A proposed change to the ordinance regarding wind farm setbacks will be the topic of a public hearing next week of the Woodford County Zoning Board. The hearing will be at 6 p.m. Thursday in the County Board room in the Woodford County Courthouse.

The wind farm debate that has raged across America has landed on Chicago's doorstep. Folks in quiet, rural DeKalb County are raising a ruckus at the possibility of 400-foot turbines next to their orchards, honeybees and livestock. About 700 people gathered in a high school gymnasium at 9 a.m. on a recent Saturday for a public hearing on the proposed wind farm. By the time the project developer had fielded every question and concern, it was 4 a.m. Sunday.

The public will have a chance to be heard once again on an energy company's proposal for a wind farm after the county's planning and zoning committee sent the application back to a public hearing. The DeKalb Planning and Zoning Committee voted 7-0 Wednesday on a motion to have a new public hearing based on an opinion rendered by DeKalb County State's Attorney Ron Matekaitis.

The public will have a chance to heard once again on an energy company's proposal for a wind farm after the county's planning and zoning committee sent the application back to a public hearing. The DeKalb Planning and Zoning Committee voted 7-0 Wednesday on a motion to have a new public hearing based on an opinion rendered by DeKalb County State's Attorney Ron Matekaitis.

When John and Pam Pitstick stand in their front yard later this year, they may see five turbines within a half mile, 1,400 hundred feet off the west side of their house. "Within two miles of our house, there's 27 turbines going up," said John Pitstick. Florida Power and Light wants to erect a wind farm with 151 turbines not far from a wind farm in neighboring Lee County. Each of the turbines planned for southern DeKalb County would be 100 feet taller than these with their blades topping out at 400 feet above the ground.

A hearing officer has recommended the county board deny a request for a special use permit to an energy company that wants to build and operate a wind farm in southern DeKalb County. ...The recommendation of DeKalb County Hearing Officer Dave Dockus stems from testimony given during a nearly 19-hour public hearing held Saturday in the gymnasium of Sycamore High School regarding a proposal by NextEra Energy Resources. At one point, 700 people were estimated to be in attendance at the hearing.

The basic advice for individuals approached about leasing ground for a wind turbine is to keep their eyes wide-open whenever entering a contract with a major corporation. The speakers also stressed it is important for land owners to know what limitations they can accept and be willing to walk away from the financial incentives if they believe the project will be too detrimental to their farming operations.

In a March 25 report, DeKalb County Hearing Office Dave Dockus recommended the special use permit that was applied for in January by NextEra Energy Resources be denied based on eight findings. Those reasons include "significant disagreement" between expert sources on the effect wind turbines have on property values and the effect noise of the turbines has on public health. Dockus also cited a lack of evidence on the impact heavy trucks would have on local roads.

Project officials say all 67 turbines have been erected for the EcoGrove Wind LLC wind farm northwest of Lena. Now, each turbine will have to be "commissioned" before the farm can begin generating power. When a turbine is categorized as "commissioned," it means the turbine is completely finished and ready for production, said Eric Schneider, director of communications for Acciona, the company that owns the project.

Hundreds of men and women of all ages flocked to the Sycamore High School gymnasium, 555 Spartan Trail, at 9 a.m., on Saturday to voice their opinions in a public hearing regarding the proposal of a wind farm in DeKalb County. What many of these attendees didn't know was that the hearing would last until about 3:40 a.m. the next morning.

More than 700 people filled the bleachers and folding chairs in Sycamore High School's gymnasium Saturday morning; just a handful stayed for the entire public hearing on a proposed wind farm, which stretched into the late evening. ...Hours of testimony were heard from company representatives, lawyers and more than two dozen nearby residents to gather information on the project and help the hearing officer make a recommendation to the DeKalb County Board. Public comments weren't heard until after 9 p.m.

A group of residents on the west side of the county plans to ask the Sangamon County Board to impose stricter rules on placement of wind turbines near rural homes. An attorney for the group said today the request that the current minimum of 1,000 feet be extended to a mile is in anticipation of a wind farm of up to 200 turbines in the area.

The regulations both protect the county for such costly endeavors and facilitates their development, Morgan County Planner Dusty Douglas said. The ordinance requires a "secure financial assurance" from a prospective company for repair work if any roads are damaged during construction, operation or maintenance, liability insurance and a thorough decommissioning plan. ...Morgan County does not have a countywide zoning code, which energy companies typically use and adhere to in developing wind turbine projects.

Amid the legal wrangling, work continues on the $1.5 billion Cayuga Ridge South Wind Farm, a 155-turbine project spread over 15,000 acres between Odell and Emington in Livingston County. Michael Iasparro, the attorney representing the wind farm opponent group People Protecting Cayuga Ridge, filed a motion Wednesday in Livington County Circuit Court to voluntarily dismiss the group's lawsuit without prejudice.

DeKalb County Board Member Mike Haines addressed the Genoa City Council last week asking for feedback on two issues: a133-unit windmill operation proposed by NextEra Energy Resources, and a solution to the county's need for more landfill space. ..."All the tough decisions are when there's no right or wrong answer," Haines said. "There will be good people on both sides of the issue."

Holland has it. California has it. Kansas and other prairie states have it, so why shouldn't Kane County? What is it? Wind. And according to Michael Hoadley, director of business development for the Chicago-based consultant firm of GSY Energy Inc., Kane County has a lot of wind. "There's a wind blowing across the prairie, and you are in the way in Kane County," Hoadley told members of the county's energy and environmental committee recently.

Stephenson County officials are asking certain area taxing bodies to abate property taxes for the EcoGrove wind farm project for approximately three years, as part of an effort to ensure the initiative's financial viability. While these taxing bodies would lose money in the short term, they would make a considerable amount of funding once the wind farm is up and running and if the project continues to expand, officials said.

It might have been one of the most well-attended canceled meetings in DeKalb County history. An estimated 375 people packed a room in the county health facility Thursday night for a public hearing on a proposed wind farm. ...Because so many wanted to hear and be heard, DeKalb County Hearing Officer Dave Dockus canceled the meeting shortly after it started on account of the venue being too small and conditions "unfair" for everyone in the audience to hear and participate.

Beth Einsele of Shabbona doesn't have one nice thing to say about windmill farms. They're dinosaurs, the Realtor said about the rows of typically white whooshing turbines. They're offensive to home buyers. They're dangerous. They don't produce anything. ...Not surprisingly, Einsele is among those opposing a 151 turbine wind farm proposed for ...DeKalb and Lee counties. The project is proposed by Florida Power & Light Energy Illinois Wind LLC.

Commissioners refused to make a hasty decision at Tuesday night's council meeting, and instead tabled a proposed contract with Chicago-based GSY Energy Inc. GSY provides renewable energy consultation, development and management, according to its Web site. The company wants to conduct a wind turbine feasibility study for the city - at a cost of $30,000.