Mayor Lonny Napper of Plympton Wyoming, Ontario, with his Chief Administrative Officer, Kyle Pratt, led his council to a “game changer” bylaw last week. The wind turbine noise bylaw crafted by council and vetted with Toronto lawyer, Eric Gillespie, references Infrasound and Low Frequency Noise (ILFN) and pulsing barometric pressure changes that are now recognized to damage health around the world.
The bylaw references charging fees to developers if ILFN causes residents problems. Common effects are from chronic unrelenting noise, sleep disorders, hormone level disruption, increased risk of disease, diabetes, hypertension, depression, heart arrhythmias, and possibly even cancer. (Carmen Krogh and Dr Robert McMurtry, both of Ontario, recently published a case definition that accepts inner ear disruption, sleep disorders, hypertension, mood disorders, nausea, tinnitus, as part of the presenting complaints combined with proximity to wind turbines.)
In Plympton Wyoming, complaints will lead to investigations and hefty fines. This is the first bylaw directly referencing ILFN and demanding fines of between $500 to $10,000 per day, and which may be, the bylaw states, in excess of $100,000.
While over 80 Ontario municipalities have called for a moratorium, declared themselves unwilling hosts, and have called for the resignation of the Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Arlene King, as well as variously creating new bylaws for longer setbacks and decommissioning costs, the Green Energy and Green Economy Act 2009 (GEA), subjugates most Ontario law under its wings, leaving communities scrambling to find ways to protect themselves. Mayor Napper and his council have likely found the idea remedy: one that is not subsumed into the GEA. Health issues cannot be found to be contrary to the GEA or “frustrate” the efforts of the laws to perpetuate wind turbine factories, or so-called “renewable energy platforms.”
“When I took an oath to protect my community, I took it very seriously,” continues Mayor Napper. “The information about what other communities are suffering, disruption, noise, degradation of precious landscapes, seriously divided communities, and to see that this possible devastation is in my full view, for my residents, something has to give.”
Lange, of the North American Platform Against Wind Power (NA-PAW) agrees. “We have for some time now sounded the alarm for what amounts to a turbine factory health pandemic: similar effects are reported in communities worldwide. These “factories” operate without the sanction of communities. They operate without fire controls, without any regard for environmental practices, and they certainly override what is now common knowledge about noise: audible, shadow flicker, vibration and Low Frequency and Infrasound, and related air pressure fluctuations, which in combination or separately, are known to extract “torture” on unwilling people/communities.”
Both Mayor Napper and Mr. Pratt, CAO, agree that individual communities need to understand that they can use bylaw powers to protect health as required. “If Ontario communities are having so little jurisdiction to control development of massive electrical producing facilities within their boundaries, the least the council can do is to mediate the devastating health effects already reported and well known to exist, that many feel are sure to happen here.” Mr. Pratt says that he hopes the bylaw will be an example to other councils. Pratt adds, “The Town of Plympton-Wyoming Council has worked hard to protect our residents, and make sure that developers are required to deal with issues and appropriately respond to complaints and requirements from council.”
Adds Lange, “The known effects of infrasound and low frequency noise may well turn out to be the death sentence for a non-performing, entirely subsidy driven, outrage.”
Sherri Lange, CEO North American Platform Against Wind Power (NA-PAW)
