A year from now, the third highest point in Massachusetts will be turbine 16 of the Hoosac wind power plant in the towns of Florida and Monroe. Only Mount Greylock and Saddle Ball will be higher. Seven of the Hoosac turbines will be among the 10 highest points in the state. Eleven will be above 3,000 feet.
Enxco Inc. will build 20 wind turbines, each 340 feet tall, on two of our most visible mountains. It will cut more than 4 miles of new roads (some 35 feet wide) through forest, crossing more than a dozen streams and wetlands. The contours of both ridgelines will be cleared, blasted and filled to accommodate vehicles 135 feet long and weighing 197,000 pounds.
The mountain range is a major migratory route for hawks, golden eagles and bald eagles. As scientists are discovering at similar sites, bats are also vulnerable to injury and death from turbine blades. Protected plant species are on the property. One stream flows into a pond that has wild brook trout.
Hoosac is just the beginning. Wind turbines are planned for Brodie Mountain and proposed for Berlin and Lenox Mountains and the Hoosac range south of Enxco’s project.
The Appalachian Mountain Club recently did a study showing that 65 sites on 96 miles of ridgeline in Massachusetts have sufficient wind for turbines. The sites range from a quarter-mile to 8 miles long. Of the 65 sites, 62 are in the Berkshires.
The state secretary of environmental affairs has approved every inland wind power plant without requiring a full environmental review. She has refused to consider a statewide planning process for siting wind turbines. Now, she is preparing to open public lands for wind-power development.
Why are Berkshire residents being asked to sacrifice our ridgelines, quality of life, and tourism economy for wind power plants?
1. The state requires wind power
State law mandates that five years from now 4 percent of our energy use must come from new construction of renewable energy sources. If the Cape Wind power plant is built in Nantucket Sound, then about 200 turbines will have to be erected onshore. If Cape Wind is not built, then 480 turbines will be needed by the end of 2009. These numbers are boggling, but they are based on the state’s own projections.
If you think we’ll never see that many wind turbines here, look to the north and south of us and abroad: Communities all along the Appalachians are under siege. Vermont, with just 3 percent of its land suitable for wind-power development, has eight proposals under consideration. Within a 40-mile radius of the junction of Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland, 18 wind power plants have been built or proposed. Within 20 miles of the now infamous 44-turbine Mountaineer facility in West Virginia, 333 turbines have been approved and 53 more planned.
The United Kingdom has 1,184 turbines at 93 sites that collectively generate the amount of electricity of one midsized natural gas plant. Germany, roughly the size of New England, had 15,387 wind turbines at the end of 2003, which accounted for less than 4 percent of the country’s electrical usage.
2. Other people want to feel good
Wind power plants here mean that people elsewhere in Massachusetts can embrace the technology without worrying about its impacts on their local economy or quality of life. There’s not enough open space in Marblehead for turbines, but an official there noted that the town will buy wind power from the Brodie wind power plant in 2005. The mayor of Salem, who threatened to sue to stop the state from requiring new emissions controls in a “Filthy Five†power plant in his city, has announced his support for renewable energy. Every person who signs up for GreenUp, GreenStart and other renewable-energy buying programs increases the pressure for wind power development in the Berkshires.
3. We support worthy goals
We are being asked to sacrifice our wilderness to reduce global warming, pollution and dependence on foreign oil. These are vital goals that can be achieved much more successfully and at much less cost through proven energy efficiency and conservation programs and enforcement of clean-air laws.
One regional environmental group has suggested that electricity savings from efficiency initiatives can be considered a new source of energy, costing less than any alternative supply. As just two examples: Kimberly-Clark Inc. improved its energy efficiency by 11.7 percent and saved enough fuel over three years to provide 700,000 homes with electricity for a year. A day after the Aug. 14, 2003 blackout, the regional grid operator paid 82 businesses in Connecticut to reduce energy consumption and within a 10-hour period saved enough power to supply 89,000 homes.
A Swiss company is poised to build the St. Lawrence cement plant 16 miles west of our border, fueled by 500 million pounds of coal annually. If we really are concerned about air pollution, the more than $45 million in tax breaks, subsidies, incentives, guarantees and grants due to Enxco for Hoosac would be better spent helping polluters to upgrade emissions controls and suing federal and state agencies to crack down on violators.
4. Towns are losing state funds
Over the past few years, state payments to towns have dropped drastically. That has meant severe budget shortfalls for communities like Florida and Monroe. It’s no wonder that Florida, which rejected a wind power plant proposal 20 years ago, now welcomes the promised tax and lease revenues.
Enxco is a subsidiary of the EdF Group, 70 percent of which is owned by the French government, and is Europe’s leading supplier of nuclear power, gas, coal and oil. The millions of dollars we will pay for Hoosac will benefit the French government while our local towns will receive a small fraction. We would do far better to use our money to help towns reduce energy consumption and reward their successes.
5. No protest from us
Wind power plants will be sited in the Berkshires because we are not protesting against the onslaught. Elsewhere in the world, people are objecting vehemently to the construction of wind power plants. The news media in England, Scotland, Germany, Australia, and New Zealand report frequently on the protests waged by rural communities that have already experienced the desecration caused by wind power plants. Readers of Britain’s Country Life magazine voted wind power plants the country’s number one eyesore. Der Spiegel, Germany’s largest weekly magazine, editorialized, “The dream of environmentally friendly energy has turned into highly subsidized destruction of the countryside.â€
People across America, along the Appalachians, in Vermont and Maine, too, are fighting back. Berkshire County stands out in its welcome of wind power plants.
6. We are target of marketing blitz
We are being wooed by a powerful alliance of the Romney administration, environmental groups and international corporations like General Electric and Enxco. The state has launched a marketing blitz — funded by monthly surcharges on our electric bills — to sway Berkshirites. Gov. Mitt Romney lobbied the White House against the Cape Wind proposal but supports the multiple wind power plants proposed for the Berkshires. Likewise, the secretary of environmental affairs has demanded full environmental reviews and an overall planning process for all offshore wind facilities but is enabling construction here without adequate assessments of impacts and consequences.
In five years, we may have more 34-story structures on our mountains than any city in New England. We are being asked to sacrifice our small part of the world for a symbol that is unlikely to solve any of our regional, national or global problems.
Eleanor Tillinghast of South County is president of Green Berkshires Inc. This article, with documentation backing the facts presented, can be found at www.GreenBerkshires.org
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
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State Fire Marshal Offers Cold Snap Heating Safety Tips
STOW, Mass. —With temperatures expected to dip into the teens overnight this week, Massachusetts State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine is reminding residents to stay warm safely and protect their loved ones from some of the most common home heating fires.
"We're expecting very cold weather in the nights ahead, and home heating appliances will be working overtime," said State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine. "Heating equipment is the leading cause of carbon monoxide at home and the second leading cause of residential fires. Whether you're using gas, oil, solid fuel, or space heaters to keep warm, be sure you keep safe, too."
State Fire Marshal Davine said there were nearly 6,000 heating fires in Massachusetts from 2019 to 2023. These fires claimed eight lives, caused 139 injuries to firefighters and residents, and contributed to over $42 million in damage. And in 2023 alone, Massachusetts fire departments reported finding carbon monoxide at nearly 5,000 non-fire incidents.
Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms
Every household needs working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms on every level of their home. Check the manufacturing date on the back of your alarms so you know when to replace them: smoke alarms should be replaced after 10 years, and carbon monoxide alarms should be replaced after 5 to 10 years depending on the model. If your alarms take alkaline batteries, put in fresh batteries twice a year when you change your clocks. If it's time to replace your alarms, choose new ones from a well-known, national brand. Select smoke alarms with a sealed, long-life battery and a hush feature.
Natural Gas and Oil Heat
If you have a furnace, water heater, or oil burner, have it professionally checked and serviced each year. This will help it run more efficiently, which will save you money and could save your life. Always keep a three-foot "circle of safety" around the appliance clear of anything that could catch fire. Never store painting supplies, aerosol cans, or other flammable items near these appliances. If you smell gas, don't use any electrical switches or devices: get out, stay out, and call 9-1-1 right away.
Residents struggling to pay for heating bills or maintenance may be eligible for assistance through the Massachusetts home energy assistance program (HEAP). No matter what type of heating equipment you use, HEAP may be able to help you pay your winter heating bills or maintain your heating system. All Massachusetts residents are encouraged to explore eligibility for this free program and apply for assistance.
Solid Fuel Heating
If you use a fireplace or a stove that burns wood, pellets, or coal, always keep the area around it clear for three feet in all directions. This circle of safety should be free of furniture, drapery, rugs, books and papers, fuel, and any other flammable items. To prevent sparks and embers from escaping, use a fireplace screen or keep the stove door closed while burning. Use only dry, seasoned hardwood and don't use flammable liquids to start the fire. To dispose of ashes, wait until they are cool and shovel them into a metal bucket with a lid and place it outside at least 10 feet away from the building.
Have your chimney and flue professionally inspected and cleaned each year. Most chimney fires are caused by burning creosote, a tarry substance that builds up as the fireplace, wood stove, or pellet stove is used. If burning creosote, sparks, embers, or hot gases escape through cracks in the flue or chimney, they can cause a fire that spreads to the rest of the structure. Annual cleaning and inspection can minimize this risk. Contact the Massachusetts Chimney Sweep Guild or Chimney Safety Institute of America to identify reputable local companies.
Space Heaters
Keep space heaters at least three feet from curtains, bedding, and anything else that can burn. Plug them directly into a wall socket, not an extension cord or a power strip, and remember that they're for temporary use. Always turn a space heater off when you leave the room or go to sleep.
When purchasing a space heater, select one that's been tested and labeled by a nationally recognized testing company, such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL) or Intertek (ETL). Newer space heaters should have an automatic shut-off switch that turns the device off if it tips over. Unvented kerosene space heaters and portable propane space heaters are not permitted for residential use in Massachusetts, State Fire Marshal Davine said: the risk of fire and carbon monoxide poisoning that they pose is too great.
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