"I'm not opposed to alternative energy or looking at options," said Alderwoman Judy Compton. "But if repercussions exist, it's our job to protect this city's residents." For example, state law essentially requires safety, productivity and cost-effectiveness when it comes to wind turbines, but Compton said Madison needs to worry about more than that. "We have to consider covenants and restrictions, historic districts and different architectural factors," she said. "We have different zoning codes that need to be figured out. We're dealing with the human factor here."

Wiscoy Valley test site could lead to wind turbines in Winona County Commercial wind power is slated to arrive in Fillmore County, Minn., while Trempealeau County, Wis., has rebuffed it so far. Now it appears Winona County may be the next municipality to decide whether - or how - to embrace wind power. A Wiscoy Township man wants to erect a 60-meter-high temporary tower that would collect weather data to determine whether a commercial wind turbine is feasible on his property.

Gov. Jim Doyle's announcement today that Wisconsin will stop using coal at its power plants in Madison was hailed as a pivotal victory for the environment that makes the state a leader in seeking clean energy alternatives. ...Doyle said the state needs to lead by example by moving to eliminate coal use at its three plants in Madison. The announcement means that a 1950s-era plant and one built in 1902 will have to be shut down and refitted to burn something other than coal, Feyerherm said. She expected work at the plants to begin within months.

Madison Ald. Judy Compton claims she's all for alternative energy. In fact, the conservative-leaning real estate agent is co-sponsor of an ordinance aimed at boosting private use of solar and wind power. But after reading the fine print and getting an opinion from the city attorney, Compton is now sounding the alarm over what she fears is flawed legislation. "The way this is written, if your neighbor wants to put a 200-foot-tall wind tower in their front yard, there is absolutely nothing anyone can do to stop them," said Compton, who represents the city's far southeast side.

The Town of Union Planning Commission on Monday night, July 28, 2008, spent three hours reviewing with counsel, the text of the draft wind turbine ordinance. The purpose of the review was, as explained by counsel, to simply and forcefully connect the facts that were found in the evidence to the text of the ordinance. Thus, one of the most discussed topics was the factual evidence of damage that "noise" produced by wind turbines create---and whether the set back in the ordinance reflects the evidence cited in the appendix of evidence that has been gathered.

Gov. Jim Doyle's panel on global warming completed 16 months of work Thursday and now faces the challenge of cutting greenhouse gases as the economy sours and energy prices soar. Doyle's bipartisan panel voted 26-3 for a series of measures, including a big expansion in wind power, to reduce emissions 22% by 2022. ... But the package faces an uncertain future because Republicans control the Assembly and concerns about the economy are mounting.

Planning for EcoEnergy's 100 megawatt wind project in Magnolia Township will continue despite the town board's approval of what the wind developer says is a "very prohibitive" ordinance and non-supportive town leadership. "We're certainly not giving up," project developer Curt Bjurlin said. But he said as a business looking to develop projects in towns that help developers, "Magnolia could have acted in a way that was more enabling to allow us to build this project in a more efficient way." ...The board on July 3 unanimously passed an ordinance with turbine setbacks of a half mile from homes and 1,000 feet from property lines.

Douglas County does not have an ordinance regulating possible sites, designs, permit requirements and public hearing requirements. But tonight, the Douglas County Board considers a stopgap measure until such an ordinance is developed. The board is considering a 120-day moratorium on the development of wind farms to give the county's zoning committee time to develop an ordinance. "What it does is give us breathing room," said Supervisor Carol Johnson, chairwoman of the zoning committee. ...Rather than allow something that could make life miserable for county residents, Johnson said the county wants to be prepared in the event it is approached with a commercial proposal. "We don't want to have anything slip through our hands," she said. "We are certainly not against alternative energy ... We want to be prepared."

Magnolia has an ordinance for wind farm development, but that might do little to stop such growth in the town. That's why town Supervisor David Olsen said officials opted for a noncontroversial ordinance that should bode well for them if legal issues ever arise. ...It's a fair thought, said Tim Le Monds, governmental and public affairs director for the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin. "That's a pretty safe distance," he said. "It's acceptable to us."

Alliant Energy is using the rail yard as a staging point for moving the large wind-tower components from rail to truck for the final leg of a trip that started in Europe. ...Wisconsin Power & Light, a subsidiary of Alliant, is building a 41-tower wind farm in the towns of Eden and Empire, southeast of Fond du Lac. Scott Reigstad, a spokesman for Alliant, said it will be the company's first fully owned and operated wind farm. The 41 wind generators have capacity to produce 68 megawatts of electricity.

By a 3-0 vote, the Magnolia Town Board added an ordinance regulating the construction of wind turbines to the books. The vote came on the heels of a heated public hearing at the same meeting, where nearly a dozen Magnolia residents voiced their support or concern for the ordinance. The ordinance prohibits building wind turbines within a half-mile of a building or 1,000 feet of a property line. A provision allows homeowners to add a turbine as an easement to the property if they want a turbine within the half-mile.

The town of Union plan commission extended a moratorium on large wind turbines to November at a meeting Thursday night while the town continues work on an ordinance to regulate the turbines. Committee member Doug Zweizig said officials don't think they'll need that much time, however. He's hopeful the plan commission will vote at its July 31 meeting on a recommendation to the town board. The draft ordinance states wind turbines are to be built at least a half-mile from homes and 1,000 feet from property lines. ...The town of Magnolia planning and zoning commission already has recommended a draft wind ordinance to the town board, which will hold a public hearing and possible vote at a special meeting Thursday night.

Residents opposed to a wind farm project in Two Creeks have filed a complaint in Manitowoc County Circuit Court requesting a permit extension for the project be nullified. Jerome Hlinak, of rural Two Rivers, his neighbors and members of Wisconsin Independent Citizens Opposing Windturbine Sites (WINDCOWS) claim they are aggrieved by the Manitowoc County Board of Adjustment's decision to uphold the project's two-year extension.

The Magnolia Township Planning and Zoning Commission voted 4-0 Thursday to recommend a revised ordinance regulating the construction of wind turbines in the township. The ordinance now moves to the town board for approval. Kevin Kawula, an active resident in the wind turbine discussion, supported the proposed ordinance for its compromise. The revised ordinance states wind turbines could be constructed within the half-mile limit if the property owner agrees. ..."(A half-mile) is much better than 1,000 feet," he said. "And if someone wants to sign off on their health and safety, it's just like cigarette smoking-we can't regulate it completely."

Fitchburg 's McKee Farms Park could have an added attraction this summer -- a small and what some say will be quiet -- wind turbine. Known as an "urban turbine, " it looks similar to a 30-foot flagpole topped with a 12-foot rotating helix. "This is not one of those big propeller things, " said Fitchburg administrator Tony Roach. Madison Gas & Electric proposed the turbine for the Fitchburg park because it wants a visible spot to demonstrate and monitor the technology that some day customers could use to power their homes or businesses, said John Drury, business development manager for MGE.

The Calumet County Board of Supervisors meeting last Tuesday, May 20 drew a crowd of about 80 people who were there not so much to listen to the regular proceedings of the meeting but to the presentations given by individuals on both sides of the wind turbine issue. ...Between the public participation speakers and the formal presentations, the controversy over wind turbines appears to be continuing. ...No official action was taken at the meeting concerning changing Calumet County's wind ordinance as it presently stands.

Jim Congdon said two friends living in the town of Byron are experiencing significant sound problems and constant blade flicker since the $250 million Forward Wind Energy Center began operating. "It's extremely irritating," he said. "What is the company going to do with somebody like that?" Laura Miner, asset manager associate for Chicago-based Invenergy Wind LLC, said it's currently fielding all complaints . "What we did when we built the project was to have a 1,000-foot setback and try to prevent some of those things from happening," she said. "Now we're doing drive-by tests and going up to the houses to try to gauge what's going on."

The proposed Bent Tree Wind Farm in northwest Freeborn County could come under new ownership. Wisconsin Power & Light Co., a subsidiary of Alliant Energy Corp., created a letter of intent to purchase the 400-megawatt wind farm site from Wind Capital Group, according to a press release. ...The wind farm's total cost is estimated at $760 million, at $1.8 million per megawatt to build. The farm would have 150 to 270 turbines ranging in size from 1.5 to 2.5 megawatts. Each turbine must be located 1,000 feet from every residence.

Without regulations, the county could find itself caught between residents who object to the giant turbines and the developers who want to build them. If a permit is requested before rules are in place, "I'd say to you, 'Yeah, go ahead,' " Zoning Administrator Steve Rannenberg told the county's zoning committee Wednesday. Although current ordinances limit structure height to 35 feet, they allow certain types of structures to exceed that limit. "Those regulations need to be in place before we're confronted with an application versus after the fact," Rannenberg said. "You can't then go back and regulate. ... The regulation has to be in place first."