May 9, 2015
Ohio

Burkley sponsors bill to allow wind turbine setback changes

BY ED GEBERT, DHI Media Editor | Times Bulletin | May 09, 2015 | www.timesbulletin.com

VAN WERT – A new bill introduced in the Ohio House of Representatives seeks to change wind turbine setback regulations which would enable wind energy companies to work within Ohio counties to license new wind farms. The legislation, House Bill 190, is co-sponsored by local representative Rep. Tony Burkley along with Representative Tim W. Brown (R – Bowling Green).

In early 2014, Ohio Gov. John Kasich signed HB 483 which included revised setback standards which essentially made it unfeasible to build new wind farms in Ohio. That signing came as Iberdrola Renewables was lobbying to build a companion wind farm to its Blue Creek Wind Farm which opened in 2012. The Blue Creek project has 152 2.0 megawatt turbines operating on 100 meter towers.

The new bill would revise the law to permit counties to adopt resolutions establishing an alternative setback for wind farms and extend by five years the deadlines to get the qualified energy project tax exemption. In the case of a wind farm, that would move the date to qualify for an exemption from the end of 2015 to the end of 2020. For projects using clean coal technology, advanced nuclear or cogeneration technology it would be extended to the end of 2022.

House Bill 190 was introduced in the Statehouse on May 6.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2015/05/09/burkley-sponsors-bill-to-allow-wind-turbine-setback-changes/