Since then, neighbors have complained that the wind turbines were driving them crazy, causing vertigo, migraines, difficulty sleeping, and the scary phenomenon of “shadow flicker.” Lyons conclusion: Since the town was pulling in $11 million annually — revenue it clearly didn’t want to give up — the neighbors would probably be forced to move.
Turns out the wind turbines weren’t causing any health effects. Yesterday, a state panel comprised of the departments of Environmental Protection and Public Health released a report showing that there was no evidence that the turbine was causing illness. The study conceded that it was possible that the noise could potentially disrupt some people’s sleep — and warned of the dangers of ice being flung by the turbine’s blades — but that was all. No vertigo, no migraines, and no shadow flicker (thank God!).
Rather, it seems, the neighbors are suffering from a classic illness: NIMBYism. For the unacquainted: Not In My Back Yard.
As the executive editor of Boston, Patrick Doyle edits the magazine’s long-form narratives and oversees the digital department; he also writes on politics and urbanism. Previously, he worked for seven years at 5280, Denver’s city and regional magazine, finishing his tenure there as the senior/digital editor. Doyle’s freelance writing has appeared in Men’s Journal, Skiing, Mountain, American Cowboy, and Philadelphia. He received his B.A. in psychology from Villanova University, and studied as a fellow at the Knight Digital Media Center’s 2011 Web 2.0 program at the University of California, Berkeley.
Patrick Doyle, blogs.bostonmagazine.com/boston_daily/author/pdoyle/
