This letter will be hand delivered to the Clinton County Planning Commission on December 26, 2012.
Dear Planning Commission:
I write regarding the Special Land Use/Final Site Plan submitted by Forest Hill Energy (PC-32-
12).
This issue has become highly contentious here in Clinton County, draining to both the residents
and to members of the Planning Commission. As of today, nothing good will come of approving
the permit; the county most likely is concerned about a law suit if it denies the permit. The
problem is: too much of the information about industrial wind turbine technology and its
effects on people is speculative.
I am requesting that the Planning Commission pass a five year moratorium on industrial wind
turbines in Clinton County for the following reasons:
1. The Planning Commission is authorized to act on behalf of its residents: specifically, for the
health, safety, and welfare of Clinton County residents. The most important issue the Planning
Commission can look at us: Are these industrial wind turbines safe for the residents? Do or can
these industrial wind turbines harm or affect the health of the residents? Do these industrial
wind turbines promote the welfare of Clinton County residents?
2. The answer to the first question as to whether or not the industrial wind turbines are safe is
not clear: in the manuals published by the manufacturers of these wind turbines the workers
themselves are not permitted to be as close to functioning wind turbines as our properties will
be. The bottom line to this is: a worker may not get as close to an operating wind turbine as
I can get while still standing on my property. Is this what the county intends? Approving this
special use permit would not promote the safety of residents in the 3 township area presently
affected.
3. The answer to the second question as to whether or not industrial wind turbines are healthy
is even more worrisome, and even speculative. Numerous studies have been performed across
the country which are shedding light on health affects and noise pollution. These have been
published not only through universities, but also in newspapers, and by wind energy companies
themselves. There are acoustical engineers on both sides of this: there are engineers who
argue that the frequencies are safe; others who argue that they are unsafe. Toss into this
melee of information the fact that industrial wind turbines are manufactured by more than
one company and the results are even more speculative. If wind turbines did not affect at least
some people’s health, there would not have been any studies. It is the fact that they did affect
the health of at least some members of the population that has created the need for further
study. Again, approving the special use permit at this stage of the game might adversely affect,
and might not promote the health of residents.
3. The answer to the third question as to whether or not the industrial wind turbines promote
the welfare of residents is easy. The welfare (definition of welfare: the condition of faring
well; exemption from pain or discomfort; prosperity) of those residents who will live adjacent
to wind turbines, as you have heard from them time and time again, will be adversely affected.
They have brought a wealth of data regarding property values, shadow flicker, and personal
preference/discomfort. Approving the special use permit right now will absolutely negatively
affect the welfare of those residents. You have heard this on a regular basis from 200, if not
more, of those residents.
4. On the other side of the coin, there is a handful (only 27) residents who have spoken in
favor of these industrial wind turbines. Looking at the site plan proposed by Forest Hill and
comparing it with the records held by the equalization department, one can easily see that
these 27 residents have all signed a contract with Forest Hill Energy to place industrial wind
turbines on his/her property. Those 27 people will argue that their welfare will be enhanced.
5. On that same sign of the coin the Planning Commission might be lured by the promised
tax dollars to the county. Yes, the Federal subsidies for these industrial wind turbines might
continue and this form of energy which is highly subsidized might provide economic relief
for Clinton County. These highly subsidized companies would, with Federal dollars they
receive, pay personal property taxes to the county. In other words, my personal Federal tax
dollars might be used to subsidize the wind turbine placed right behind my house, degrading
my comfort in my home and on my property, potentially affecting my health, lowering my
property value, while my Clinton County neighbors receive these (my) Federal tax dollars which
were siphoned through Forest Hill Energy. However, once these subsidies are gone, these
companies will most likely be out of business and there will be no income to the county.
The decision you make now affects all of us for the next 30 years. It would seem to me that
you are put in an untenable position, and I appreciate this. With so much information being
speculative, with the only apparent supporters being the Federally subsidized company and the
27 residents who will benefit economically, I would like the Planning Commission, if it feels it is
not in a legal position to deny the special use permit, to put a five year moratorium on all wind
energy projects in the county. Huron County did the same on November 14, 2012. The five year moratorium would give time for more information to be verified and not as speculative.
The five year moratorium will hold at a status quo the health and safety of the residents, and it
will certainly positively affect the welfare of those residents whose properties are adjacent to
the proposed wind turbines.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Dallam Ayoub
P.S. I typically cite all of the studies I have used, but this letter would have been far too
lengthy. The information is readily available to all, both in scholarly publications as well as in
newspapers. Most, if not all of it, has already been provided to you.
