Did you watch the Select Board – Mayflower Wind Open Forum, June 8, 2022? If not, you may want to because it included much more than what was published in The Falmouth Enterprise.
On June 19, 2022, FHMNA distributed our June VISTA newsletter which had some photos and a summary of the Select Board’s Open Forum and a list of our recent activities regarding the Mayflower Wind cable project.
We encourage you to watch the Open Forum. It is 2 hours long, but well worth the time and can be watched all at once or piecemeal, filmed by FCTV, on YouTube.
What is special about this Forum is that, for the first time in many years, over 200 residents attended and had the opportunity to speak. Although Mayflower Wind was given 16 minutes to make a presentation, the rest of the time was allotted to people who lined up at 2 microphones to speak in turn for 3 minutes each. FHMNA President Dave Buzanoski mentioned he was representing over 450 of our members and was given 8 minutes. Cheryl Williams, co-President of the Teaticket Civic Association, representing over 250 members, also spoke.
Thirty (30) residents spoke in opposition to the proposed Falmouth landing site, representing various villages: the Heights (14), Hatchville (6), Teaticket (2), East Falmouth (2), Unidentified (2) and (1) each from Woods Hole, North Falmouth, West Falmouth, and Waquoit.
Four (4) residents and one (1) gentleman from Bourne spoke in favor. The residents were from Falmouth proper (1), Woods Hole (1), East Falmouth (1), and West Falmouth (1). Three of these speakers were contractors/commercial divers who were supporting local construction workers.
Although some speakers’ ideas overlapped, almost all had a singular, personal, environmental or scientific opinion to support their position.
The Falmouth Enterprise published an excellent overview of the meeting entitled, “Falmouth Residents Oppose Clean Energy Project“, including a map of the proposed Lawrence Lynch sub-station and quoting 17 of the 34 speakers. However, they left out some key points elucidated by those and other speakers:
1. Over 200 people attended the Wednesday evening session. More than any other open meeting in many years.
2. Mayflower Wind is an LLC (Limited Liability Corporation). Exactly what does that mean for our town and its citizens should any accidents or disasters happen? The Mayflower Wind representatives did not reply. It often means they are off the hook and in the end the residents/town pays with tax dollars. This is a subject which needs more research.
3. There will be a number of manhole covers along the route. Given the status of Mayflower Wind being an LLC, what will happen, who will be responsible if one of them blows up? FYI: two manholes recently blew up in Boston and NY City, injuring 7 people.
4. The sub-station will require a 20-foot wall to surround and protect the 15-foot circuit breakers within the station which could explode. One owner of property near a proposed substation said, (scroll to 57:35 if watching the Forum), “I have to look at it? I wouldn’t even put my horse back there”. This wall will permanently affect neighbors’ view, the value of their property, ecological damage due to its shadow, and worse, all the pollution that the substation itself will generate if it is installed.
5. One of the proposed sub-stations is directly over an aquifer which contributes to Falmouth’s drinking water. Will this LLC be responsible for clean-up if there is any leakage?
6. What happened to the Saturday morning Open Forum that the Select Board announced so that property owners would be able to attend easily? It was Mayflower Wind who was not available on the Saturdays offered to them by the Select Board. Instead, the Forum was held on a Wednesday evening at 6 pm where a Select Board member said there would be future Open Forums; however, they did not commit to a weekend meeting.
7. Mortgages may be denied by government-backed programs said one speaker who is a banker. As an example, FHMNA found the following online from FHA, “If a home is too close to a high-pressure gas pipeline, high voltage electrical wires, mining or drilling operations or other hazards, it may not be possible for your lender to approve the loan.” FHMNA has not verified Mayflower Wind’s earlier response that this does not affect underground cables.
8. Several citations from the EXPONENT report (the town’s independent consultant) add some doubt to a number of Mayflower Wind’s statements. Click here to read the full March 2022 report and scroll to 59:54 when watching the Forum on YouTube.
A. “MA Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB) previously deemed magnetic fields 0f 85 mg at the edge of transmissions lines right of way to be acceptable. Review of the EMF fact sheet, again submitted by Mayflower indicates that magnetic fields at the beach were calculated at less than 10 because the burial depth is greater than 50’, but were calculated to be much higher over the transmission vaults equal to 350 mg, or directly above burial cable duct banks of over 500 mg on portions of the onshore route where cables to be installed at shallower depths”.
B. “Magnetic field levels over transition vaults and cables would be up to 350 mg (e.g. greenways on Worcester Court, Crescent Park, etc). Nevertheless, it is surprising that Mayflower has not considered a plan to place splice vaults away from green space to minimize magnetic field exposure. Mayflower Wind mf levels at Mayflower Wind project are incomplete”. “Given some concerns of the members of the public about emf, Mayflower Wind could have estimated the effect of the project on magnetic fields at distances that might contribute to long-term average exposure”.
C. The report also points out discrepancies regarding noise and light pollution.
The fight is not over. Please share this with your neighbors and friends of Falmouth.