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Family files wind farm complaint
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capital newspapers The Wirtzes=E2=80=99 home =
on Highway YY in=20
the Town of LeRoy stands vacant after the family filed for bankruptcy =
and moved=20
out in September 2009 due to health and financial hardship claimed to be =
caused=20
by the nearby wind farm. The turbine behind the home stands 1,250 feet =
away.=20
OAKFIELD - A former Town of LeRoy family has filed a formal complaint = April 1=20 with the Wisconsin Public Service Commission against Invenergy, a = Chicago based=20 energy company that owns the Forward Wind Energy Center located in Dodge = and=20 Fond du Lac Counties.
Jason and Ann Wirtz and their four children used to reside in a home = on=20 Highway YY in the town of LeRoy that was situated within the FWEC. = According to=20 the complaint, the Wirtzes suffered both physical and financial = hardships from=20 living near the wind turbines.
"The Wirtzes were forced out of their home by the noise and vibration = of the=20 wind turbines," said Edward Marion, the family's lawyer. "So, they lost = all the=20 money in their house, and they lost the value of their livestock, which = is a=20 herd of alpacas."
The Wirtzes bought their home in 1997, before the wind farm was = built, and=20 began renovations and started breeding alpacas. According to the = complaint, once=20 the turbines began running, the family began developing health problems = ranging=20 from headaches and fatigue to intestinal and anxiety issues.
The nearest turbine was located 1,250 feet from the home and was even = closer=20 to the pole shed in which the alpacas were housed. None of the turbines = was on=20 the Wirtzes' property.
"The noise echoed through the shed like the sound of jet engines," = the=20 complaint states. "Baby alpacas had always come full term. After the = FWEC began=20 operating, two baby alpacas aborted, and one was stillborn," Ann = said.
The family attempted to sell their home in 2006, but most real estate = agents=20 did not want to list it. Because they could no longer stand living there = and=20 could not afford owning two homes, the Wirtzes filed for bankruptcy in = September=20 2009 and moved to Oakfield.
"What they're trying to do now is to recover, from the company that = runs the=20 wind power plant, the money that they lost for their property and also = the=20 damage to their health while they lived there," Marion said. "We haven't = asked=20 for a specific amount of money."
Invenergy is aware of the complaint but was not able to comment on = the=20 specifics. But the company said there is no correlation between the = turbines and=20 any impact on health.
"There's been a lot of research and analysis of health effects with = wind=20 turbines. Most of the studies are pretty clear there is no connection," = said=20 Will Borders, deputy general counsel for Invenergy.
For the FWEC, the allowed decibel range is 50 during the day and 45 = at night.=20 According to the Wind Turbine Sound and Health Effects Expert Panel = Review, 50=20 decibels is about the same noise that someone would hear from light auto = traffic=20 50 feet away.
A study conducted by the Minnesota Department of Health connects = adverse=20 health effects to wind turbine operations.
According to the WPSC's administration code, Invenergy has 20 days to = respond=20 to the complaint and the commission has 60 days to decide what to do = with the=20 complaint.
Posted in News, Local on Wednesday, = April 14,=20 2010 11:42 pm
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=C2=A9 Copyright 2010,
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