March 30, 2011
Wisconsin

Under new leadership, PSC to tackle wind siting again

By Thomas Content of the Journal Sentinel, www.jsonline.com 29 March 2011

The Legislature’s joint committee for review of administrative rules voted Tuesday to punt the thorny issue of how close wind turbines should be from nearby properties back to the state Public Service Commission.

The committee voted 5-to-3 to introduce the bill along party lines, with Republicans in support and Democrats against. The same committee had voted earlier this month to block the PSC wind siting rule from taking effect.

Tuesday’s vote essentially ends development of the rule it drafted last year and requires the commission to start over on a new one.

Wind energy developers said they wanted to see the rule go into effect because it gave developers guidance on how to proceed with investments in wind projects.

But Republicans sided with wind-farm opponents, the Wisconsin Realtors Association and Wisconsin Towns Association, which considered the PSC rule to favorable to wind-industry interests and too restrictive from a property rights perspective.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/03/30/under-new-leadership-psc-to-tackle-wind-siting-again/