Let towns regulate wind energy
Green Bay Press-Gazette | Jan. 25, 2013 | www.greenbaypressgazette.com
Green Bay Press-Gazette | Jan. 25, 2013 | www.greenbaypressgazette.com
Comments on “Science proves wind energy is safe for Wisconsin.” People don’t abandon their homes without good reason. One affected Glenmore property is 11/4 miles from the nearest industrial wind turbine (IWT). Similar complaints in 2001 forced WPS to buy and raze two Kewaunee County homesteads. In 2010, the Fond Du Lac Wirtz family abandoned and went through bankruptcy because of nearby IWTs. This is the history of Northeastern Wisconsin wind energy; deny any harmful effects, marginalize complainers as NIMBYs and move on. Upton Sinclair once observed, “It’s difficult to get a man to understand something if his salary depends on his not understanding it.”
Wind energy is not an issue in rural Iowa or North Dakota where homes can be two to three miles apart. The problem for wind in Wisconsin is there are too many rural people. The town of Morrison has 1,700 residents scattered across 6 square miles, scattered not bunched up in small hamlets like Iowa. In 2010, Invenergy had plans for 54 IWTs in Morrison. Responsible, moral businessmen don’t poison a man’s home to save the planet or make money. It’s time to return wind zoning control to Wisconsin rural towns.
Dave Hettmann
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/01/27/let-towns-regulate-wind-energy/