March 28, 2011
Wisconsin

Utility regulators to be asked for wind turbine siting rules

WTAQ, wtaq.com 28 March 2011

Wisconsin’s utility regulators will be asked for a second time to draft rules for locating high-tech windmills.

The Legislature’s rules committee struck down the original statewide standards drafted by the Public Service Commission. But the lawmakers’ action is only good for 30 days. And the original standards will take effect on Friday unless lawmakers do something else to stop them.

The rules committee will meet Tuesday, and it’s expected to ask the PSC to go back to the drawing board and propose something more acceptable. The PSC’s original guidelines would have required high-tech windmills to be located 1,250 feet from neighboring houses. The rules also included limits on noise and shadow-flickers.

Republican Governor Scott Walker proposed even stricter limits at the request of state Realtors. Earlier this month, Invenergy of Chicago scrapped plans for a new wind energy farm in southern Brown County, citing an uncertain regulatory climate in Wisconsin.

But the Brown County Citizens for Responsible Energy said Invenergy proposed a 1,000 foot setback from neighboring homes. And the group called that “irresponsible.”

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/03/28/utility-regulators-to-be-asked-for-wind-turbine-siting-rules/