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Dear Editor;
Wisconsin has been invaded! The invader: 600-foot-tall Industrial wind turbines and high-voltage transmission lines, up to 150 feet tall. Why does the state continue to allow these energy companies destroy our land and health?
We need to stand up and fight for the rights: the right to control our own land, the right to live without shadow flicker, the right to live without infrasound.
Look up the stories yourself at https://stories.usatodaynetwork.com/windfarms/in-your-own-words/
Hundreds of citizens affected by Industrial Wind Farms and yes Pattern energy is among those companies. In Imperial County California, the Ocotillo Wind Farm owned by Pattern has it's own issues. Parke Ewing writes "Pattern Energy claims to be good neighbors! A good neighbor doesn't install bright, red blinking lights that ruin our sitting on the front porch at night time. A good neighbor doesn't generate loud, thumping, swooshing wind turbine blade noise torture, that forces you to retreat to the inside of your house because the noise is so irritating. A good neighbor doesn't place 348' tall spinning 11 ton, 176' long spinning blades all around your home that not only destroys your once peaceful home but destroys the reason we decided to live in the rural area to begin with."
And closer to home we can find residents in Columbia County , WI affected by the Glacier Hills Wind Energy Center owned by WE Energies. The Kok family recorded over 330 hours of shadow flicker the first year along with other health effects. After 6 years of complaints filed with the PSC and WE Energies, WE Energies finally purchased the Kok's home. Gary Steinich tried to terminate his contract after the turbine noise and shadow flicker became unbearable. Eventually he quit farming and sold his farm since WE Energies controlled his land.
There are many adverse impacts from the industrial wind turbines if they do not have proper setbacks. Many of these impacts, such as infrasound (sound the human ear cannot hear, but the body can feel) have not been adequately studied.
The wind companies state that the people living with turbines on their properties have no complaints regarding negative and/or health impacts. The reality is that landowners/leaseholders sign an easement for noise, infrasound, shadow flicker, vibration, communications interference, etc. In essence, this is a "gag order" of sorts that prevents a leaseholder from ever voicing a complaint publicly.
In reality, these turbines have very little impact on decreasing carbon emissions and a huge impact on our rural way of life and our health and peaceful well being. Furthermore, there is no proven public need for these turbines in this area. We already have access to safe, reliable electricity and will continue to have that access even if no wind turbines are erected.
The time to stop our pristine rural way of life from being turned into a commercial industrial wind plant is NOW! Don't let our Driftless area become an industrial wasteland. More information is available on No-Uplands.com and DriftlessDefenders.com

Steve Ferrell
Iowa County Landowner