Wind Power News: Illinois
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These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They are the products of the organizations or individuals noted.
Livingston County hearing heeds public's comments on wind farms
Public comment for or against a proposed 155-turbine wind farm in Livingston County continued at a Livingston County Zoning Board of Appeals hearing Monday night.
Opponents argued the wind farm would endanger public health and the environment and damage property values. Those in favor of the development said it was a “win-win” situation because various taxing bodies would benefit from the property taxes, and they saw no problems with an existing wind farm in McLean County.
“I’ve …
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Woodford County wanting to facilitate El Paso wind farm votes
A Woodford County Board committee voted Monday to recommend that the board act as a “facilitator” in bringing the El Paso Wind Farm to a vote.
“To me it’s just a total failure of leadership,” central services committee Chairman Gary Jones of East Peoria said. “Maybe this does no good, but I know what doing nothing does.”
Jones said the intent is not to recommend a vote for or against the wind farm, but an effort to …
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Wind farm is positively a bad idea for county
I have to respond to DeKalb County Board Chairwoman Ruth Anne Tobias’ comments concerning Florida Power & Light Energy’s push to “green up” our county (see last Wednesday’s Page A1 article “Wind power plan could arrive in July”).
In the article, Tobias said of the wind farm plan that she hopes “people would think about it more positively.” I agree.
Will there be a tremendous surge in construction traffic, noise and dust because of the more than …
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El Paso wind farm whips up trouble; Woodford board member removed from committee seats for proposal
Woodford County Board member Larry Whitaker was removed Thursday from his seats on three county committees after he tried to place the contentious El Paso wind farm project before the board, officials confirmed Friday.
Board Chairman John Krug said he pulled Whitaker, a 10-year veteran of the board, from the Road and Bridge Committee, the Conservation, Planning, and Zoning Committee as well as his seat on the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission because Whitaker overstepped his bounds …
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County opens door to wind farm growth
Applications for the erection of 300 more wind turbines in La Salle County are possible within the next 90 days. That was the prediction of Mike Harsted, director of La Salle County’s Environmental Services and Land Use office, just prior to the County Board’s vote to lift restrictions on wind farm growth.
Instead of a limit on megawatt production, the restriction now is a limit of 100 new wind turbines per year per applicant.
Harsted said the …
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Effort to block wind farm forum fails
HARTSBURG – Climbing over an 11th-hour bump in the road, Rail Splitter Wind Farm presented its case Thursday to the Logan County Zoning Board of Appeals, which will make a recommendation on the company’s request to place 29 wind turbines along the Union Ridge in northern Logan County.
The appeals board is meeting in response to a recommendation from the Logan County Regional Planning Commission, which earlier this week gave its approval to the wind farm …
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Wind farm plans advance
The Logan County Regional Planning Commission voted Wednesday to recommend approval of a conditional-use zoning permit for Horizon Wind Energy to construct the Rail Splitter Wind Farm, which will take up sections of agriculturally zoned land in southern Tazewell County and northern Logan County.
The meeting, which lasted approximately two-and-a-half hours, was mostly dominated by lawyers’ speeches from both Union Ridge Wind, which opposes the project, and Horizon.
Horizon will present expert witnesses from its side at …
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Controversial El Paso wind farm project sent to County Board
The Woodford County Road and Bridge Committee voted at its meeting today to send the controversial El Paso wind farm to the County Board for action.
By a 3-2 vote, the committee agreed to place the item on the May 20 agenda where the board, in theory, will either approve, reject or table the nearly 3,000-acre project slated to sit between El Paso and Secor.
The motion was put forth by board member Larry Whitaker who, along …
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Wind farm hearings will draw crowds
Logan County regional planner Phil Mahler said he expects to hear a lot of opposition to a proposed wind farm at today’s Regional Planning Commission meeting, set for 7:30 p.m. in the Logan County Courthouse.
Barb Aper of Union Ridge Wind hopes to exceed Mahler’s expectations.
“Ten or so people from our group will be attending, but there will be other people from different areas,” Aper said. “We’re hoping to have between 15 and 20 people.”
She …
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Wind power plan could arrive in July
A proposal to build an 80-turbine wind farm straddling the DeKalb-Lee county line could be before the two counties’ boards as early as July, representatives of Florida Power & Light Energy said at an open house Tuesday.
The power company hosted the meeting to answer the public’s questions about the proposal. A second open house is scheduled for Wednesday evening.
The company proposed a 64-turbine farm in DeKalb County in 2003. Despite a vocal opposition, FPL obtained …
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