May 8, 2008
Illinois
Illinois
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 with Joel Lemkemann and Committee Chairman Kenneth Uphoff, voted in favor of it. Opposed were Thomas Evans and Stanley Glazier.
Speaking during the meeting, Whitaker said he was frustrated with the fact that the 40-turbine project has been blocked from discussion by the County Board since it won approval from the county’s Zoning Board of Appeals in August.
A lack of an agreement between the developer, Minneapolis-based Navitas Energy, and road commissioners from El Paso, Palestine and Greene townships is currently keeping it on hold. The county’s ZBA recommendation called for an agreement to be in place as a condition for approval.
Bloomington attorney Robert Lenz who represents the three commissioners declined to comment on the vote.
Whitaker said the deadlocked negotiations between the two have tied the board’s hands, preventing it from taking any sort of action, whether favorable or unfavorable, on the issue. Putting it on the agenda, he said, would finally bring about some movement.
By Frank Radosevich II
7 May 2008
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/05/08/controversial-el-paso-wind-farm-project-sent-to-county-board/