At the March 15, 2010 Town Meeting, voters overwhelmingly approved an amendment to the Protective Bylaw by adding a new section, 616, known as the community scale wind turbine bylaw.

The bylaw passed after a thorough discussion and was recommended by the town’s Board of Selectman, the Finance Committee and Planning Board.  The Alternative Energy Committee spent two years researching the bylaws around the state that were used to erect over two dozen other turbines.   The bylaw was also patterned on recommendations received from the Massachusetts Dept. of Energy Resources and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MA CEC) based on science and best practices. What are municipal scale turbines?   Generally they are sub 1 megawatt units and differ greatly from the wind farm turbines such as Cape Wind or even the new turbine erected in Kingston on Route 3 at exit 8.  It was deemed the right size by Duxbury citizens and the current bylaw reflects those wishes.

Now, a new warrant has been requested for this year’s Town Meeting to undo years of work.  The citizens’ petition by a few dozen signers seeks to confuse voters by presenting facts relating to Industrial turbines and facts gleaned from browsing the Internet.  This group has contended that industrial turbines (1.5 MW and up) are bad for Duxbury.  Well, the AEC has never considered an industrial wind turbine.  Pictures are being shown of turbines on fire (industrial again).  Numbers taken off the Internet without any substantiation contend that 14,000 turbines have been abandoned across America.   There haven’t even been 14,000 municipal turbines built in America.  In fact, in Massachusetts the number is only 27.  Duxbury’s wind foes want to use industrial wind setbacks to ensure no turbine is ever built in Duxbury.

One argument against a wind turbine in Duxbury concerns unsubstantiated health concerns.  However, the recent exhaustive study by the Mass Department of Public Health and the Mass Department of Environmental Protection was released on Jan. 17.  After considering a large library of published peer-reviewed literature, the Departments concluded that “there is no evidence for a set of health effects from exposure to wind turbines that could be characterized as a “wind turbine syndrome.”

The Town of Duxbury recently asked the DOER to review the bylaw changes.  On Jan. 19, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources wrote to the town of Duxbury regarding the changes proposed.  The conclusions include that the proposed changes would result “in no location where a project could be built to meet this requirement.”    The letter to the town also continues:  “In order for any development to occur, a bylaw is expected to set standards that provide opportunity while protecting public health and safety and minimizing any potential adverse impacts.  The setback requirement in the proposed revision to the Duxbury bylaw appears to not provide any opportunity for wind development to occur.”

The Duxbury Alternative Energy Committee is tasked by the Board of Selectmen with exploring all types of renewable energy solutions for Duxbury.  To date, the AEC has arranged for the purchase of 25 percent of the town’s municipal energy needs from solar sources at a savings of $30,000 a year.   We are negotiating to build a solar facility on town properties and continue other efforts to purchase more solar power.   We explored a wind turbine as part of the mix but that discussion has been tabled as solar is more attractive at this time.

There is no reason to address the current bylaw as it is written.  If a wind turbine is to be in Duxbury’s future the current bylaw requires a special permit.   To water down the current bylaw by making it impossible to even discuss a turbine in Duxbury sends the wrong message to our children, our community and the rest of the State.

Nothing has changed in Duxbury in the past four years since the AEC started work on the bylaw or the two years since the overwhelming vote by the town.  Nothing has changed with the technology or laws around the rest of the state that warrants a change to the bylaw.   Lowering the height of a turbine as suggested by the petitioners makes no economic sense.  Trying to confuse the issue with industrial grade rules is dishonest.   Continuing to claim disproven health issues prevents an honest debate.

The current bylaw was supported by the Selectmen, Planning Board and the Finance Committee.  The Department of Public Health has debunked the claims of Wind Turbine Syndrome.  The Mass DOER has written to the town denouncing the proposed bylaw changes.

Duxbury’s children deserve a town that looks to offset the power the town consumes from all possible alternative sources.   That was the mission of the Board of Selectman in creating the AEC.

– Don Greenbaum