Business has been slow, so dairy farmer Bernie Kozlovsky could use a little extra cash as much as the next guy. But a developer's offer of $6,000 annually for access to his property has Kozlovsky - and many of his neighbors - conflicted about whether to welcome a wind farm into southern Brown County. The proposal by Chicago-based Invenergy LLC would be Brown County's first major commercial wind farm and would be larger than any currently operating in the state.

[Walter] Wiersma, of Friesland, was one of many people at the standing-room-only hearing who said worries about the health effects, safety and noise from wind turbines in a 17,300-acre area of the towns of Scott and Randolph, should lead the commission to reject the We Energies proposal for Glacier Hills Wind Park. "I'm for green energy," he said, "but I don't want it to hurt my family and friends." The afternoon and evening sessions for the hearing were moved from the Randolph Town Hall to the Friesland Village Hall to accommodate more people.

Walter Wiersma considered introducing a photo of his children - 5-year-old Spencer and 3-year-old Rianna - into the written record of Wednesday's Public Service Commission of Wisconsin hearing to illustrate his opposition to electricity-generating wind turbines in northeast Columbia County. Wiersma, of Friesland, was one of many people at the standing-room-only hearings who said worries about the health effects, safety and noise from wind turbines, in a 17,300-acre area in the towns of Scott and Randolph, should lead the commission to reject the We Energies proposal for Glacier Hills Wind Park.

We Energies has run into some headwinds in its bid to build the biggest wind farm in the state. The Glacier Hills Wind Park project in Columbia County would consist of 90 turbines rising at least 400 feet above corn fields near the village of Friesland, northeast of Madison. The Milwaukee utility proposed the project, its second large wind farm, as part of an expansion of renewable energy to comply with a state law that passed with bipartisan support in 2006. The law calls for wind turbines and other renewable energy systems to power 10% of the state's electricity by 2015.

As the blades of the 86 turbines on the Forward Wind Energy Center remain still, rumors have been circulating faster than the wind as to why the wind farm has been offline since Sept. 29. Invenergy LLC officials attributed the shutdown to scheduled maintenance of the wind farm's substation. However, the latest buzz that a major utility pulled out of its power purchase contract and has left Invenergy without a new customer to fill the void simply isn't true.

Officials in Union and Magnolia townships consider moratoriums on wind turbines to be the temporary answer in response to a new state law. Wind developer EcoEnergy has proposed projects in both communities. Local residents are concerned the new process on siting wind energy systems signed into law this week will erase their work to protect themselves from negative effects.

To paraphrase a southwest Wisconsin lawmaker, now the devil is in the details. On Wednesday, Gov. Jim Doyle signed a bill that calls for state regulators to come up with statewide rules for wind farms. The state Public Service Commission's rules will trump any local ordinances, including several moratoriums enacted by the Smelser Town Board of Trustees.

The potential effects of a wind energy farm proposed for eastern Columbia County were outlined in a final environmental impact statement, released this week by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin. The document - composed of more than 100 pages, plus a second volume of maps, diagrams and photo simulations of how the wind turbines might change the vista in the farmland of the towns of Randolph and Scott - addresses issues such as noise, the turbines' effects on birds and bats, potential effects on agriculture and health and safety issues.

A 90-turbine wind farm proposed for northeast Columbia County, in Scott and Randolph townships, would have little impact on wetlands or birds but neighbors may not like the way the structures stand out against the rolling hills, according to the final environmental impact statement on the project.

Minnesota regulators on Thursday approved a 200-megawatt wind farm in southern Minnesota that would be paid for by Wisconsin utility ratepayers. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission said Wisconsin Power & Light Co.'s project can be built just north of Albert Lea in Freeborn County. The utility received a permit for a 200-megawatt wind farm, the first phase of what officials hope will eventually become a 400-megawatt project. The first phase would generate enough energy to power 50,000 homes.

Even though gusty winds howled through the area earlier this week, the 86 wind turbines on the Forward Wind Energy Center have remained still since Tuesday. ..."The reason the plant was down was due to preventative maintenance being performed at the substation," Miner said.

Wisconsin Power & Light Co. won approval Thursday from regulators in Minnesota to build a wind farm in southern Minnesota to supply renewable energy to its Wisconsin customers. ...Exactly when construction on the project will begin remains unclear, because of uncertainty about the Wisconsin lawsuit.

In the years since the Forward Wind Energy Center came on line, "For Sale" signs have popped up all over Gerry Meyer's rural neighborhood in the town of Byron. ...Meyer is convinced that the aesthetically displeasing look of the 400-foot turbines and subsequent ill effects experienced by nearby residents from the noise, vibration and light-flicker has caused housing values to plummet.

Calumet County's crusade to create restrictive blanket rules for turbine construction suffered another setback after the state Legislature passed a bill this week that would create a statewide standard for placing turbines. The bill will hit the desk of Gov. Jim Doyle, who is expected to sign it. County Board Chairman Bill Barribeau said state standards - which would be set by the Public Service Commission - would override local ones.

A group that fought this week's approval of a wind power siting bill in the state Legislature will receive nearly $16,000 to raise concerns about the new wind farm being proposed by We Energies in Columbia County. The Coalition for Wisconsin Environmental Stewardship had proposed to spend $17,525 on expert witnesses, research and legal fees in the Public Service Commission case involving the Glacier Hills Wind Park.

Wisconsin lawmakers have sent a bill creating statewide wind farm standards to Gov. Jim Doyle. The Democratic-authored bill calls for the state Public Service Commission to set restrictions on wind farms that produce less than 100 megawatts.

The state Senate has passed legislation that could ease wind farm development in Wisconsin. The bill's author, South Milwaukee Democrat Jeff Plale, says local regulations makes siting wind farms too difficult. ...Critics charge the bill will allow the PSC to quickly push through wind energy projects, without determining how they'll impact those living around them. Plale said they've worked to address those concerns with a citizens panel which will work with the PSC.

How close would you want to live to a wind farm? That's a question lawmakers are considering as they try to create more wind energy projects. State Senators are scheduled Tuesday to vote on a bill (SB 185), which would direct the Public Service Commission to set a statewide set of standards on where turbines could be sited in relation to homes and businesses. As of now, depending on the county, those tall spinning turbines can as be close as 500 feet from homes, or as far away as one mile.

Across Wisconsin, smaller-scale wind developers like Winn say super-restrictive local ordinances are suffocating their businesses. Now lawmakers are stepping in with a bill that calls for the three-person Public Service Commission to create statewide rules. The Senate is expected to vote on the measure Tuesday. Supporters argue the Democratic-authored legislation will streamline wind farm permits ...Opponents consider the measure a power-grab and fear regulators will approve projects to meet the 10 percent renewable mark, ignoring the turbines' effects on neighbors' health and quality of life.