April 20, 2013
Wisconsin

Bill would allow families impacted by turbines to sue

April 20, 2013 | www.newrichmond-news.comApril 20, 2013 | www.newrichmond-news.com

Wisconsin State Sen. Frank Lasee (R-1st District) announced he will introduce legislation giving families that have been physically, emotionally or financially harmed by industrial wind turbines the legal right to sue for damages.

“This bill makes it easier for families that have been hurt by 500-ft. industrial wind turbines to receive compensation for their losses,” said Lasee. “It is unconscionable for a family that has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in their home that they have lived in for years to be forced to move because an industrial wind tower is built nearby. Or wish that they could move and just can’t afford it.”

Lasee’s bill will enable anyone who is harmed by 500-foot industrial wind turbines the ability to sue the wind tower owner, as well as the owner of the land on which the wind tower is located, for loss of property value, cost of moving, medical expenses, pain and suffering, attorney fees, and any other loss as a result of the industrial wind turbine that is too close to their home or property. Lasee’s bill will apply whether or not the wind tower was sited legally.

The bill explicitly prohibits wind tower owners or the owners of the land they are sited on, located less than 1.5 miles from the residence of the plaintiff from using as a defense the fact that the wind tower obtained a certificate of public convenience and necessity from the Public Service Commission or was approved by a local government.

“Despite personal testimony and scientific evidence that industrial wind turbines hurt people and their animals, the wind industry continues to push forward with plans to locate their 500-foot towers too close to people’s homes. The personal stories I have heard from families in my district and statewide are being ignored by wind energy advocates,” said Lasee.

Lasee claimed hundreds of families across the state have health problems and suffered significant losses in property value because of wind turbines being placed too close to their homes.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/04/20/bill-would-allow-families-impacted-by-turbines-to-sue/