The Wind Turbine Action Committee of Wayne, New Jersey was formed to counteract the misleading information promulgated by the wind energy industry, various environmental groups, and some individuals within our community. Support for this effort comes from a large and diversified group of residents and business owners in New Jersey.
The rapid growth of wind turbines has been fostered by federal and state policies that, while well intentioned, fail to reflect wind energy's limitations as an energy source, its ineffectiveness in reducing emissions, and its impacts on our environment, economy and quality of life.
The Wind Turbine Action Committee stands ready to assist those threatened with wind energy projects by providing residents, as well as government officials, the information to make informed decisions. We will expose the impacts of wind energy on our environment, economy and quality of life through fact-based analyses; assist communities threatened with unwanted industrialization; advise officials at the federal, state and local levels regarding wind energy policy to counteract misleading information from the wind energy industry and some environmental groups.
HELP PREVENT THE DISRUPTION OF OUR PEACE AND TRANQUILITY
WIND TURBINES GENERATE SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF NOISE THAT BE BE HEARD FOR GREAT DISTANCES. THE NOISE EXPOSURE IS WELL DOCUMENTED AND CAN CAUSE SLEEP DISTURBANCE, HEADACHES, ANXIETY, MIGRAINES, DEPRESSION, AND MANY OTHER MEDICAL PROBLEMS.
THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT HAZARD THAT ICE FROM THE SPINNING BLADES COULD HIT CHILDREN, PEDESTRIANS, AND PASSING CARS.
PLACEMENT OF A WIND TURBINE ON A BUSY HIGHWAY CAN CONTRIBUTE TO CAR ACCIDENTS AS DRIVERS ARE DISTRACTED; THEIR ATTENTION WILL BE DIVERTED FROM THE HIGHWAY.
THE SPINNING TURBINE BLADES ARE A SAFETY HAZARD THAT KILL BIRDS AND BATS.
PROPERTY VALUES WILL BE IMPACTED. SELLING A HOME NEAR A WIND TURBINE WILL BE VERY DIFFICULT IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE.
Wind Turbine Syndrome: A Report on a Natural Experiment Nina Pierpont, MD, PhD Posted February 17, 2010
The core of the book is a scientific report presenting original, primary research on symptomatic people living near wind turbines
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS- 1) Wind turbines cause wind turbine syndrome. We know this because people have symptoms when they are close to turbines and the symptoms go away when they are away from turbines. 2) The symptoms are sleep disturbance, headache, tinnitus (ringing in ears), ear pressure, dizziness, vertigo (spinning dizziness), nausea, visual blurring, tachycardia (fast heart rate), irritability, problems with concentration and memory, and panic episodes associated with sensations of movement or quivering inside the body that arise while awake or asleep. 3) Children are affected as well as adults, especially older adults. 4) People with pre-existing migraine disorder, motion sensitivity, or damage to inner ear structures (such as hearing loss from industrial noise exposure) are more susceptible than other people to Wind Turbine Syndrome. These results are statistically significant (p < 0.01). 5) The susceptibility factors are clues to the pathophysiology of Wind Turbine Syndrome. The symptom complex resembles syndromes caused by vestibular (inner ear balance organ) The proposed mechanism is disturbance to balance and position sense by noise and/or vibration, especially low frequency components of the noise and vibration. 6) An extensive review of recent medical literature reveals how balance-related neural signals affect a variety of brain areas and functions, including spatial awareness, spatial memory, spatial problem-solving, fear, anxiety, autonomic functions (like digestion and heartbeat), and aversive learning. 7) Published studies of documented low frequency noise exposure (both experimental and environmental) are reviewed. These demonstrate effects on people similar or identical to Wind Turbine Syndrome. 8) Recommendations from the World Health Organization on environmental noise with low frequency components are reviewed. 9) Published studies of effects of environmental noise on children’s learning are reviewed. 10) This study and other studies reviewed in the report indicate that safe setbacks will be at least 2 km (1.24 miles), and longer for larger turbines and in more varied topography.
Much thanks to the Wayne NJ Town Council for putting forth the time and the effort to fully investigate and consider the costs and benefits which would be associated with the placement of wind turbines in our neighborhood. The end decision was responsible and works to preserve the character of our neighborhood. The council performed a reasoned cost / benefit analysis and then acted out of this analysis.
I know that some people do not believe that Wayne has "character", but then, these individual(s) do not have to visit Wayne and I suspect the majority of the residents in Wayne would not miss them if they stayed home.
The Wayne Town Council voted 8-0 to adopt the new Wind Turbine Ordinance which permits wind turbines in industrial zones only, and not in residential or business zones. Robert Burke of the Wayne Auto Spa will not be permitted to erect a wind turbine at his Hamburg Turnpike car wash. Posted December 16, 2009
The Wayne Auto Spa’s opening salvo expressed want to erect a 120' tower with a wind turbine at Black Oak Ridge Road’s intersection with Hamburg Turnpike. There can be little debate that this is a dangerous intersection, one which already sees too many automobile accidents. Consider the probable consequences which would be associated with the placement of a wind turbine, 120' or smaller at this location. The Auto Spa seems indifferent to matters of community safety.
The Auto Spa’s shallow regard for the Wayne community is noteworthy. Those familiar with the on-going issue have seen the Auto Spa repeatedly describe the community as an ugly place, describing an ugly highway, surrounded by tangled utility lines, neighboring an auto body shop, etc. One individual said in an Internet post, “Wayne has no aesthetics”. The Auto Spa has disputes with the Wayne government, the Wayne Police Department, the Passaic County Sheriff’s Department and of course with the neighbors.
Reportedly, the Auto Spa now proposes to erect a 100' tall cell tower. This comes as little surprise. As a business man, the owner of the Auto Spa is with the right to work to generate revenues and a cell tower might serve such a purpose by bringing forth rents from the telephone service provider. One might now wonder whether the Auto Spa’s environmental pursuits are altruistic in nature or whether the pursuits are not actually a marketing gimmick. How can one who is supposedly so environmentally oriented be so aesthetically blind? Would the Auto Spa place a nuclear reactor on Hamburg Turnpike if permitted? If The Auto Spa was so environmentally friendly they would hire residents of this community who might hand wash cars.
While the Auto Spa’s proprietor, Robert Burke did invoke some environmentally friendly practices, the Auto Spa nonetheless works with a single-minded obsession, an obsession which ignores and is indifferent to the fact that there are many people who live in this community who do not want to see the character and aesthetics of the community move to be more industrial in nature. I hope the character of our community might be preserved. I do not want to hear that ice and/or blades might be thrown from turbine blades to hurt the children at the neighboring daycare center or strike passing cars. Posted December 5, 2009
Wayne, NJ Considering New Wind Turbine Rules; Robert Burke Of Wayne AutoSpa Further Angers Wayne With Plans For 100 Foot Monopole With Cellular Antennae At His Car Wash. Posted December 5, 2009
We are on our way to achieving another major victory. We are very proud of the Wayne Town Counsel for their rendering of a Wind Turbine Ordinance which permits wind turbines in industrial zones only, and not in residential or business zones. Robert Burke, owner of the Wayne Auto Spa will not be permitted to erect a wind turbine at his Hamburg Turnpike car wash.
The Wayne Town Counsel will meet again on Wednesday, December 16th at 8:00 pm at the Wayne Municipal building for their second reading and approval of the Wind Turbine Ordinance. Please show your support and plan to attend.
Thank you for all of your continued support, gracious efforts, and donations.
Are wind farms a health risk? US scientist identifies 'wind turbine syndrome'. Noise and vibration coming from large turbines are behind an increase in heart disease, migraine, panic attacks and other health problems. Posted November 22, 2009
Dennis and Carolyn Stillings moved into the country to enjoy the serenity of the rolling prairie. But now Carolyn sleeps with earplugs and sometimes finds the farmstead’s old chicken coop, well insulated and being converted into a studio, the only refuge from the noise. (Valley City, North Dakota) Posted October 27, 2009
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------'At times, its almost unbearable', said Hal Graham. 'When the turbines started spinning in December, I began hearing and feeling that turbine and three others across a ridge in front of his house. Low-frequency noise creates a vibration you can feel in your chest', said Stephen Trude. (Cohocton, New York) Posted September 19, 2009
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Leading Sleep Specialist Dr Christopher Manning, M.D. calls for a setback of at least 1 mile for wind turbines from homes in order to prevent sleep disturbance. Posted August 4, 2009
A Minnesota Department of Health Analysis concludes that annoyance and diminished quality of life are the most frequent complaints from residents living near wind turbines. (Minnesota). Posted June 29, 2009
DeKalb Planning and Zoning Committee will recommend to the full board a three-year moratorium on wind turbines. (Sycamore, Illinois). Posted June 25, 2009.
Read Complete Story ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wind Turbine Shadow Flicker, Fond du Lec, Wisconsin. Posted June 25, 2009
Huron County commissioners decided Tuesday to conduct a noise study of the Michigan Wind 1 development that’s independent of one that will be conducted later this summer by John Deere Wind Energy. (Bad Axe, Michigan) Posted June 25, 2009
"We have suffered extreme health problems...I lived for 32 years on our property and never had a complaint. I became sick three months after the turbines started," said Helen Forster, who described symptoms such as tinnitis, sleep disturbances, anxiety, stress, heart palpitations and hypersensitivity to noise. (St Columban) Posted June 24, 2009.
There’s no way to get away from it. The only thing I can do is leave my house.” (Libertyville, Illinois) Posted June 21, 2009
‘The noise is much louder than I ever thought it would be,’ said Gary Newell, who says he is using portable fans and ear plugs to drown out the noise of the turbine while he sleeps. ‘It awakens you.’
“Laurie Renz … said the noise reverberates through her house constantly, and she began suffering severe headaches, nausea and vomiting when the turbine was installed.”
Dr. Magda Havas Ph.D., Associate Professor of Environmental and Resource Studies at Trent University and one of the world’s leading research experts in electromagnetic pollution, delivered alarming warnings about the dangers to human and animal health, posed by Industrial Wind Turbines.Posted June 17, 2009
Dr. Graham Harding, Professor of Neurology, Neurosciences Institute, Aston University. Published in the Journal of Epilepsia: Wind turbines, flicker, and photsensitive epilepsy- may precipitate seizures. Posted June 15, 2009
“I am not the only one in our house affected by these wind turbines. My husband has been showing signs of memory loss. He has been experiencing headaches also, and I don’t recall him ever getting headaches. And we both have been feeling more depressed” said Pam Mazerolle. (Ontario) Posted June 15, 2009
"Since we've owned this home, I had no health problems previously," says a somewhat sleepless Jessica Nuhn. "I'm a registered nurse -- a critical care nurse. "Since the turbines have been spinning, I've had headaches ... The noise has kept me up at night, the noise gives me headaches, the noise crushes my sinuses." (Sheldon, New York) Posted June 4, 2009
“We thought it would be, as we were told from the beginning of the turbine project, ‘no louder than a clothes dryer,’” reads a letter David and Marilyn Peplinski sent to Huron County officials May 15. “Now we realize that no one wants to stand right next to a running clothes dryer 24 hours a day. This is the reality of it.” (Ubly, Michigan) Posted June 4, 2009
Understanding noise impacts from wind turbines. Posted June 3, 2009
Most communities doing their homework have concluded that in order to protect residents from chronic noise pollution, sleeplessness, and the adverse health impacts that result from excessive noise, setbacks from homes need to be about one mile.
"It is becoming increasingly evident that wind energy companies have engaged in deceitful and harmful behavior for many years, and cannot be trusted to reform on their own. In particular, studies by clinicians have laid out in painstaking detail how the wind companies made false statements and suppressed evidence to deny or play down the adverse health effects of wind turbines. Wind developers routinely manipulate noise (dB) reports by ignoring or denying turbine low frequency noise, they have falsely denied their turbines cause illness, and falsely represent that industry-sponsored setbacks are safe." Dr Calvin Luther Martin, PhD Posted May 31, 2009
“Within three days” of the turbines starting up in June 2006, “we started having noise problems.” So begins the testimony by Mrs. Jane Davis—nurse midwife, child development specialist, and holder of a Masters degree in medical administration.
A farmer told the BBC he had lost more than 400 animals after wind turbines were installed close to his grazing land. "The goats looked skinny and they weren't eating. One night I went out to the farmhouse and the goats were all standing up; they weren't sleeping. " Kuo Jing-Shan (Taiwan) Posted May 21, 2009
After a freak incident in the snowy British town of Whittlesey, residents may now have a legitimate reason for protesting local wind turbines-- projectile ice shards. Posted May 16, 2009.
Residents of Whittlesey, a small town in England, demanded that the region's largest wind farm be shut down, after massive blades of ice pierced a nearby storefront window. The frozen shards, reportedly three to four feet in length, were said to have shot off the spinning blades of a local wind turbine, according to the UK Telegraph.
Wind Turbine near Perkins' High School explodes and blades end up in nearby student parking lot. (Perkins' County, Ohio) Posted May 8, 2009
Ed Sharp was standing on the back porch Saturday afternoon when he heard a sound like a shotgun. The 30-foot-wide windmill "just blew apart," Sharp said.
Wind Turbine's Deadly Ice Shower. Posted April 26, 2009
Residents were left fearing for their safety after shards of melting ice fell on homes and gardens from the blades of a giant wind turbine. Resident Peter Randall, whose son's house lies a stone's throw away from the turbine, said: "Somebody is going to get killed. There was huge lumps of ice shooting off and landing everywhere".
Wind Turbine Noise Issues: A White Paper. Prepared by Renewable Energy Research Laboratory, Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Posted April 6, 2009
A number of improvements in standards and regulations are needed to ensure that communities can reliably anticipate noise from wind turbines and to ensure that the data are available to make those sound estimations
The Cohocton New York residents are among a growing number of people across the nation complaining the noise made by wind turbines is intrusive and disturbing. Medical professionals have compiled studies showing the noise can pose health hazards. (Bath, New York) Posted April 6, 2009
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Wind turbine noise recorded from the porch of a home in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, February of 2009. Posted March 12, 2009
The Wind Turbine Action Committee stands ready to assist those threatened with wind energy projects by providing residents, as well as government officials, the information to make informed decisions. We will expose the impacts of wind energy on our environment, economy and quality of life through fact-based analyses; assist communities threatened with unwanted industrialization; advise officials at the federal, state and local levels regarding wind energy policy to counteract misleading information from the wind energy industry and some environmental groups. 
