May 27, 2010
Oregon

Oregon wind farm violates state noise regulations

By David Nogueras, Oregon Public Broadcasting | news.opb.org 27 may 2010

People living near the Willow Creek wind farm in Morrow Country felt the winds shift in their favor this week.

Tuesday night The Morrow County Planning Commission found the plant in violation of state noise regulations. OPB’s David Nogueras has more.

The Willow Creek farm is made up of about 50 turbines. The project went online in January 2009, but the complaints began soon after the giant blades began to turn.

Dan Williams of Boardman told the Associated Press that the turbines made enough noise to keep him awake in bed at night.

Carla McLane is Planning Director for Morrow County. She says while the commission did rule the wind farm was violating state regulations, it found the turbines only crossed the noise threshold at certain times of day and under certain conditions. Carla McLane: “Some would want to view it in black and white and if it’s a violation then you have to shut them down. Others would want to view it in terms of shade of gray and say it’s not an ongoing and continuous violation. It’s an intermittent violation.”

The wind farm is owned by Chicago based, Invenergy. The commission gave the company six months to comply with the regulations.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2010/05/27/oregon-wind-farm-violates-state-noise-regulations/