Limiting the Amount of Wind Turbines in Massachusetts
Limiting the Amount of Wind Turbines in Massachusetts
The Issue
What’s the Problem?
As we move into a brighter future, we want and value the idea of a better environment with healthier people. We are on track with this dream and soon it may become a reality, but there are still problems hurting the world. In Massachusetts, people are trying many new, different, “better” energies but there’s a problem with this. Wind turbines are a form of green energy that aren't as healthy for the environment and people as they seem. There needs to be something done about it.
The Health Problems
Most people are oblivious to how wind turbines hurt the environment and the people who live around them. They think that anything is better than fossil fuels. So what if it’s not perfect? What most people don’t know is all the health problems that this energy causes. Windmills are constantly making sound whether it’s the blades turning or the humming of the generator. People that live or work close to turbines are constantly hearing these noises. Turbines themselves also have an electromagnetic field that also affects health. After some exposure, most people develop what is referred to as Wind Turbine Syndrome which includes headaches, nausea, dizziness and hearing problems. These symptoms can range from things like sleep loss to anxiety and depression. Light pollution from wind turbines at night can be harmful to sleep as well as add on to the health side effects. Wind Turbines may seem good but they have terrible effects on people’s health.
The Environmental Problems
Along with health problems, with every wind turbine the environment becomes a little more damaged. Take Gloucester’s Blackburn Industrial Park, back in 2022 a 160 foot long blade fell onto an office building in the middle of the night. No one was injured but this still had major effects on Gloucester and its citizens. This blade was made of fiberglass like all other windmill blades in Massachusetts. Fiberglass is a non recyclable meaning that means all of these wind turbine parts end up in landfills. As well as being made of bad materials, wind turbines use oils to run and a regular wind turbine uses 80 to 120 gallons of oil this is synthetic oil that is harmful to the environment alone without being put into a windmill. Animals like birds are also heavily affected. Wind turbines are estimated to kill 140,000-670,000 annually. Birds are a key aspect of many ecosystems and in the coming years habitats may face some serious problems due to the missing player in the food chain. This statistic does not include the countless marine animals that are being harmed by offshore wind turbines. While taking up lots of land these windmills are causing a lot of problems to many habitats.
Why Does it Matter?
The people of Massachusetts take pride in caring for the environment and health care, yet we still support this faulty equipment. The health of many people is at stake and while it may be a headache for some it could be serious for others. The environment is also at stake with both bad materials or the death of birds and other wildlife. These wind turbines are producing energy but at what cost.
The Solution
Other states are starting to realize that the problems that windmills cause outweigh the energy they produce. Democratic senator Roger Star of Vermont once said "I know of no place in the state where we can place industrial wind turbines without creating an unacceptable level of damage to our environment and our people". It’s clear that wind turbines aren’t the form of green energy that will power are tomorrow yet so many places are falling back on them. The Blackburn Industrial Park has already started plans for dismantling their wind turbines in the coming year and this will hopefully spark ideas for other small wind farms. As of today, there are 9 wind projects and 21 currently active, each of them hurting more than helping. If we could limit how many wind farms in the state, Massachusetts will become a better state. This problem will never be solved unless we work in our community to stand against wind.
Sources
https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/wind-turbines-health.htm
https://cleanview.co/wind-farms/massachusetts
1
The Issue
What’s the Problem?
As we move into a brighter future, we want and value the idea of a better environment with healthier people. We are on track with this dream and soon it may become a reality, but there are still problems hurting the world. In Massachusetts, people are trying many new, different, “better” energies but there’s a problem with this. Wind turbines are a form of green energy that aren't as healthy for the environment and people as they seem. There needs to be something done about it.
The Health Problems
Most people are oblivious to how wind turbines hurt the environment and the people who live around them. They think that anything is better than fossil fuels. So what if it’s not perfect? What most people don’t know is all the health problems that this energy causes. Windmills are constantly making sound whether it’s the blades turning or the humming of the generator. People that live or work close to turbines are constantly hearing these noises. Turbines themselves also have an electromagnetic field that also affects health. After some exposure, most people develop what is referred to as Wind Turbine Syndrome which includes headaches, nausea, dizziness and hearing problems. These symptoms can range from things like sleep loss to anxiety and depression. Light pollution from wind turbines at night can be harmful to sleep as well as add on to the health side effects. Wind Turbines may seem good but they have terrible effects on people’s health.
The Environmental Problems
Along with health problems, with every wind turbine the environment becomes a little more damaged. Take Gloucester’s Blackburn Industrial Park, back in 2022 a 160 foot long blade fell onto an office building in the middle of the night. No one was injured but this still had major effects on Gloucester and its citizens. This blade was made of fiberglass like all other windmill blades in Massachusetts. Fiberglass is a non recyclable meaning that means all of these wind turbine parts end up in landfills. As well as being made of bad materials, wind turbines use oils to run and a regular wind turbine uses 80 to 120 gallons of oil this is synthetic oil that is harmful to the environment alone without being put into a windmill. Animals like birds are also heavily affected. Wind turbines are estimated to kill 140,000-670,000 annually. Birds are a key aspect of many ecosystems and in the coming years habitats may face some serious problems due to the missing player in the food chain. This statistic does not include the countless marine animals that are being harmed by offshore wind turbines. While taking up lots of land these windmills are causing a lot of problems to many habitats.
Why Does it Matter?
The people of Massachusetts take pride in caring for the environment and health care, yet we still support this faulty equipment. The health of many people is at stake and while it may be a headache for some it could be serious for others. The environment is also at stake with both bad materials or the death of birds and other wildlife. These wind turbines are producing energy but at what cost.
The Solution
Other states are starting to realize that the problems that windmills cause outweigh the energy they produce. Democratic senator Roger Star of Vermont once said "I know of no place in the state where we can place industrial wind turbines without creating an unacceptable level of damage to our environment and our people". It’s clear that wind turbines aren’t the form of green energy that will power are tomorrow yet so many places are falling back on them. The Blackburn Industrial Park has already started plans for dismantling their wind turbines in the coming year and this will hopefully spark ideas for other small wind farms. As of today, there are 9 wind projects and 21 currently active, each of them hurting more than helping. If we could limit how many wind farms in the state, Massachusetts will become a better state. This problem will never be solved unless we work in our community to stand against wind.
Sources
https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/wind-turbines-health.htm
https://cleanview.co/wind-farms/massachusetts
1
Petition created on March 19, 2026