The state Legislature will try again to establish statewide wind farm standards, but the one-size-fits-all approach faces the same opposition. ..."It's a scary prospect to put (turbines) in here among all the homes," said Mike Luethe, chairman of the town of Ridgeville, which last week joined the town of Wilton in passing an ordinance establishing half-mile setbacks for wind farms. "Local governments should still have a say in the matter."

County officials in 2006 enacted two ordinances - one for turbines 170 feet or shorter and another for turbines taller than 170 feet - after residents voiced concerns about potential public health and safety issues with turbines located near their backyards, Demske said. Navitas Energy Inc. had proposed to build a 49-turbine wind farm in Two Rivers, Mishicot and Two Creeks, dubbed the Twin Creeks Wind Park. ...Bauhs said the county "overreacted" in drafting regulations for the small turbines because of public criticism of the Twin Creeks wind farm project.

State Rep. Ken Tschumper, DFL-La Crescent, hosted a community forum last week featuring a panel of environmentalists. Tschumper and others question whether the project's estimates of demand are accurate. He also is concerned that ratepayers could end up financing a project that could harm the area's environment. Other worries include possible health effects and what the potentially 150-foot-high transmission towers would do to the region's scenery. "There are decisions being made here with this high-voltage transmission line ... that are going to impact people's lives for the next 30 or 40 years," Tschumper said.

Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle said Friday that his support for exploring nuclear power is in line with the position of presidential candidate Barack Obama and not a reversal from his previous stance. But state Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch, R-West Salem, said Doyle told him in 2003 he would veto any bill that lifted a moratorium on building new power plants. Huebsch said Doyle's position had "thawed" by 2007, when the governor said he'd be open to studying nuclear power as an option. The change in Doyle's position comes as he's been actively campaigning for Obama. Both presidential candidates spent this week talking about energy, which is shaping up to be one of the biggest issues of the race.

"I'm not opposed to alternative energy or looking at options," said Alderwoman Judy Compton. "But if repercussions exist, it's our job to protect this city's residents." For example, state law essentially requires safety, productivity and cost-effectiveness when it comes to wind turbines, but Compton said Madison needs to worry about more than that. "We have to consider covenants and restrictions, historic districts and different architectural factors," she said. "We have different zoning codes that need to be figured out. We're dealing with the human factor here."

Wiscoy Valley test site could lead to wind turbines in Winona County Commercial wind power is slated to arrive in Fillmore County, Minn., while Trempealeau County, Wis., has rebuffed it so far. Now it appears Winona County may be the next municipality to decide whether - or how - to embrace wind power. A Wiscoy Township man wants to erect a 60-meter-high temporary tower that would collect weather data to determine whether a commercial wind turbine is feasible on his property.

Gov. Jim Doyle's announcement today that Wisconsin will stop using coal at its power plants in Madison was hailed as a pivotal victory for the environment that makes the state a leader in seeking clean energy alternatives. ...Doyle said the state needs to lead by example by moving to eliminate coal use at its three plants in Madison. The announcement means that a 1950s-era plant and one built in 1902 will have to be shut down and refitted to burn something other than coal, Feyerherm said. She expected work at the plants to begin within months.

Madison Ald. Judy Compton claims she's all for alternative energy. In fact, the conservative-leaning real estate agent is co-sponsor of an ordinance aimed at boosting private use of solar and wind power. But after reading the fine print and getting an opinion from the city attorney, Compton is now sounding the alarm over what she fears is flawed legislation. "The way this is written, if your neighbor wants to put a 200-foot-tall wind tower in their front yard, there is absolutely nothing anyone can do to stop them," said Compton, who represents the city's far southeast side.

The Town of Union Planning Commission on Monday night, July 28, 2008, spent three hours reviewing with counsel, the text of the draft wind turbine ordinance. The purpose of the review was, as explained by counsel, to simply and forcefully connect the facts that were found in the evidence to the text of the ordinance. Thus, one of the most discussed topics was the factual evidence of damage that "noise" produced by wind turbines create---and whether the set back in the ordinance reflects the evidence cited in the appendix of evidence that has been gathered.

Gov. Jim Doyle's panel on global warming completed 16 months of work Thursday and now faces the challenge of cutting greenhouse gases as the economy sours and energy prices soar. Doyle's bipartisan panel voted 26-3 for a series of measures, including a big expansion in wind power, to reduce emissions 22% by 2022. ... But the package faces an uncertain future because Republicans control the Assembly and concerns about the economy are mounting.

Planning for EcoEnergy's 100 megawatt wind project in Magnolia Township will continue despite the town board's approval of what the wind developer says is a "very prohibitive" ordinance and non-supportive town leadership. "We're certainly not giving up," project developer Curt Bjurlin said. But he said as a business looking to develop projects in towns that help developers, "Magnolia could have acted in a way that was more enabling to allow us to build this project in a more efficient way." ...The board on July 3 unanimously passed an ordinance with turbine setbacks of a half mile from homes and 1,000 feet from property lines.

Douglas County does not have an ordinance regulating possible sites, designs, permit requirements and public hearing requirements. But tonight, the Douglas County Board considers a stopgap measure until such an ordinance is developed. The board is considering a 120-day moratorium on the development of wind farms to give the county's zoning committee time to develop an ordinance. "What it does is give us breathing room," said Supervisor Carol Johnson, chairwoman of the zoning committee. ...Rather than allow something that could make life miserable for county residents, Johnson said the county wants to be prepared in the event it is approached with a commercial proposal. "We don't want to have anything slip through our hands," she said. "We are certainly not against alternative energy ... We want to be prepared."

Magnolia has an ordinance for wind farm development, but that might do little to stop such growth in the town. That's why town Supervisor David Olsen said officials opted for a noncontroversial ordinance that should bode well for them if legal issues ever arise. ...It's a fair thought, said Tim Le Monds, governmental and public affairs director for the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin. "That's a pretty safe distance," he said. "It's acceptable to us."

Alliant Energy is using the rail yard as a staging point for moving the large wind-tower components from rail to truck for the final leg of a trip that started in Europe. ...Wisconsin Power & Light, a subsidiary of Alliant, is building a 41-tower wind farm in the towns of Eden and Empire, southeast of Fond du Lac. Scott Reigstad, a spokesman for Alliant, said it will be the company's first fully owned and operated wind farm. The 41 wind generators have capacity to produce 68 megawatts of electricity.

By a 3-0 vote, the Magnolia Town Board added an ordinance regulating the construction of wind turbines to the books. The vote came on the heels of a heated public hearing at the same meeting, where nearly a dozen Magnolia residents voiced their support or concern for the ordinance. The ordinance prohibits building wind turbines within a half-mile of a building or 1,000 feet of a property line. A provision allows homeowners to add a turbine as an easement to the property if they want a turbine within the half-mile.

The town of Union plan commission extended a moratorium on large wind turbines to November at a meeting Thursday night while the town continues work on an ordinance to regulate the turbines. Committee member Doug Zweizig said officials don't think they'll need that much time, however. He's hopeful the plan commission will vote at its July 31 meeting on a recommendation to the town board. The draft ordinance states wind turbines are to be built at least a half-mile from homes and 1,000 feet from property lines. ...The town of Magnolia planning and zoning commission already has recommended a draft wind ordinance to the town board, which will hold a public hearing and possible vote at a special meeting Thursday night.

Residents opposed to a wind farm project in Two Creeks have filed a complaint in Manitowoc County Circuit Court requesting a permit extension for the project be nullified. Jerome Hlinak, of rural Two Rivers, his neighbors and members of Wisconsin Independent Citizens Opposing Windturbine Sites (WINDCOWS) claim they are aggrieved by the Manitowoc County Board of Adjustment's decision to uphold the project's two-year extension.

The Magnolia Township Planning and Zoning Commission voted 4-0 Thursday to recommend a revised ordinance regulating the construction of wind turbines in the township. The ordinance now moves to the town board for approval. Kevin Kawula, an active resident in the wind turbine discussion, supported the proposed ordinance for its compromise. The revised ordinance states wind turbines could be constructed within the half-mile limit if the property owner agrees. ..."(A half-mile) is much better than 1,000 feet," he said. "And if someone wants to sign off on their health and safety, it's just like cigarette smoking-we can't regulate it completely."

Fitchburg 's McKee Farms Park could have an added attraction this summer -- a small and what some say will be quiet -- wind turbine. Known as an "urban turbine, " it looks similar to a 30-foot flagpole topped with a 12-foot rotating helix. "This is not one of those big propeller things, " said Fitchburg administrator Tony Roach. Madison Gas & Electric proposed the turbine for the Fitchburg park because it wants a visible spot to demonstrate and monitor the technology that some day customers could use to power their homes or businesses, said John Drury, business development manager for MGE.