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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.
Although the ordinance includes some strenuous guidelines, it was drafted to be business-friendly, Mr. Douglas said.
It was modeled from the Illinois Clean Energy Foundation prototype, which many northern Illinois counties have adopted for wind energy conversion systems, he added.
The county's regional planning commission presented the proposed ordinance at a meeting Friday morning. In attendance was Bill York, a representative with Global Winds Harvest, of Schenectady N.Y. As reported Thursday, the company has expressed interest in erecting wind turbines in eastern Morgan County. Several rural land owners also attended Friday's meeting.
Mr. Douglas plans to present the ordinance to the county board next month after some final adjustments. "We're going to address some variances, and we're struggling on the tower height (restrictions)," he added. That may be done on a case-by-case basis, he added.
Morgan County does not have a countywide zoning code, which energy companies typically use and adhere to in developing wind turbine projects.
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