| Wind Watch is a registered educational charity, founded in 2005. |
Wind Power News: Indiana
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational effort to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Leising concerned about production ag ground moving to solar
More today from the Indiana Statehouse as the legislative session continues. Senate Ag Committee Chair Jean Leising (R-Oldenburg) highlighted for Hoosier Ag Today some of the bills from the senate impacting agriculture. Senate Bill 129 would provide updates to fees charged by the state seed commissioner for seed testing. “For smaller quantities of seeds, they are going to remove the fee completely, and for larger quantities they’re going to try to do it more at the competitive private market price . . . Complete story »
Some companies want laws to regulate renewable energy ‘farm’ sites
BOONE COUNTY – After months of lining up leases with several property owners to create a more-than-1,660-acre solar farm near Zionsville, NextEra Energy saw the project blocked in August by Boone County officials. Boone County Commissioner Tom Santelli said there were “too many red flags” with NextEra’s plans, which led the county planning commission and board of zoning appeals to deny the company’s variance requests. “They were coming in from Florida; they weren’t from Boone County. And they didn’t have that . . . Complete story »
Lt. Gov. expects General Assembly to revisit solar, wind farm regulations
Renewable energy projects could change the landscape of parts of rural Indiana, but whether that’s a change communities should embrace continues to be debated. Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch serves as Indiana’s secretary of agriculture. “It seems to be a debate between property rights versus quality of life within a community,” she tells WKVI News. “And currently the county commissioners – and I am a former county commissioner – have the ability to weigh in and decide what is best for . . . Complete story »
Miami County proposing ‘clean up’ of wind ordinance
PERU – Miami County officials say they are proposing to clean up the county’s wind ordinance after it was hastily passed three years ago to keep a proposed wind project from coming to the county. Building Commission Administrator Corey Roser said the proposal would add more precise language and make the ordinance more easy to understand after it was thrown together in 2018 by the Miami County Plan Commission. “It was, for lack of a better word, kind of sloppy,” he . . . Complete story »
Wind power propaganda
The recent “news” article extolling the wind power industry in Indiana may well have been a paid advertisement from the wind turbine power lobby. There are three very basic facts that never appear in such articles. First, how many people are aware and how much publicity is given to the blanket permit granted by U.S. Fish and Wildlife to the wind turbine industry to allow the turbine blades to kill up to 4,200 eagles per year without penalty or other . . . Complete story »
Cass County updates alternative energy ordinances as company plans solar farm
Cass County has been redefining its rules on solar and wind power fields since June, and an energy company has been talking to landowners around Walton about leasing land for a potential 1,400 to 1,600 acre solar energy center. The last vote for the changes in the county’s alternative power ordinances happened at this week’s Cass County Commissioners meeting. The energy company, NextEra Energy of Florida, plans to have an open house meeting in Walton about the project from 6-8 . . . Complete story »
County passes wind, solar zoning ordinance
New standards for wind and solar energy conversion systems are now on the books in Johnson County. The commissioners unanimously approved the ordinance at their Monday meeting, but acknowledged the ordinance isn’t yet perfect. The county officials took the ordinance through the editing process with lightning-speed as far as government goes, finishing in under a month. The Johnson County Plan Commission considered the ordinance during their regular meeting in May and held a special meeting earlier this month, before forwarding . . . Complete story »
County continues renewable energy discussion
Increased setbacks and other items were added this week to proposed updates to Johnson County’s renewable energy ordinance. The Johnson County Plan Commission on Monday discussed a zoning ordinance update that would add solar energy development standards for the first time, and add and change standards for wind energy developments. The commission will continue to talk about edits individually with the county’s planning department, to perfect the draft ahead of a special meeting scheduled at 6 p.m. June 7. A . . . Complete story »
County pushes ‘pause’ on new solar farms
The county’s ordinance governing wind turbines essentially bans them with its quarter-mile setback distance from homes, Gaumer said. He wants to research how different setback distances would affect solar farms. “I think people were really put off by wind turbines. There was huge opposition” to a proposed wind farm in northwestern DeKalb County, McCanna recalled about a controversy in 2012-2013. Complete story »
‘It was always a bad bill’; Local officials are happy HB 1381 died in the statehouse
A bill designed to create statewide standards for solar and wind farms has been defeated. The victory is more about protecting the idea of “home rule” in all 92 counties, say two local officials who personal fought House Bill 1381. Henry County Commissioner Bobbi Plummer and County Council member Betsy Mills traveled to the Indiana Statehouse over the past couple of months to oppose the bill in person. County Council President Susan Huhn testified against HB 1381 before it originally . . . Complete story »
