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Wind Power News: Ohio
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.
Remaining townships seek ban on solar, wind farms
The remaining three townships in Columbiana County who had not sought a ban of large solar facilities and large wind farms in their unincorporated areas submitted resolutions recently requesting the ban. Those townships include St. Clair, Liverpool and Yellow Creek. No date has been set for a public hearing on the proposed bans yet. Commissioners are expected to accept the resolutions at their meeting Aug. 23 and then set the date for the public hearing. That’s also the day they . . . Complete story »
Bird advocates opposed to use of windmills for alternative energy source
The controversial use of windmills as an alternative energy source has prompted an outcry from bird experts. The Ohio Supreme Court recently decided to allow windmills at Firelands Wind LLC for its Emerson Creek Wind Farm in Huron County, and found “it does not pose a threat to migrating birds,” according to a news release. The high court’s decision will allow for the construction of a 71-turbine wind farm that spans across portions of Huron and Erie counties. Meanwhile, Lorain . . . Complete story »
Clermont County bans large solar and wind farms in seven townships: ‘We like our county the way it is’
Clermont County Commissioners unanimously voted to ban large solar and wind projects in seven townships after a contentious public hearing on Wednesday where residents criticized solar and described one facility under construction as “almost 700 acres of pure hell.” “Don’t tell us what we need when you don’t live there. You don’t live there,” said Mary Durbin, who lives in Tate Township where Nestlewood Solar is being built one street away from her home. She urged solar supporters to drive . . . Complete story »
Big solar and wind farms banned in seven more Columbiana Co. townships
Columbiana County Commissioners approved a resolution to limit the construction of large wind and solar farms in seven townships during Wednesday’s meeting. The resolution bans economically significant solar and wind farms in Butler, Center, Middleton, Salem, Unity, Washington and Wayne townships. Small-scale projects could still come to the community in the future. Fairfield, Franklin, Perry and West townships already had a ban in place. Board president Mike Halleck told 21 News in March that commissioners are not against solar or . . . Complete story »
Columbiana County bans big solar, wind farms in four townships, ban sought in seven more communities
The Columbiana County Commissioners have approved a ban on big solar and wind farms in four townships and agreed to hold a public hearing on extending the prohibition to seven more townships. Commissioners on Wednesday voted to prohibit construction of what they call “economically significant” wind farms, large wind farms and large solar facilities in the unincorporated areas of Fairfield, Franklin, Perry, and West Townships. The vote came after a public hearing in which residents expressed concerns such as what . . . Complete story »
Across the country, a big backlash to new renewables is mounting
In four terms as a county elected official in northern Ohio, it was the most contentious issue Doug Weisenauer had ever seen. The state Legislature had newly empowered county governments to drastically restrict wind and solar power development, a process formerly overseen by the Ohio Power Siting Board, and the meetings of the three-member governing body for Crawford County (population 41,754) suddenly started becoming a lot more animated. “As soon as Senate Bill 52 passed, the anti-wind people, they started . . . Complete story »
U.S. wants thousands more wind farms, facing local opposition
Monticello, Ill. – Depressed property values. Flickering shadows. Falling ice. One by one, a real estate appraiser rattled off what he said were the deleterious effects of wind farms as a crowd in an agricultural community in central Illinois hung on his every word. It was the tenth night of hearings by the Piatt County zoning board, as a tiny town debated the merits of a proposed industrial wind farm that would see dozens of enormous turbines rise from the nearby . . . Complete story »
Marion County Commissioners approve Green Camp Township solar, wind restrictions
Six townships in Marion County have now instituted restrictions on the development of solar and wind energy projects. On Thursday, the Marion County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution to restrict solar and wind farm development in Green Camp Township. The Green Camp Township Trustees’ resolution designates all unincorporated areas of the township as a “restricted area prohibiting the construction of an ‘economically significant wind farm,’ ‘a large wind farm,’ or a ‘large solar facility,’ as defined by the Ohio . . . Complete story »
After victory at the polls, anti-wind group evolving into Crawford Citizens United
A core group of Crawford Anti-Wind members have formed a new organization, saying they want to keep citizens informed on local issues. The Crawford Citizens United Facebook group was created Wednesday afternoon and within 24 hours, had 75 members. Crawford Anti-Wind was formed early this year as part of an effort to block development of Honey Creek Wind, a 300-megawatt industrial wind farm Apex Clean Energy planned to build in the northern half of Crawford County. On Nov. 8, voters . . . Complete story »
Crawford Neighbors United hail vote
In what turned out to be a real life David versus Goliath saga, citizens in Crawford County, Ohio dealt a crushing defeat to a major energy corporation that had planned a wind power facility in portions of the county. Using a newly passed law known as Senate Bill 52, and in response to intense public pressure, commissioners earlier in the year had declared the County a “Restricted Area”, which prevented wind farm development of a large industrial scale. That in . . . Complete story »
