A proposed bill to streamline regulations for small to mid-size wind energy developments is backed by clean energy advocates but questioned by groups seeking to ensure the safety of wildlife. The bill, coauthored by state Sen. Jeff Plale (D-South Milwaukee) and Rep. Jim Solestki (D-Green Bay), seeks to limit local control over the construction of new wind farm projects by directing the Public Service Commission (PSC) to create uniform approval standards. A nearly identical bill was proposed in the last legislative session. Committee hearings were held, but the session ended before any action was taken.

Wind energy opponents packed the town of Randolph Hall Monday evening to ask that the town board put plans for a wind farm on hold until issues such as setback and noise levels can be resolved. Town board members said they would receive anti-wind farm petitions, signed by at least 129 people, but would consult their attorney, John St. Peter (whose office is in Fond du Lac), before considering any action.

About eight months ago, Melissa Smedema got wind of We Energy's plans to set up a 90-turbine wind farm in the Columbia County towns of Scott and Randolph. She said she went door to door in Wisconsin communities where wind farms already exist, and heard stories of noise, vibrations, headaches, dizziness and sleepless nights.

There is no guarantee a wind farm construction boom will follow if Wisconsin establishes statewide standards for where such developments can be built. ...With resources available beyond state borders and Alliant employees testifying Wednesday the company projects diminishing opportunities for new generation, opponents could argue more wind turbines in Wisconsin are unnecessary, said Lynda Barry-Kawula, co-founder of the renewable energy group Better Plan Wisconsin.

"We can't build a 21st century energy infrastructure by digging in our heels," Senator Randy Hopper said. "This legislation will ensure that interested parties from all over our state can take part in developing the Public Service Commission's guidelines."

A bill to set statewide standards for siting wind generators is being considered by the Legislature. Among the standards to be considered would be how far a wind generator has to be set back from property lines, roads and houses and how much noise they could make. ...wind generators have a number of impacts on quality of life that pro-wind forces are downplaying, said Glenn Stoddard, an Eau Claire attorney.

It's a slow process, but for people looking for a green job in the plummeting economy, the jobs are out there. But there's just not too many of them -- not yet, anyway. While electrical workers are thrilled at the prospect of having jobs related to those wind turbines, fewer people are needed to run 100 wind mills -- roughly 20, compared to the hundreds who might be needed to run a coal-fired plant, like the one recently denied by the Wisconsin Public Service commission late last year.

A New York state utility is exploring whether it is possible to put electricity-generating wind turbines in the Great Lakes, rather than inland or along the shoreline. The state-owned New York Power Authority on Wednesday began asking potential developers how they would go about constructing an offshore wind project in Lake Erie or Lake Ontario.

As wind-power generation has ramped up, so have concerns about the health effects of living near wind farms. Although major environmental groups such as Greenpeace and the National Resources Defense Council have voiced strong support for wind power, opposition from a few grassroots anti-wind power groups potentially could hinder development in populated areas.

Tom Alisankus' blood pressure rises when discussion turns to a proposed bill to regulate wind energy. The issue angers him, he said, because the proposed state regulations would remove local control, wiping out months of work by a study committee he chaired to write an local ordinance regulating wind energy in Union Township.

The wind turbine is a symbol of an alternative to an oil-based economy. But on radar, it looks like a storm. That has raised concerns that a proliferation of wind farms could result in the appearance of severe weather where there is none, and even false weather alerts. That collision of weather and wind technology adds some new dimensions to this year's tornado season, which officially kicks off this week with Severe Weather Awareness Week.

A bill to create uniform siting standards for wind power projects across Wisconsin is being introduced in Madison after stalling a year ago. ...The bill is expected to fare better this year because it is being handled earlier in the legislative session and there is less confusion about what the bill would do, Plale said. But opponents are raising similar concerns as they did a year ago - that the bill is taking away local control.

The National Weather Service has issued a new kind of warning because of a Dodge County wind farm that is disrupting the agency's ability to monitor storms in southeastern Wisconsin. The wind farm's giant turbines - each as wide as a football field and as tall as a 20-story building - are sending false storm signals to the government's weather radar system.

Butler Ridge, a new energy wind farm in east-central Dodge County, is interfering with the Weather Surveillance Doppler Radar at the Sullivan office in eastern Jefferson County, said Marc Ravinsky, senior meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Sullivan. Visual noise from the 36 wind turbines could mask or distort severe weather taking place in the same area, Ravinsky said.

The fate of a proposed southwest Wisconsin wind farm could be decided Tuesday at the polls, where supporters of the controversial plan face off with opponents. Wind Capital Group, headquartered in St. Louis, wants to build about 61 towers -- 400 feet high from the base to tip of blade -- in portions of three townships: Smelser, Paris and Hazel Green. The proposed White Oak Wind Farm would have a total capacity of 100 megawatts.

Wisconsin Power & Light is poised to boost its investment in wind power - if state regulators approve the Madison utility company's plan to develop the Bent Tree wind farm in southeastern Minnesota. WPL has a tentative agreement with NextEra Energy Resources, a Juno Beach, Fla., subsidiary of FPL Group, to buy power from NextEra's wind farm in Crystal Lake, Iowa. It calls for 100 megawatts a year for 25 years with an additional 100 megawatts from the same location for one year.

State Sen. Jeff Plale says he is weeks away from introducing a new bill establishing statewide guidelines for wind farm development. But meshing existing municipal ordinances into one that would govern the state has some bracing for a fight. "When you jump into something really quick, as Wisconsin did with ethanol, you end up seeing some bad results," said Magnolia Town Supervisor David Olsen. "I hope they don't try to just push things through. (Legislators) should be there to represent constituents, not lobbyists."

Milwaukee-based We Energies has narrowed down possible locations for a substation that would receive energy from up to 90 wind turbines in Columbia County's towns of Scott and Randolph, then send the energy throughout the power grid. Glacier Hills Wind Park is at least a year away from being built, and could be two years away from operating.

The attorney for Emerging Energies LLP filed a civil complaint against the Manitowoc County Board of Adjustments asking the court to overturn the county's Jan. 19 denial of a conditional use permit to construct wind turbines in Mishicot. The attorney, Edward Ritger, alleges in the complaint filed Tuesday that denial is unlawful, unsupported by record and shows that the Board used its will and not judgment.

Building new transmission lines in the name of wind power is the latest attempt to strengthen coal's grip on the country's electricity generation, said a critic of plans to build new power lines throughout the Midwest. "Wind in 2009 is the rationale for companies who want to build transmission lines," said David Morris, vice president of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Minneapolis, which provides environmentally friendly development strategies.