied the noise issue and claims 35 dbA is the maximum tolerance for rural areas.

Tech Environmental gave a report to Industry Maine based on whose recommendations. They scaled height to set back distance.

A 500-foot turbine requires 7000-foot set-back to hear less than 35 dbA.

The court has concerns in the footnotes. Wind Energy Act, “reduce the potential for controversy regarding siting of grid scale wind; places where it is most compatible with existing patterns of development and resource values.” Thirty four residences is an existing pattern. Ten of the 34 residences were built in the last five years -- a pattern.

Most of these new homes were built because of natural resource values that wind is destroying; spring water, wilderness, southern exposure and quiet. Most of these homes do not depend "on the grid.”They have solar panels on site. Most of these homes do not want to sell to the developer.

Most of these residences have no recourse. The Department of Environmental Protection has to declare the application "invalid" and all the new revisions presented to the public.

Alice McKay Barnett,

Carthage