A Tiskilwa firm received preliminary approval Thursday night to erect a meteorological tower as a first step in possible construction of a small wind farm in southeastern Marshall County. The county Zoning Board of Appeals voted unanimously to recommend a special use permit to Stewardship Energy LLC to erect the 164-foot tower on a farm in Bennington Township, southeast of Toluca and near the Woodford County line. The permit will need final approval from the County Board, which will meet Sept. 11 ...

Walnut Ridge wind farm developers are one step closer to securing their construction site. On Tuesday, the Bureau County Board approved conditional use permits for 143 turbines, four meteorological towers and three substations for the wind farm, which developers hope to begin constructing in the spring.

Interest in Illinois as a source of wind-generated electricity has grown in recent years and is likely to grow further, even in parts of the state initially thought to be unsuitable for wind farms, a panelist said Wednesday at a forum held to discuss the issue. "We're receiving inquiries from Mason County, Monroe County and other counties we did not think would be indicated based on the wind map," said Jerry Quick, attorney for the Illinois Agricultural Association.

The Woodford County Board granted a special-use permit for a wind farm outside El Paso on Tuesday, but in doing so may have threatened the very project it approved. Board members approved a stipulation to the permit requiring Navitas Energy, the Minneapolis-based company that has proposed the 40-turbine installation, to remove six turbines within a 1.5 mile radius of El Paso's municipal limits. Wanda Davies, director of development for Navitas, said that move will force the company to re-evaluate the entire El Paso wind farm project.

The Woodford County Board granted a special-use permit for a wind farm outside El Paso on Tuesday, but in doing so may have threatened the very project it approved. Board members approved a stipulation to the permit requiring Navitas Energy, the Minneapolis-based company that has proposed the 40-turbine installation, to remove six turbines within a 1.5 mile radius of El Paso's municipal limits. Wanda Davies, director of development for Navitas, said that move will force the company to re-evaluate the entire El Paso wind farm project.

After more than six months of debate, Woodford County has officially given the green light to a wind farm in El Paso. The vote was ten to three in favor of the project, with one Woodford County Board Member abstaining. ...Some residents argue Tuesday's decision may be invalid because a previous zoning board meeting allegedly violated the open meetings act.

At Tuesday's meeting in the Bureau County Courthouse in Princeton, the county board voted unanimously to delay action on the requested conditional use permits for Walnut Ridge until a formal roads agreement is finalized. Bureau County Engineer John Gross said a roads agreement between Walnut Ridge developers Midwest Wind Energy, the county and the townships is close to being finalized. However, until that agreement is formally reached and written, he could not recommend going ahead and approving the conditional use permits.

The Fulton County Board helped pave the way for possible wind energy production in the county by approving ordinances regulating small and large wind energy conversion systems. During public remarks, Dean Wright of Meister Electric of Peoria, addressed the board asking them to work on encouraging rather than restricting wind energy system building. He asked the board to slow down and offered to help board members study the issue further. Wright had already submitted a letter to Fulton County Board Chairman Ed Ketcham about problems concerning the proposed ordinances concerning small wind energy systems.

The kind of windmills Oswego trustees are discussing would stand 60 to 80 feet tall on residential property that is between half an acre and an acre. Larger lots would not have a height restriction beyond those imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration. ...On the other hand, Lisa Linowes with the Industrial Wind Action Group -- which counteracts misleading wind energy information -- contends that it's more beneficial to reduce energy use than erect backyard windmills. ...Village leaders should remember to have an open but realistic mind when considering ways to make the community more eco-friendly. Just because windmills may be good for the environment doesn't necessarily make them a good fit for Oswego.

Tazewell County State's Attorney Stuart Umholtz said at the board meeting Wednesday night that he has asked Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan to deliver an opinion on the enterprise zone's expansion. A company called Horizon Wind Energy has requested that Tazewell County and the City of Pekin expand their enterprise zone by providing a connecting strip 24 miles long and 3 feet wide. The strip would extend from the existing enterprise zone out to the southern-most area of Tazewell county and connect to 38 wind turbine sites. ...New enterprise zones cannot be created and the expansion of an existing one must be contiguous. "Respect the rule of law," Umholtz told board members. He said that during his career as state's attorney, he has never before delivered a memorandum to board members advising them that they are doing something wrong.

A second wind farm is on Logan County's horizon. On the heels of Texas-based Horizon Wind Energy receiving a conditional-use permit from the Logan County Board to erect 29 wind turbines in the Emden area, another company said Wednesday it plans to construct a wind farm in another part of the county. The farm, to be called Sugar Creek Wind One, has already started the process of contacting landowners in the New Holland and Middletown areas to obtain land leases for turbines. Stan Komperda, a consultant with Conestoga-Rovers & Associates ...announced Wednesday a joint effort of American Wind Energy Management and Oak Creek Energy Systems to begin the process of erecting turbines in the county.

Proposed regulations for wind energy conversion systems have been recommended for adoption by the Fulton County Board. If adopted, the new rules would be included in the county zoning ordinance. The Fulton County Zoning Board of Appeals voted 4-2 to recommend such action following hearings held Wednesday at the Fulton County Health Department. ...Lynch noted noise can pose a concern if it is not addressed properly. Noise for both small and large wind-energy systems is proposed to be limited to 60 decibels, measured from the boundary lines of property where such systems are located. This also would comply with minimum noise requirements set by the Illinois Pollution Control Board.

Navitas Energy won approval Tuesday to relocate six wind towers from near El Paso to the southern portion of its proposed 3,000-acre development. The Woodford County Zoning Board of Appeals voted unanimously to relocate the towers that were within half a mile of U.S. 24 or Interstate 39 to an area near Kappa. The village of El Paso opposed 12 turbines to be placed near the village saying they would prohibit future development.

[Rockford attorney Rick] Porter, who represents nine owners near the Emden area, said he expects the decision to be overturned. "We intend to file an appeal, and we believe the courts will see that there were mistakes made in the zoning process," Porter said. "More than anything, though, our clients wanted some sort of guarantee that the property values would not suffer, and the board wasn't willing to include that as a condition of the permit." The permit allows using land zoned for agricultural use for a wind farm.

Plans for a wind farm near El Paso have been stalled for nearly a year because of township road issues, but now an agreement and final vote may be a month away. Paul Lewis, attorney for wind farm developer Navitas Energy of Minneapolis, and Robert Lenz, representing commissioners in El Paso and Palestine townships, say progress has been made on an agreement on maintenance of township roads. A stipulation from the Zoning Board of Appeals a year ago required an agreement between township road commissioners and the company before a special-use permit could be granted.

By a 17-4 vote with three abstentions, board the 155-turbine project proposed by Spanish wind farm developer Iberdrola Renewables. It will be built on sites scattered across 15,000 acres between Saunemin and Odell. ...Supporters of the project have said the wind farm would be a financial boon for farmers who will rent space for the turbines and taxing bodies that collect property taxes. Dissenters have said the turbines will block other economic development around them and could reduce property values.

Tazewell County State's Attorney Stewart Umholtz warned Tazewell County board members Monday that he would be required to "take legal action" if the county board approves a questionable expansion of a tax-free zone for a proposed wind farm. County Chairman Jim Unsicker says that Umholtz is entitled to his opinion, but that opinion is not shared by many people. "(Umholtz's) view on the expansion of the enterprise zone is diametrically opposed to the view of a number of people on the board, the state, the city and just about anybody else you want to talk to in the state of Illinois," said Unsicker.

Logan County State's Attorney Tim Huyett disagrees with his friend and Tazewell County counterpart on a legal issue related to whether the Rail Splitter Wind Farm qualifies for inclusion in an enterprise zone. The agency that administrates all of the state's enterprise zones also disagrees with Tazewell County State's Attorney Stewart Umholtz, who has threatened to sue his own county board if it extends that county's enterprise zone to the wind farm locale, which straddles the Logan-Tazewell county line.

The Woodford County Board once again postponed voting for 30 days on the El Paso wind farm, deciding instead to take up the development at its Aug. 19 meeting. Board members reached the decision by a 10-5 vote Tuesday night after lawyers representing the project's developer, Navitas Energy, and the township road commissioners affected by the wind farm said they were close to striking a deal. By delaying the vote on the 40-turbine wind farm, just as they did at their May meeting, some board members said they hoped both sides would return with a settlement.

Horizon Wind Energy and Railsplitter Wind Farm faced the last major hurdle with local governments Tuesday evening. ...board member Pat O'Neill said, "I believe these people at least need an explanation as to why they can't get a property value guaranty on their property." At that time a representative for the group opposing the wind farm read a statement explaining their need for the plan. It said that when Horizon first began negotiations with landowners, the company refused to talk to homeowners. So the property owners hired an attorney to protect their rights. ...The board approved the land use for wind power with nine voting yes. John Stewart and Chuck Ruben abstained for conflict of interest. Bill Sahs was absent for surgery. Opponents to the wind farm have said that they would not let it drop if the county passed the measure. They have 90 days to file an appeal that would next be heard in a district court.