March 19, 2019
Indiana

Montgomery county working with wind companies on zoning law

Marvin Bills | WLFI | Mar. 18, 2019 | www.wlfi.com

Wind Farms are still making headlines in Montgomery County. Officials are in talks with wind businesses, in hopes of creating an ordinance.

“We are one of a hand full of counties that do not have any comprehensive planning or zoning,” said Montgomery County Commissioner John Frey.

Right now companies like Apex clean energy could build on Montgomery County’s land. Simply because there’s no law in place to stop them. If the windmills are built it could create a financial woe on the county.

“It’s down the road,” said Frey. “Does that revenue get offset with the cost of decommissioning or taking these turbines down.”

Economic development is a big question. The windmills would have to be maintained.

“Because of that there has been a lot of due diligence done on our part,” said Frey. “To see what our options are to regulate or control some of that.”

The county doesn’t have the power to ban these companies from beginning construction in the area.

“We’ve about exhausted the options we have outside of planning and zoning,” said Frey.

Officials are working feverishly to create an ordinance that will benefit the county and keep the residents safe. Although one resident says, he doesn’t buy it.

“I didn’t buy a place out in the country to see something three miles away and, flashing blinking lights,” said Richard Britton, a resident who opposes wind farms.

Britton says wind businesses fail to really consider residents nearby.

“Most of the times they meet the wind farm people, not the residents,” said Britton.

County Commissioner John Frey says even though there are mixed feelings, the goal is to work together.

“Divided as this community has been with wind energy,” said Frey. “I think it’s brought the whole community together. To talk about what we do want and what we possibly probably don’t want.”

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2019/03/19/montgomery-county-working-with-wind-companies-on-zoning-law/