September 20, 2014
Illinois

Wind farm opponents to host meeting Saturday

Kevin Barlow | September 19, 2014 | www.pantagraph.com

FAIRBURY – Opponents of a proposed Livingston County wind farm will host an informational meeting and ice cream social Saturday in Fairbury.

Linda Ambrose, one of the organizers, said the purpose of the meeting is to get information to the public about the dangers of wind farms.

“Wind farms have changed in the last few years and we want to get the word out to the public that we are opposed to this,” she said.

The event is from 1 t0 4 p.m. at the North Park Pavilion.

Officials in Livingston County are considering a wind farm proposal from Invenergy, a Chicago-based company, that could add 136 turbines across 30,000 acres of farmland in the townships of Pleasant Ridge, Forrest, Fayette, Eppards Point, Indian Grove, Chatsworth, Charlotte, Belle Prairie and Avoca.

The towns of Forrest, Fairbury, Strawn and Chatsworth would be impacted.

“The towers near Odell are 289 feet high and these are projected to be between 431 and 499 feet,” she said. “Also, they wouldn’t be in a straight line, they would just be scattered and they have been known to create health problems and land problems for farmers.”

A copy of the application for the proposed Pleasant Ridge Wind Energy Project is available online at www.livingstoncountyil.gov, said Livingston County zoning administrator Chuck Schopp. The permit will eventually be sent to the county’s Zoning Board of Appeals to consider.

“We are anticipating that it will take several days over multiple weeks to complete this review process,” he said. Members of the public will have the opportunity to comment at public hearings.

If approved by the ZBA, the matter would go to the county board for consideration.

The county’s agriculture, zoning and emergency service committee is in the process of reviewing the current wind energy zoning regulations, Schopp said. There is no time frame on when the review will be completed.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2014/09/20/wind-farm-opponents-to-host-meeting-saturday/