copyright the Chronicle November 1, 2017
by Joseph Gresser
MONTPELIER — A regulation that sets limits on how much noise a wind turbine can produce was approved by the Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules on Thursday, October 26, by a 5-2 vote.
The committee room in the State House wasn’t as packed as it was for earlier meetings about the rule, but about 20 people dressed in hazard vests indicating their opposition to industrial wind development on ridgelines, attended.
Committee members heard only from witnesses representing the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), which until recently was called the Public Service Board.
The Legislature passed Act 174 in 2016. The law told the PUC to set sound standards for wind turbines.
The rule the PUC wrote in response to the legislative mandate sets a noise limit of 42 decibels during the day and 39 decibels at night.
Representatives from the PUC explained the standard was based on a World Health Organization finding that more people’s sleep and health is disturbed by noises louder than 30 decibels.
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