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Opinion: Wind company needs to respect community wishes, says Hopkinton resident

Posted 5/4/18

To the Editor: Iberdrola/Avangrid/Atlantic Wind's industrial wind facility will be overly burdensome to the residents and landowners of Hopkinton and surrounding area. The company has been relentless …

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Opinion: Wind company needs to respect community wishes, says Hopkinton resident

Posted

To the Editor:

Iberdrola/Avangrid/Atlantic Wind's industrial wind facility will be overly burdensome to the residents and landowners of Hopkinton and surrounding area.

The company has been relentless with their demands on our community. Landowners and residents who reside in the area south of Route 72 have overwhelmingly expressed opposition to the demanded expansion and this has not been respected. Four out of five of the Wind Advisory Board members voted not to pass the requested overlay expansion.

The town has set restrictions to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the people who live in the region and these stipulations have been continually attacked. The scientific evidence and worldwide testimony support much larger setbacks, distances measured in miles are more appropriate according to many. We demand protective setbacks of 5x the total height of the turbines, 40dBA, a property value guarantee, and everything within the newest wind law be respected.

If Iberdrola/Avangrid/Atlantic Wind desires to do business in our state they need to respect the community's wishes. These restrictions are not unreasonable as we have learned from other communities among turbines, that negative impacts occur and there is little that can be done once the turbines are up.

As predicted, the company has stated they are now looking to use 600-foot turbines. These projects are done in phases, Maple Ridge began with 40 turbines and grew to 195 turbines. The increase in size and density greatly impacts the people who live in those "project zones."

Give them an inch they will take a mile. The purpose of this 2018 Wind Law is solely to set guidelines that will ensure there are limitations which provide safety for the health & welfare of the residents/landowners of Hopkinton and surrounding towns.

Janice Pease

Hopkinton