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Wind Power News: South Dakota
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational mission 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. The original articles, links to which are provided, may have additional links and photos and other media that were not included here.
Hughes County Commission amends ordinance covering wind farm site requirements
The Hughes County Commission has amended the county ordinance establishing requirements for where wind turbines may be located. The final ordinance, which passed unanimously, establishes a distance requirement of ½ mile or 4.9 times the height of the tower from any occupied structure and limits turbine noise to no louder than 45 decibels. Jerry Webb, who lives south of Harrold, cautioned commissioners to be careful about what precedent they want to set. https://d1mw12smyvvnsk.cloudfront.net/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2020/08/081820-wind1.mp3 Hughes County resident Michael Bollweg spoke against . . . Complete story »
Hughes County Commission approves changes to wind tower siting requirements
The Hughes County Commission, taking pages for Hyde County, has amended siting requirements for wind energy towers in the county. Significant testimony both for and against the requirements was presented to Commissioners Monday night. Property rights and concerns from aerial applicators centered over much of the testimony. Ryan Webb, who lives in Hughes County and is in favor of shorter setbacks, says it’s simple … http://www.todayskccr.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/windord1.mp3 Terry Barber of Onida operates an aerial applicator business and says wind towers make low . . . Complete story »
S.D. regulators deal with rural opponents’ sound issues at two wind farms
A rancher agreed Wednesday he would cooperate with a wind-project developer on sound testing at his property in Charles Mix County. Sherman Fuerniss told the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission that he let Prevailing Wind Park know that cattle roaming around his house could damage the testing equipment. “This is what we live with every day. We have livestock around,” Fuerniss said. He suggested using three corral panels to form a protective triangle around the equipment. Commissioner Chris Nelson said . . . Complete story »
Wind energy making South Dakota ugly
I read Governor Noem’s article where she says, “I think South Dakota is one of the most beautiful places in the world.” The world is a big place. Her policy on wind turbines is to cover the state with them and if the Production Tax Credit is in place, that is exactly what will happen. In Washington we have Thune and Grassley lobbying the Secretary of the Treasury to get extended perks for the multinational corporations that own wind farms . . . Complete story »
Wagner men claim local wind turbines violate county commission agreement
That affidavit stated Prevailing Wind Park agreed to ensure wind turbines constructed in Charles Mix County met a number of criteria related to noise, lighting, shadow flicker and ice. Among the criteria specified were that noise levels from turbines were not to exceed 43 dBA without a waiver at residences of those who weren't participating in the project and that either control systems would automatically shut down turbines or Prevailing Wind Park would do so manually when ice conditions were identified. Powers and Petrik asserted in their affidavit that those noise and ice criteria are not being met, that some of Prevailing Wind Park's building permits for the turbines expired in January and that the county commission, based on its agreement with Pawlowski, has no authority to make Prevailing Wind Park comply with that agreement. Complete story »
Not so green energy: Hundreds of non-recyclable fiberglass wind turbine blades are pictured piling up in landfill
Incredible photos have revealed the final resting place of massive wind turbine blades that cannot be recycled, and are instead heaped up in piles in landfills. The municipal landfill in Casper, Wyoming, is the repository of at least 870 discarded blades, and one of the few locations in the country that accepts the massive fiberglass objects. Built to withstand hurricane winds, the turbine blades cannot easily be crushed or recycled. About 8,000 of the blades are decommissioned in the U.S. . . . Complete story »
Hughes County Commission approves four month moratorium on wind projects
The Hughes County Commission has put a hold on approving any new wind projects in the County. County Planning and Zoning officials have started to review Hughes County’s ordinances on wind energy development. Commissioner Roger Inman says there are some areas of focus… http://www.todayskccr.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/windstop1.mp3 “One was the higher towers and the setbacks for that and I think they came up with; they wanted to look at some haul roads and I think….” “Haul road and decommissioning…” “Decommissioning, yes! The cost . . . Complete story »
S.D. regulators open docket for a 64-turbine wind farm planned in Hyde County
State regulators have set a hearing next month to gather input from the public on a wind-power facility proposed for central South Dakota. ENGIE North America Inc. wants a permit from the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission to build a 64-turbine project in Hyde County to convert wind into electricity. The $220 million Meridian Wind Project would be located in Van Order, Eagle, Chapelle, Highmore, and Holabird townships. The public-input meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, June 10, at 6:30 p.m. . . . Complete story »
S.D. regulators tell wind farm to get ready for sound tests, amid COVID-19 travel restrictions
A 60-day window starts July 1 for a South Dakota wind-power farm to show that the combined sound from its 57 turbines doesn’t exceed 40 decibels at the homes of anyone who’s not participating in the project. The state Public Utilities Commission voted 2-1 on Wednesday to continue requiring verification from Prevailing Wind Park. The project is in Bon Homme, Charles Mix and Hutchinson counties. Section 42 of the commission’s permit for the project requires the sound level be checked . . . Complete story »
PUC pushes back sound compliance period to July 1 for Prevailing Wind farm
The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission moved back the compliance period for the nearly $320 million Prevailing Wind Park project to July 1, but continued to require the company operating the wind farm to comply with sound requirements within 60 days. During a teleconference meeting Wednesday, the PUC denied the request of Prevailing Wind Park, which is operated by SPower to extend the compliance period from 60 to 120 days, but agreed to move back the start date to July . . . Complete story »
