Infrasound from turbines should be considered with impact studies, County Leg says
File photo by Tom Rivers: This photo from Oct. 14, 2015 shows some of the 400-foot-high turbines in Sheldon, Wyoming County. Apex Clean Energy is proposing local projects with turbines that would be more than 600 feet high.
ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature is calling on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to make sure the Siting Board includes the impacts of infrasound on the health of residents who live in communities with proposed wind turbine projects.
Apex Clean Energy has proposed large-scale turbine projects in Barre and also in Yates and Somerset.
Those projects will be reviewed by a seven-member State Siting Board, which includes the leaders of five state agencies. Two local representatives also are on the Siting Board for each project.
The Legislature last week passed a resolution asking Cuomo to insist on “comprehensive health impact and environmental studies including consideration for the added potential for sleep disturbances from pulsating night noise dominated by low frequency and infrasound, especially under stable atmospheric conditions.”
The Legislature said it “fully supports” the positions by the Yates Town Board, the Western New York Public Health Alliance and the New York State Association of County Health Officials in demanding the review process for turbine projects include “a comprehensive health and environmental impact study.”
The Legislature’s resolution will be forwarded to Cuomo; Kathleen Burgess, commissioner of the Public Service Commission; State Sen. Robert Ortt; State Assemblyman Steve Hawley; State Assemblyman Michael Norris; Daniel Stapleton, Niagara County Public Health director; Paul Pettit, Orleans County Public Health director; James Simon, Yates town supervisor; and Daniel Engert, Somerset town supervisor.
