Letters - Jan. 7, 2010

Stingy

I think it is great that the county has been thrifty (stingy) over the last several years and built up a nice reserve fund. I commend the commissioners for doing this, but... a reserve fund is in place for when you have an emergency and sometimes you have to tap into it to pay for things such as, I don’t know, maybe public safety which is one of the responsibilities.

I am tired of hearing about how broke the county is when it is their fault (the commissioners). They drug their feet on the Hawkins project and that should be bringing in revenue, and now it is on the verge of falling apart. They are going to drag their feet on wind towers till that horse has left the barn.

Other counties are bringing in revenue and growing even during these hard times, an example is the county at Biggs Junction, Ore., where they formed a wind power district and the wind companies are paying enough money to the county that the county is fine and they cut a check to all county taxpayers last year to the tune of $600 each. We should be proactive here and quit dragging our feet every time we have a chance to bring the county into the new century... We can balance the farming lifestyle and growth in the county.

One other question I have is where does the money from the towns that contract services with the Sheriff’s department go? Does it go into the general fund or into the Sheriff’s budget since he went out and got the contracts and does all the work? We need to tap the reserve fund and keep all the deputies.

I think our county staff is underpaid and treated very badly by some of our commissioners (I worked briefly on the county road crew so please do not give me this crap that they do not work hard I saw them do their best for this county) who took all their raises and never said a word about how broke the county was then.

We can be a progressive county and balance our way of life with growth, but not with Commissioner Partch in office.

Rick Squibb,

Tekoa

Wavelengths

The Gazette has made an inaccurate summary in its article “Controversy Swirls around Wind Turbine Ordinance.” It is not about loud noise—it is about long wavelengths.

When the blades of an industrial wind turbine pass the support structure, low frequency noise is created. (See NASA’s report Wind Turbine Acoustics.) Low frequency noise is usually inaudible.

It is not what one hears; it is what one feels that is the problem.

Low frequency noise has a very, very long wavelength.

According to NASA, and others, these long wavelengths penetrate houses and can actually be amplified by the structures.

Low frequency sound waves from wind turbines go right through walls and right through people. A bombardment of low frequency sound waves might not be loud, but the long wavelengths bother people when they travel through the body.

The acoustical engineers have termed it “annoyance.”

People have a hard time sleeping when these low frequency sound waves are going through their bodies.

Lack of sleep leads to ill health. In order to protect the public health, Whitman County must keep industrial wind turbines at least 3,300 feet from residential property, or limit low frequency noise pollution to 50 dB C daytime, 40 dB C nighttime.

The County Planner says that low frequency noise is not a problem.

I disagree, and will ask the judge to compel the Planner to study the issue in more depth.

Now for the Gazette’s errors in last week’s article:

1) I did not “deride” anything.

2) I did not say that “swooshing” creates low frequency noise.

3) To my knowledge, county planning officials have never stated that I “have no verified scientific proof that wind turbines produce low frequency noise.”

No one is questioning whether or not industrial wind turbines create low frequency noise. It is a proven fact that the turbines do create these very long wavelengths.

What is at question is whether or not the low frequency noise pollution from industrial wind turbines is harmful to nearby residents.

There is ample evidence to warrant prudence in the placement of industrial wind turbines near residential property.

Roger Whitten,

Oakesdale