I responded to a similar article Dr. Jennings wrote almost three years ago. It seems he hasn't availed himself of the growing body of evidence --both peer-reviewed and otherwise -- that says... he's WRONG. Below is my letter to Dr. Jennings from August of 2010. How sad that he's decided to continue to promote an industry which doesn't care who it harms, or how many it harms, as long as it's allowed to stay its course.
From Lexington Township, Maine
Karen Bessey Pease
Submitted by Karen Pease on Fri, 08/06/2010 - 10:19.
Aw, doc. You're doing it again. Do you have any idea how many people ask, "Why doesn't Dr. Jennings get it? Why won't he LISTEN to people... to PATIENTS? " That' sir, is the sign of a true doctor, a good doctor. A doctor who adheres to his oath. He listens to the complaints of the people he's sworn to try to heal and nurture.
Surely, you can not reasonably ignore the many, many people who have legitimate complaints? Have you ever actually SPOKEN to any of them? If you are TRULY interested in being a friend and a doctor, please contact me. I can put you in direct contact with many people whose health is being adversely affected by industrial wind. No human being could listen and not be moved... not be concerned. No matter how often you say it isn't so, the facts don't change.
You do the people of Maine a disservice by using your degree to try to sound like an expert in the area of industrial wind and its associated health risks without first treating the patients affected. We are inclined to believe the words of a man with an MD after his name. Please do not take advantage of the PEOPLE by speaking on this topic until you have interviewed a host of individuals who are suffering from maladies associated with industrial wind turbines.
You did your best to disrupt the forum I spoke at in Brunswick. I allowed you to have your say, even though a true gentleman would have gone to the trouble to arrange his OWN forum rather than try to take over one which was put together by hard-working activists who BELIEVE what they are doing-- who BELIEVE they are right. Because, you see... we listen to the experts... those who are unbiased and have nothing to gain (and often, much to lose) by speaking out and sharing the FACTS they have discovered. Your 'silver buckshot' reference, sadly, makes me wonder if you have a stake in Angus King's projects, as that is one of his standard tag lines when trying to sell his product. I hope that's not the case. I hope it is simply that you are too set in your ways, or too stubborn to listen to opposing views and give them credence... For a stubborn man can relent, and will gain the respect of his peers by admitting he was wrong. Some of our legislators have done that very thing.
You belittle your fellow citizens who have spent months researching industrial wind by pretending to know what our motivations are. While scenic impact in this beautiful mountainous region is certainly an important factor to take into account, due to the potential economic fall-out and Mainers' hard-sought 'quality of place', the 'view' is simply NOT the issue of paramount importance to many of us. If it was proven to you that IW was NOT economically feasible, if we could show you research done by scientists and physicists that shows IW does NOT reduce dependence on fossil fuels or reduce carbon emissions-- would you then begin to question the intelligence of destroying our high terrain and fragile ecosystems? If we could show you that property values in the vicinity of IW plummet-- sometimes as much as 40% or more, would that convince you to stop touting Big WInd as 'silver buckshot'? Seriously, sir... we have access to FACTS-- facts that the people of Maine deserve to know. If you are a caring man and professional, surely you will avail yourself of the resources we can provide to you. Surely you can then put your title of 'doctor' to its best possible use, and begin to help heal the wounds this misguided plan has created across this wonderful state.
I urge you not to be stubborn-- not to be too set in your ways to consider information from sources other than the wind industry. They have millions of dollars at stake-- they are biased and have a huge conflict of interest. Please give heed to those who are selflessly trying to educate a public which has been misled and taken advantage of. Simply tell me what specific topics you would like to learn more about, and I will put you in touch with experts and reference materials. You will grow in the estimation of many if you keep an open mind and disseminate the facts rather than the Industry's propaganda. I look forward to working with you on this issue, if you so desire. I am not an expert, and have no title with which to garner respect. But I am an American and a Mainer who is committed to taking care of my native state and those who call it 'home'
Did Admin Assistant Childs really do diligent and comprehensive research? Or did he do the simple math, only? $40million added to tax base, so (at current spending levels) the mil rate would drop ‘x’ amount of dollars?
Did he contact Maine Revenue Services? Did he look at future projections of state assessment and revenue sharing? Did he consider the wind turbines’ accelerated depreciation? The loss of value to homes impacted by the turbines?
Or did he just give the minimum amount of information to voters…the information that said their property taxes should decrease if an industrial wind facility was built?
What disturbs me the most, I guess, is that—for the possibility of tax break of less than $900.00 a year, many Canton residents chose to ignore the possible health impacts this development would have on their neighbors and friends. For a few pieces of silver, the choice was made to avoid long-range thinking and planning. A moratorium isn’t a ‘no’ to wind development. It is a ‘wait…let’s do this right, because this is our home town and we all have to live here’. If a wind developer really wants to build in Canton, a six month ‘hold’ won’t stop him. Not with millions of our tax-payer dollars waiting to be obtained. How I wish, for your sakes, that you’d tried it so you could see, rather than succumbing to the worry of missing out on a temporary tax ‘windfall’.
I hope that Canton residents don’t regret giving up this opportunity to move forward with cautiousness and forethought. I hope Canton residents don’t allow their community to be divided based on the assertions made by a wind developer or any financial projections given without due diligence to the long-range picture. Please hang together. We’re all hurting financially and it’s easy to understand why we are tempted to grasp at any proposed lifeline that will make our budgets work. But over the course of several years, I’ve learned that this isn’t the way to do it. People --right here in Maine-- have lost their cherished quality of life, their health, their ‘comfort of home’ and their feeling of belonging to their community. Canton still has the chance to keep this from happening. I hope you’ll take that opportunity.
I live in a UT and that opportunity has been taken away from me by the Wind Energy Law. I’m envious of your ability to shape the future of your community.
"In that time, a similar project has been constructed in Woodstock, and two others, in Canton and Carthage, are going through the approval process."
What this article doesn't state is that Patriot Renewables' Carthage project's permit has been appealed by Friends of Maine's Mountains and by private citizens who stand to be negatively impacted by the proposed industrial wind development, which will be built on Saddleback Mountain, right next door to Mt. Blue State Park.
I encourage residents to learn the facts about these projects and to speak with their neighbors who've already been through this process. There's not a single wind development in Maine which hasn't resulted in serious complaints and/or litigation after the industrial facilities were commissioned. It's vital that we learn from others' experiences-- or else we'll continue to repeat the same mistakes--all the while sacrificing the health and 'quaility of life' of Mainers...and this state's unique and unequalled "Quality of Place". There are no 'do-overs'. It's vital we err on the side of caution. It's easier to make an ordinance less restrictive in the future than it is to tighten restrictions once a project is built.
I responded to a similar
I responded to a similar article Dr. Jennings wrote almost three years ago. It seems he hasn't availed himself of the growing body of evidence --both peer-reviewed and otherwise -- that says... he's WRONG. Below is my letter to Dr. Jennings from August of 2010. How sad that he's decided to continue to promote an industry which doesn't care who it harms, or how many it harms, as long as it's allowed to stay its course.
From Lexington Township, Maine
Karen Bessey Pease
Submitted by Karen Pease on Fri, 08/06/2010 - 10:19.
Aw, doc. You're doing it again. Do you have any idea how many people ask, "Why doesn't Dr. Jennings get it? Why won't he LISTEN to people... to PATIENTS? " That' sir, is the sign of a true doctor, a good doctor. A doctor who adheres to his oath. He listens to the complaints of the people he's sworn to try to heal and nurture.
Surely, you can not reasonably ignore the many, many people who have legitimate complaints? Have you ever actually SPOKEN to any of them? If you are TRULY interested in being a friend and a doctor, please contact me. I can put you in direct contact with many people whose health is being adversely affected by industrial wind. No human being could listen and not be moved... not be concerned. No matter how often you say it isn't so, the facts don't change.
You do the people of Maine a disservice by using your degree to try to sound like an expert in the area of industrial wind and its associated health risks without first treating the patients affected. We are inclined to believe the words of a man with an MD after his name. Please do not take advantage of the PEOPLE by speaking on this topic until you have interviewed a host of individuals who are suffering from maladies associated with industrial wind turbines.
You did your best to disrupt the forum I spoke at in Brunswick. I allowed you to have your say, even though a true gentleman would have gone to the trouble to arrange his OWN forum rather than try to take over one which was put together by hard-working activists who BELIEVE what they are doing-- who BELIEVE they are right. Because, you see... we listen to the experts... those who are unbiased and have nothing to gain (and often, much to lose) by speaking out and sharing the FACTS they have discovered. Your 'silver buckshot' reference, sadly, makes me wonder if you have a stake in Angus King's projects, as that is one of his standard tag lines when trying to sell his product. I hope that's not the case. I hope it is simply that you are too set in your ways, or too stubborn to listen to opposing views and give them credence... For a stubborn man can relent, and will gain the respect of his peers by admitting he was wrong. Some of our legislators have done that very thing.
You belittle your fellow citizens who have spent months researching industrial wind by pretending to know what our motivations are. While scenic impact in this beautiful mountainous region is certainly an important factor to take into account, due to the potential economic fall-out and Mainers' hard-sought 'quality of place', the 'view' is simply NOT the issue of paramount importance to many of us. If it was proven to you that IW was NOT economically feasible, if we could show you research done by scientists and physicists that shows IW does NOT reduce dependence on fossil fuels or reduce carbon emissions-- would you then begin to question the intelligence of destroying our high terrain and fragile ecosystems? If we could show you that property values in the vicinity of IW plummet-- sometimes as much as 40% or more, would that convince you to stop touting Big WInd as 'silver buckshot'? Seriously, sir... we have access to FACTS-- facts that the people of Maine deserve to know. If you are a caring man and professional, surely you will avail yourself of the resources we can provide to you. Surely you can then put your title of 'doctor' to its best possible use, and begin to help heal the wounds this misguided plan has created across this wonderful state.
I urge you not to be stubborn-- not to be too set in your ways to consider information from sources other than the wind industry. They have millions of dollars at stake-- they are biased and have a huge conflict of interest. Please give heed to those who are selflessly trying to educate a public which has been misled and taken advantage of. Simply tell me what specific topics you would like to learn more about, and I will put you in touch with experts and reference materials. You will grow in the estimation of many if you keep an open mind and disseminate the facts rather than the Industry's propaganda. I look forward to working with you on this issue, if you so desire. I am not an expert, and have no title with which to garner respect. But I am an American and a Mainer who is committed to taking care of my native state and those who call it 'home'
Respectfully Submitted,
Karen Pease, Lexington Twp., ME
Tax breaks...or my neighbors' quality of life?
Did Admin Assistant Childs really do diligent and comprehensive research? Or did he do the simple math, only? $40million added to tax base, so (at current spending levels) the mil rate would drop ‘x’ amount of dollars?
Did he contact Maine Revenue Services? Did he look at future projections of state assessment and revenue sharing? Did he consider the wind turbines’ accelerated depreciation? The loss of value to homes impacted by the turbines?
Or did he just give the minimum amount of information to voters…the information that said their property taxes should decrease if an industrial wind facility was built?
What disturbs me the most, I guess, is that—for the possibility of tax break of less than $900.00 a year, many Canton residents chose to ignore the possible health impacts this development would have on their neighbors and friends. For a few pieces of silver, the choice was made to avoid long-range thinking and planning. A moratorium isn’t a ‘no’ to wind development. It is a ‘wait…let’s do this right, because this is our home town and we all have to live here’. If a wind developer really wants to build in Canton, a six month ‘hold’ won’t stop him. Not with millions of our tax-payer dollars waiting to be obtained. How I wish, for your sakes, that you’d tried it so you could see, rather than succumbing to the worry of missing out on a temporary tax ‘windfall’.
I hope that Canton residents don’t regret giving up this opportunity to move forward with cautiousness and forethought. I hope Canton residents don’t allow their community to be divided based on the assertions made by a wind developer or any financial projections given without due diligence to the long-range picture. Please hang together. We’re all hurting financially and it’s easy to understand why we are tempted to grasp at any proposed lifeline that will make our budgets work. But over the course of several years, I’ve learned that this isn’t the way to do it. People --right here in Maine-- have lost their cherished quality of life, their health, their ‘comfort of home’ and their feeling of belonging to their community. Canton still has the chance to keep this from happening. I hope you’ll take that opportunity.
I live in a UT and that opportunity has been taken away from me by the Wind Energy Law. I’m envious of your ability to shape the future of your community.
Respectfully,
Karen Pease
Lexington Twp., Maine
Erring on the side of caution
"In that time, a similar project has been constructed in Woodstock, and two others, in Canton and Carthage, are going through the approval process."
What this article doesn't state is that Patriot Renewables' Carthage project's permit has been appealed by Friends of Maine's Mountains and by private citizens who stand to be negatively impacted by the proposed industrial wind development, which will be built on Saddleback Mountain, right next door to Mt. Blue State Park.
I encourage residents to learn the facts about these projects and to speak with their neighbors who've already been through this process. There's not a single wind development in Maine which hasn't resulted in serious complaints and/or litigation after the industrial facilities were commissioned. It's vital that we learn from others' experiences-- or else we'll continue to repeat the same mistakes--all the while sacrificing the health and 'quaility of life' of Mainers...and this state's unique and unequalled "Quality of Place". There are no 'do-overs'. It's vital we err on the side of caution. It's easier to make an ordinance less restrictive in the future than it is to tighten restrictions once a project is built.
Respectfully,
Karen Pease
Lexington Twp., Maine