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8/29/2024 5:59:55 PM

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Section 18: Worcester County
Subject: Bertino: County Disrespected Msg# 1210530

From:

Tom Hemmick

Joined 7/21/2005

To:

Marty Clarke (Read) Past OPA Board Member

Joined 8/15/2004

Thanks Marty for bringing to our attention to the NC study from Kenneth Wolf. His message here today was an excellent narrative of the background of that study.

Impressive.

Thanks again Marty.

For reference, the above message is a reply to a message where:
I'd like to address a few of the comments made in recent days. It was asked “where is the empirical evidence that it (negative tourism effects) has happened around the world?” There isn't any evidence because there aren't a similar set of circumstances - putting turbines off a major resort beach , to my knowledge, anywhere in the world.
The key finding of the N.C. Study that " 54% of tourists said “they would not rent a vacation to home if turbines were in view at all, no matter how large a discount was offered on the rental price" I could not find then nor can I find now any credible refutation of this study. When I first became aware this study's potential impact I immediately began testing the study's credibility. I questioned both the study's author and the relevant information officer at NCSU about reaction they had received to this study, and principally what complaints and criticisms they had received. The author Laura Taylor said everything was positive and she had been sought out to speak several places since it's publication. The information officer said there was no negative reaction or pushback at all.
In subsequent weeks and months I asked people and organizations to tell me what flaws there were in this study. No one could give me any credible criticism or refute anything in the report, neither it's methodology or conclusions. A listing of some of the involved groups/ people I spoke to is:
• The Assateague Coastal Trust - of which I was a 6-year board member and 3-year president
• The Maryland public service commission
• The Maryland office of the People's council
• State senator Jim Mathias
• BOEM
• The Audubon society
One of the more revealing proofs of the studies credibility was repeatedly evident in a widely publicized and well attended presentation by Dr Anirban Basu of the Sage Policy Group at the Ocean Pines library(WBAL TV had a live crew and reporter). He was retained by the wind interests who were in attendance. I asked if he could dispute the findings in the North Carolina study... he couldn't . Afterwards I asked the same of the wind top executives that were with him. They just stammered and had no comments nor defense.
Once I had been convinced that this study had merit, I began campaigning that the government either move these wind turbines out of sight, or failing that, provide a legitimate comprehensive study involving all the stakeholders to prove that these turbines off Ocean City would not have a potential dire impact. And I leave you with one final proof , if the wind industry was convinced that the North Carolina study was wrong all they had to do was produce a credible study of their own and make this entire viewshed question go away. But they haven’t , they won’t , because they know they can’t , because this problem is real.

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