April 2, 2008
Illinois
Illinois
PONTIAC – A public hearing is scheduled later this month on a proposal to bring wind turbines to Livingston County.
The Livingston County Zoning Board of Appeals will hear comments about PPM Energy’s special-use application beginning at 7 p.m. April 28 in the Pontiac Township High School auditorium, 110 E. Indiana Ave.
The proposed Streator-Cayuga Ridge South Wind Project is located between Odell and Emington in Odell and Union townships.
County zoning administrator Chuck Schopp said a public hearing will be held later for the northern part of the project, which is west of Interstate 55.
PPM will present its plans and the public can ask questions or testify. The hearing could take up to three days.
PPM spokeswoman Jan Johnson said various experts, including project developer Jesper Michaelsen, will attend.
Once the hearing is completed, the zoning board will review information from the application and public hearing and make a recommendation to the Livingston County Board, which would approve or deny the special-use application.
Schopp said a recommendation should be available within 30 days of the hearing.
PPM Energy, of Portland, Ore., wants to build 450 turbines in 46,000 acres that stretch across Livingston and LaSalle counties.
The entire project could make PPM the highest-paying property tax entity in the county, spending $34 million to $45 million for every 100 turbines over the project’s 25-year lifespan.
The project also would create 200 construction jobs and 10 to 15 permanent jobs for every 100 turbines of the project.
By Tony Sapochetti
tsapochetti@pantagraph.com
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/04/02/livingston-co-zoning-board-to-consider-wind-turbines/