facts, analysis, exposure of wind energy's real impacts Windaction http://www.windaction.org/articles/c75+122?theme=atom Xarayar 2006-06-12T02:16:27Z .38329 2013-05-11T13:02:18Z 2013-05-11T13:02:18Z

The extension also allows the project to adhere to parameters set out in Vermilion County's original wind ordinance, requiring turbines to be 1,000 feet from a primary structure, which includes houses.

.38177 2013-04-25T14:09:18Z 2013-04-25T14:09:18Z

By a 3-2 vote, the Zoning Board of Appeals recommended denial of Ireland-based Mainstream Renewable Power's proposed 53 turbines. The County Board, which meets May 21, has the final say. The decision ended a decade in which the wind energy industry largely drove the county's approval process.

.38182 2013-04-25T13:25:43Z 2013-04-25T13:25:43Z

John Alexander, chairman of the panel, said that setbacks are really the one area where the county has some authority. Alexander said residents who live as far as 1,600 feet or more from turbines have testified that they are affected by the noise. But the panel also discussed that if the setbacks are increased more than the existing 1,200 feet, it could eliminate any further development for wind energy.

.38107 2013-04-19T13:28:08Z 2013-04-19T13:28:08Z

The issue of wind turbines remained up in the air on Thursday as the panel assembled to discuss the issue adjourned without a decision. Selected county board members as well as other community representatives meet at noon Thursday to discuss comments and information provided by residents who attended a public forum on Monday regarding wind turbines.

.37968 2013-04-04T12:22:03Z 2013-04-04T12:22:03Z

Wind turbine towers on lots less than one acre can be no taller than the height of the home, plus 10 percent. The tallest allowed is 125 feet, and those only on lots of five acres or more. None can be located in the front yard.

.37640 2013-03-06T11:37:37Z 2013-03-06T11:37:37Z

Once upon a time, getting approval for a wind farm in Lee County was relatively simple. Those days are gone. For the latest proposal to build wind turbines, the county had 26 meetings that took up 65 hours.

.37540 2013-02-27T01:05:53Z 2013-02-27T01:05:53Z

A committee of Vermilion County Board members will discuss this week a moratorium on the construction of any wind farms until the county addresses possible changes to its wind farm ordinance.

.36462 2012-11-04T21:47:56Z 2012-11-04T21:47:56Z

More than 10 hours of discussing proposed revisions to Boone County's wind farm regulations haven't led to any decisions. After hearing three more hours of testimony Tuesday night, the zoning board of appeals agreed to continue the public hearing to its Dec. 26 meeting.

.35994 2012-09-10T16:20:15Z 2012-09-10T16:20:15Z

The county's Planning, Zoning and Building Committee has proposed doubling the distance between a primary structure, like a home, and a wind farm; increasing the number of structures from which windmills must be distanced; and placing language into the ordinance that details how to remove a windmill no longer in service.

.35637 2012-07-27T09:44:42Z 2012-07-27T09:44:42Z

Mainstream is proposing nine turbines in far southeastern Whiteside County; all parties agree the county has jurisdiction over seven of them. But the village of Deer Grove asserts that it has power over two, both of which are within 1-1/2 miles of its limits.

.35191 2012-06-12T01:08:55Z 2012-06-12T01:08:55Z

Gusse proposed the board cap the number of turbines in the county - something that wouldn't affect current permits. "I think, at some point, we have to say that we have enough," Gusse said. "Maybe we have reached close to saturation." The southeastern part of the county is "pretty well blanketed".

.35111 2012-06-01T10:22:29Z 2012-06-01T10:22:29Z

The Village Board unanimously approved an ordinance Tuesday that prohibits electric-generating wind devices from being located within the village, said village Trustee Anthony Stepansky. However, residents living within a 1.5-mile radius of the community can. The device cannot be taller than 75 feet and must generate power that is exclusive to the property.

.34650 2012-03-28T17:29:25Z 2012-03-28T17:29:25Z

This week, members of a Lee County Board ad hoc committee recommended that turbines be 2,000 feet from nonparticipating landowners' property lines. Such a move would effectively shut out wind energy development in Lee County, one company says.

.34557 2012-03-16T04:51:07Z 2012-03-16T04:51:07Z

The proposed ordinance on wind energy keeps the same required distance between homes and wind turbines – 1,400 feet. Unlike the current ordinance, the new one includes regulations for shadow flicker and a program to protect the values of nearby homes.

.34380 2012-02-21T14:20:57Z 2012-02-21T14:20:57Z

The Woodford County Board meeting room was expected to be packed Tuesday night because of an anticipated vote regarding wind farm ordinance revisions. ...A vote on the wind farm ordinance revisions is the final step in a lengthy process that has at times been contentious, both within the board and outside of it.

.34250 2012-01-31T01:18:47Z 2012-01-31T01:18:47Z

Miller stated that after commissioners have reviewed the group's concerns, a recommendation will be made to the planning commission as to any changes commissioners feel should be addressed.

.34198 2012-01-26T14:22:19Z 2012-01-26T14:22:19Z

Major ordinance changes involve the positioning of wind turbines and the shadow their blades cast. Towers would need to be located at least four times their height from residences that aren't part of the wind farm. A typical tower can be taller than 400 feet. Currently, the regulated distance is at least 750 feet.

.34110 2012-01-18T22:22:42Z 2012-01-18T22:22:42Z

The county's current setback distance is 1,400 feet, which is a little more than a quarter mile, the same as Whiteside County's. Some people have said that's too close. At a recent meeting, Zoning Board member Tom Fassler suggested a mile.

.33616 2011-11-12T14:04:49Z 2011-11-12T14:04:49Z

A group of wind-energy opponents is urging village officials to create their own zoning regulations, a measure that would allow the town to keep wind farms from being built on farmland immediately outside its boundaries.

.33512 2011-11-04T14:27:52Z 2011-11-04T14:27:52Z

A proposal to protect the property values of homes near wind turbines is gaining support. Two of the five members of the Lee County Zoning Board of Appeals, which is reviewing the county's wind energy ordinance, said at their meeting Thursday that they backed a home seller protection program for residents near turbines.