2-km Wind Turbine Setbacks for Health and Well-Being

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Large wind energy turbines:

• Generate a wide range of noises and vibration, day and night, that cause loss of sleep, headaches, tinnitus, irritability, dizziness, nausea, and other symptoms in people who live near them.
• Raise noise levels to a degree that is incompatible with the rural and wild environments in which they are typically sited.
• Create intrusive shadow flicker over a long distance when the sun is behind the turning blades.
• May shed and throw large pieces of ice over a great distance.
• Are subject to stresses that often cause catastrophic blade failure, collapse, and fire.

Large wind turbines therefore need adequate setbacks to protect the health and safety of nearby residents. A moratorium on building large wind turbines is needed for epidemiologic and acoustic studies to determine safe setbacks. Meanwhile, a minimum distance of 2 kilometers (or 1-1/4 miles) between homes and the turbines is recommended by a number of noise and health experts.

In certain terrains, such as rolling hills, in quiet rural areas, and under some climatic conditions, and with increasing numbers of turbines, greater distances are required to protect the health and welfare of neighbors. Any specified setback, however, must be part of a robust set of regulations to also limit noise and protect wildlife, farm animals, the environment, and the landscape, all of which may well require much greater setbacks.

For more information, see

• "Health Effects of Noise from Large Wind Turbines"
• "Safe setbacks: How far should wind turbines be from homes?"

How to use this petition

Show it to your legislators and government officials in discussing regulation of the wind industry. Use it as a starting point for local zoning. Use it as a model for local petitions.

Use one of these graphics on your web site or blog:

Also see the European (epaw.org) and North American (na-paw.org) Platforms Against Windpower.