News for Minnesota Residents concerned with the regulation of Wind Energy Conversion Systems  

Representative Andrew Falk is trying to unravel the County’s authority to delineate more stringent standards and abolish a key PUC Order that is used by counties through introduction of a Bill titled: H.F No. 2019.

https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/bin/bldbill.php?bill=H2019.0.html&session=ls86

On 1/11/08 the Minnesota PUC issued an Order, DOCKET NO. EG-999/M-07-l-102 PUC ORDER ESTABLISHING GENERAL WIND PERMIT STANDARDS.

http://energyfacilities.puc.state.mn.us/resource.html?Id=19461

This document was created in collaboration with many private citizens, local Planning and Zoning Administrators and the technical folks within the Department of Commerce. This PUC Order is currently being used by local P&Z Administrators as the set of standards the PUC uses when Permitting WECS.

It is clear the C-BED (Community Based Energy Development) Lobby is not happy with the delineated Setback Standards within the PUC Order, especially a Setback referred to as the “Wind Access Buffer Setback”. The Wind Access Buffer Setback is a defined setback between a Wind Turbine’s location and a Land Owner’s Property Line that has chosen not to participate in allowing their lands to be used for Wind Energy development. Apparently Representative Falk has been influenced by the C-BED Lobby to introduce the aforementioned Bill, one that would erode the rights at the County Level to define more stringent requirements and to circumvent the use the PUC Order cite above as guidance. This is nothing more than an attempt by the C-BED Lobby to eliminate Wind Turbine Setbacks, abolish the rights of those land owners rights not wanting to participate in Wind Development and lastly, create confusion regarding the PUC Standards so Developer Attorneys can storm the local Planning and Zoning Boards for their own gain.

Scott Riddlemoser
Balaton, MN