After two weeks of testimony, the proposed Buckeye Wind Project crept closer to a decision by the Ohio Power Siting Board this week. But the project is still likely a long way from approval. If approved, the project would allow Everpower Renewables to build about 70 wind turbines in a section of Champaign County that spans about 9,000 acres and six townships. ...Although testimony spanned about two weeks, a spokesman for the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio said it could still be months before a final conclusion is reached in the case.

A state employee was questioned Friday, Nov. 20, about a report he prepared for the Buckeye Wind Project. Champaign County Prosecutor Nick Selvaggio and Gil Weithman, city of Urbana law director, asked Nick Doss about methods he used to develop sections of a staff report concerning aviation and decommissioning of the Buckeye Wind Project.

In what could be the final day of hearings on a proposed plan to install 70 wind turbines in Champaign County, a state employee was questioned about a report he prepared for the Buckeye Wind Project. Champaign County Prosecutor Nick Selvaggio and Gil Weithman, city of Urbana law director, on Friday, Nov. 20, asked Nick Doss about methods he used to develop sections of a staff report concerning aviation and decommissioning of the Buckeye Wind Project.

An Ohio Power Siting Board staff member admitted under cross examination Wednesday that the board has no obligation to consider the concerns of the public or intervenors in the Buckeye Wind case. Stuart Siegfried, of the Efficiency and Renewables Division of the Department of Energy and Environment, testified that he was responsible for compiling and editing the OPSB staff report on the project that was issued Oct. 13, in compliance with the deadline to do so 15 days before the public hearing at Triad that was held Oct. 28.

Witnesses began testimony this week on a proposal that could soon dot Champaign County with large wind turbines. Throughout the week, Everpower Renewables, the New York company proposing the Buckeye wind project, provided witnesses who testified before the Ohio Power Siting Board on everything from the potential effect of the turbines on Grimes and Weller Fields to what effects, if any, shadow flicker has on human health. Testimony is expected to continue into this week.

A court battle was underway to decide the future of Miami Valley wind turbines. As the debate went on indoors, protestors lined up outside the Governors office in Columbus. They were handing out flyers, letting people know that these wind turbines would be taller than the Statue of Liberty, and ruin the landscape. Ohio lawmakers were considering a proposal that would put 70 wind turbines on land in Champaign county.

An engineer who has researched the proposed Buckeye Wind Project in Champaign County says steps have been taken to reduce the noise impact on residents from the wind turbines but that complaints from residents are still ‘inevitable.' David Hessler, principal engineer with Hessler Associates Inc., testified Friday morning in Columbus before the state power siting board that is holding hearings on the Buckeye Wind Project. ...Turbines in other areas have been found to produce persistent wind-rushing sounds that some people living nearby say interfere with the quality of their lives.

Opponents to a proposed electricity-generating turbine project in Champaign County questioned Thursday during state hearings whether the wind-turbines would harm an endangered species of bat, but a researcher who studied the issue said the windmills would not. ...UNU attorneys argued the study did not follow specific guidelines for net placement developed by the department of fish and wildlife. A follow-up study by wildlife officials, however, did find evidence of the Indiana bat in the area. Meinke said she had worked closely with officials from the department of fish and wildlife when she conducted the study, which was deemed adequate at the time.

A second day of testimony before the Ohio Power Siting Board today, Nov. 10, saw an attorney for the Urbana Country Club and the Champaign County prosecutor closely question an executive with the company seeking to build as many as 70 electricity-generating wind turbines in eastern Champaign County. Prosecutor Nick A. Selvaggio questioned Chris Shears, vice president of development for the company, Everpower, about how proposed setbacks could effect future developments in the area.

Fifteen new letters of opposition were filed on the Ohio Power Siting Board docketing Web site Thursday after a public hearing on the Buckeye Wind case Wednesday night at Triad, during which some 50 people testified on the record about their views for and against the project. Public Utilities Commission of Ohio spokesman Matt Butler said Thursday it will take court reporters some time to complete a transcript of the public hearing and that it could be ready by the end of next week, prior to the start of evidentiary hearings.

Residents from Champaign County and beyond appeared in droves at Triad High School Wednesday evening to either give or hear opinions during a public hearing regarding the proposed Buckeye Wind Project. Upon arriving at the school participants could see the yellow "safe set-backs" signs and even hear blaring through a mounted speaker a recording one opponent had depicting turbine noise. Walking through the front doors individuals easily found themselves inundated with literature from both sides of the issue.

There is a statewide push for increased use of renewable energy in Ohio and efforts to bring one particular kind of energy to Champaign County are blowing in all kinds of controversy. There was a public hearing Wednesday inside Triad High School auditorium for people to express there opinions about the project will be suitable for the area.

A packed auditorium at a public hearing held at Triad High School Wednesday, Oct. 27, represented a community divided over a proposal to build 70 wind turbines across six townships in Champaign County. More than 50 people signed up to testify before representatives of the Ohio Power Siting Board. ...the testimony from dozens of residents who spoke was varied as locals either welcomed Everpower with open arms or told the company to leave Champaign County.

The turbines have inspired spirited opposition in rural Richland and Crawford counties. Karel and Jim Davis, who have lived on a 6-acre plot across from Baird's farm for 35 years, have placed "No Wind Turbine" signs on their front yard on Champion Road. "We don't want our property to feel like an industrial park," said Jim Davis, 65. "But we think they're well-meaning people." Construction for wind turbines is expected to begin in July 2010.

A hearing for a proposed turbine project in Champaign County has been rescheduled for next month, according to documents filed with the Ohio Power Siting Board this week. The adjudicatory hearing for the Buckeye Wind Project was initially scheduled for Oct. 27. It is now scheduled for on Monday, Nov. 9. The hearing will allow parties involved in the project to present testimony to members of the OPSB.

Julie Johnson considers herself in that "backyard," so she is part of a group pushing for better regulation of wind energy. She is concerned that the state will allow the turbines too close to homes. She said local sentiment remains strongly against the project and that people have concerns about safety, noise and potential environmental impact. Some residents thought that the energy produced would be used locally, and that their electricity rates would be cheaper, she said. Those people now understand that isn't the case.

Black Fork Wind Farm turbines may start popping up next year across Richland and Crawford counties, raising uncertainties about taxes and effects on property values. Gary Energetics, an alternative energy company (Denver, Colo.), plans to install 112 Vestas 1.8 megawatt wind turbines, starting in the second half of 2010. The turbines would be at various sites encompassing about 46,000 acres crossing the border of the two counties.

Urbana’s City Council voted unanimously Friday, Oct. 9, to file as an intervenor in a proposed wind turbine project, after concerns were raised that the project could impact approaches at two local airfields. ...Michael Speerschneider, a project developer with Everpower, said the company would work with the airport to alleviate those concerns. He said Everpower will not build a wind turbine that was deemed a hazard by the FAA. Instead, the company will offer to invest in localizer equipment at the airport to resolve the issue.

Cuyahoga County commissioners today rejected proposals to build a wind turbine at the county fairgrounds because the estimates were too expensive. Instead, the commissioners voted to seek proposals for a used, rebuilt turbine, similar to the refurbished machine at the Great Lakes Science Center.

Benton-Carroll-Salem Local School District officials briefed village leaders on tentative plans to install a 100 kilowatt wind turbine on a school property. Village Administrator Robert Pauley said the windmill will be for educational purposes and to save on energy costs.