A group of residents in the town of Prospect is facing the prospect of their lives changing irrevocably if BNE Energy succeeds in having its petition to build two industrial wind turbines granted by the Connecticut Siting Council. Their lives will be changed because their safety and health will be put at risk and their property will lose approximately 40% of its value. Over the last few weeks, this topic has been the subject of news articles, tv news stories, letters to local newspaper editors and the topic of many town meetings. BNE Energy and proponents of the project are trying to cloud the issue and portray these residents as NIMBYs, anti-green/renewable energy alternatives and uncaring about the dependence on fossil fuel. That is completely false. The true issue is that industrial wind turbines are not safe for residential neighborhoods.
The residents have organized into a group called SAVE PROSPECT CORP. The purpose of this group is to educate the residents of Prospect, surrounding towns and Connecticut to ensure that the public is truly informed about the project and its dangers and risks. The current expedited process needs to be stopped until proper regulations and setbacks are put in place by Connecticut legislators to ensure industrial wind turbines are sited responsibly with proper setbacks from residential neighborhoods and roads. Without proper setbacks the residents of Prospect will be in danger of ice throw off spinning blades, blade breaks, excessive noise, flicker, and catastrophic economic consequences. These residents will lose their American dream so that BNE can take advantage of a state that doesn’t have regulations and make a profit.
BNE Energy sent out a mailer to the residents of Prospect that listed the “benefits” of Wind Prospect. The list offered no information to support those claims. Visit www.saveprospect.com and see a wealth of information to support the fact that industrial wind turbines are not safe when improperly sited in residential neighborhoods. Responsible renewable energy is sited 1.25 miles from property lines and roads.
I ask all that read this letter take the time to visit www.saveprospect.com to learn about the dangers associated with improper siting of industrial wind turbines and put yourself in the shoes of those that will be within 1000 feet of the proposed 492 foot industrial wind turbines. Then stop and look around your neighborhood and town. Think about the undeveloped land around you and what could be built there if you remain indifferent or uneducated, in this case, about industrial wind turbines, the dangers associated with improperly sited turbines and the lack of regulations in the state of Connecticut.
Please support your neighbors and contact Save Prospect Corp and let them know you care about your neighbors and responsible renewable energy.
Helen Plante
Lifelong resident of Prospect, CT
