Walker’s wind rules protect property owners
The Cap Times, host.madison.com 24 January 2011
Keith Reopelle’s comments in the Cap Times speak unfavorably of the impact of Gov. Scott Walker’s move to prohibit construction of wind turbines closer than 1,800 feet from property lines.
Walker states he is protecting property owners and, fortunately, someone is finally doing that. Reopelle’s comment that the Public Service Commission’s guidelines protect property owners is a farce. The failure by the industry and the PSC to address the citizens already suffering from excessive sound levels and decreased property values tells me the risk belongs to me, the potential neighbor of 400-foot to 500-foot turbines. If the PSC’s guidelines didn’t reflect the state real estate association’s data on decreased property values, if the industry cannot guarantee acceptable sound levels prior to construction, etc., the risk is all mine.
As long as there is not a clear and easy recourse to ensure my rights and property values are protected, I will strongly object to construction of wind turbines near me. The common good must be balanced with individual rights. In that regard, I will look to the treatment by the industry and government of those already suffering health issues and property losses. Right now, these citizens seem to be ignored.
Elaine Strassburg
Evansville
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/01/24/walkers-wind-rules-protect-property-owners/