Future of Freeborn Wind Farm uncertain

Credit: Calyn Thompson | Jun. 19, 2018 | www.kimt.com ~~

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FREEBORN COUNTY, Minn. – The Freeborn Wind Farm project has the possibility of being taken off the table after a judge ruled against it due to turbine noise.

It’s a project that would put a proposed 100 wind turbines in both Freeborn County in Minnesota and Worth County in Iowa. Now, it’s in limbo.

Doreene Hansen lives in Glenville and is the main organizer of the Association of Freeborn County Landowners.

“Well just south of me there would be a plant, a substation of sorts,” Hansen said. “There would also be transmission lines. There’d be a turbine just directly south of me, there would be a couple of them west of me.”

However, she said she isn’t even the most affected by this proposed wind farm. Hansen calls herself a non-participant, but said if the turbines do go up around her she’d still be affected.

“We’re not part of the project,” Hansen said. “We shouldn’t have to have the additional noise, the additional sound, the decommissioning being an issue. Once they’re built, they’re pretty hard to get rid of.”

Because of the judge’s ruling, people who live in the area, like Hansen, may not have to deal with wind turbines on or near their land.

Hansen said the judge was “following the law” by ruling against the project, saying the developer would use non-participant land to complete it.

“You hear the birds chirping? We live in rural America for a reason,” Hansen said. “We want that rural atmosphere. Just like someone may have a lake home to have a lake atmosphere. Someone may buy a home in downtown Chicago so that they could have the city atmosphere.”

KIMT did reach out to the project developer, Invenergy, for comment and are waiting to hear back.

The judge made the recommendation to the commission, now we’re waiting on the commission to make a final decision.

Source: Calyn Thompson | Jun. 19, 2018 | www.kimt.com

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