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Noisy Windmills

To the editor:

Why is it that supporters of commercial wind power routinely ignore the ever-growing mountain of data demonstrating this technology's ineffectiveness?

And why do they refuse to acknowledge increasing evidence that this kind of development is off the charts with supporting. Though some have insisted they've done the research, it's hard to comprehend their ultimate conclusions.

Wind turbines don't just sit quietly. They whir and blink and moan.

Wind developers are using the inexperience of policymakers and the lack of any guiding precedents to their advantage by telling us they are the experts, and "these" are the numbers to use as our parameters. Ironically, their "recommended" setbacks continue to shrink.

The only true mitigating factor with regard to proposed commercial-scale wind turbines and existing homes is adequate distance. Acoustic expert Dick Bowdler states that putting such massive machines so close to residents is likely to cause serious problems. He advocates at least 1.25-mile setbacks.

Wind developers insist that their skyscraper-sized steel monsters make good neighbors, despite mounting data to the contrary. And because few question their "expert" status, and because towns want to say yes to those pay-outs, the claims are accepted at face value.

The commercial wind industry is making a mockery of environmental and renewable energy advocates who support them.

They're often ruthless in their local activities, and will no doubt disappear long before we can hold them accountable for their indiscretions against us and against the planet.

Sue Sliwinski National Windwatch Inc.

We Support

HB 628

To the editor:

Senate Bill 628, which governs health care decisionmaking for incompetent patients, was adopted unanimously by the House of Representatives on Monday. Gov. Rendell is expected to sign it quickly. The State Senate passed the bill in October.

We support this legislation because it provides greater clarity and protections for patients and physicians. SB 628 provides for medical treatment decisions to be made for an adult patient through: instructions in a living will; a representative appointed through power of attorney; or, a health care representative designated by the patient, or by default, based upon a statutory list of priorities.

The bill also incorporates existing law provisions for out-of-hospital "do not resuscitate" (DNR) orders.

Previously, procedures for health care agents and representatives were not clearly defined. As a result, physicians sometimes were faced with the dilemma of either ignoring patient autonomy, or risking adverse legal ramifications.

SB 628 provides both greater clarity and protections for patients and physicians.

The bill also requires the Department of Health to consider, in consultation with an advisory committee, adoption of a standardized form for a "physician's order for life sustaining treatment" (POLST), which would provide for continuity of DNR and other life-sustaining treatment orders from one setting to another.

Our organization has been working for a number of years to obtain a POLST order.

We applaud state lawmakers for bringing greater clarity to a difficult issue.

Thank you, Charles A. Moran Pa. Medical Society