February 21, 2018
Minnesota

Wind farm hearing opens floor for public commentary

ABC 6 News | February 20, 2018 | www.kaaltv.com

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission opened the floor Tuesday night to hear both sides of the Freeborn Wind Energy Project proposal.

“This is a part of building the factual record,” said Invenergy’s Dan Litchfield.

“We have a lot of concerns,” Doreen Hansen countered.

“The length and depth of the hearing will help get to the bottom of some of these questions,” Dan Litchfield added.

The Freeborn Wind Energy project is a proposed 100 turbine wind-farm that would straddle the Iowa and Minnesota state line near Glenville.

“Gives the public the opportunity to ask questions of the applicant, of myself and gets more information on the project,” said Rich Davis OF the Minnesota Department of Commerce.

Those in favor of the project say it would make greater use of renewable energy and have a significant impact on the local economy.

“Additional landowner payments. tax revenue and jobs, so those are the three main buckets it’s huge in all three. Over the course of the project’s 30-year life 70 million dollars in new landowner payments,” Invenergy’s Dan Litchfield told us.

A citizens group has raised a number of concerns about the project:

“Unwanted noise on our property, shadow flicker on our property the chance that marketability of our homes, if we decide we want to move is reduced. The potential of association from the turbines to have some ill health effects,” said Doreen Hansen of the Association Of Freeborn County landowners.

“So we would like to see respectful sighting. Landowners that choose to have a turbine on their land, that’s fine, but none of the ill effects should go on the land of a non-participant.”

“With large setbacks, with attention to detail, we’re confident this is going to be a good neighbor,” Invenergy’s Dan Litchfield said.

“I think we’re probably still looking at a commission decision in June or July,” the Commerce Department’s Rich Davis said.

ABC 6 news has filed comments with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission in regards to the Freeborn wind farm to ensure the proposed project does not cause interference with our broadcast signals.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2018/02/21/wind-farm-hearing-opens-floor-for-public-commentary/