March 24, 2012
Illinois

Wind farms: good for energy bad for residents

By Jeremiah D. McDaniel, www.kwqc.com 23 March 2012

Nine turbines could be built in Whiteside county, two less then a mile and a half from the village of Deer Grove.

Throughout Lee, Bureau, and Whiteside counties 90 could be built, but residents in Deer Grove say they don’t want them in their backyards.

“The constituency does not want them, I’m going to guess 95 percent of the people down here do not want them, everyone I’ve talked to is against the wind towers,” said Al Thompson, Mayor of Deer Grove.

He’s lived there his whole life, and the possibility of having wind turbines near his house has him contemplating moving.

“If they go ahead with it and they’re too close for my comfort, yes, I will move,” said Thompson.

One of the biggest worries Thompson has about the turbines is the wind flicker that he says people in Ohio Illinois are having a problem with.
“Constant flicker through your house, even with shades drawn you can see it in there,” said Thompson.

From his property line you can faintly make out turbines spinning in the wind.

“From here you can see them over in Ohio and that’s about eight miles away, they look big there so you can imagine what they’re going to look at 1,400 feet outside someone’s back door,” said Thompson.

County leaders want to start work on nine turbines before the end of the year and that would just be the first phase.

“The original plan called for 90 and of course two of those may not get built because of proximity to Deer Grove, which would make it 88,” said Stuart Richter, Whiteside County Zoning and Planning administrator.

Whiteside County doesn’t have to put out any money to have the turbines built, but they will generate much needed revenue for the county.

“The county will receive property tax that’s the main value for the county,” said Richter

The final word on the wind farm hasn’t been established, but mayor Thompson says the county is only looking for money.

“This ain’t green energy, this is greed with a d energy,” said Thompson.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/03/24/wind-farms-good-for-energy-bad-for-residents/