City officials are going back to the drawing board with their proposed wind turbine ordinance. After debate Monday, the Austin City Council decided to table the proposed ordinance because council members said it needs more research. Planning Commission chairwoman Lynn Spainhower heard from angry residents of Oak Park Village, who took exception to her remark to the council that the 350-foot setback the commission added last week was "arbitrary."

A vote was scheduled for Austin's City Council, on a proposed wind turbine ordinance, in the city. It would allow turbines, with several restrictions to be placed in industrial parks and commercial areas, but 350 feet away from residential buildings. ...But Monday's council never saw a vote on the issue, it was tabled on the overwhelming support of some concerned residents. A lot of people showed up to voice their disagreement with the ordinance, though it wasn't a public hearing.

Jim and Merlene Stiles, owners of Super Fresh Produce in Austin, are interested in building a wind turbine on their property. But as of now, they can't - a local moratorium is in place on turbine construction as the city is without a specific ordinance regulating their construction. That could change, however, as city officials go forward with a draft ordinance that would layout the dos and don'ts of wind turbine growth within city limits.

The South Washington County School District has abandoned its interest in a large wind turbine as Woodbury officials are near prohibiting that type of project. East Ridge High School will not be the site of a utility-scale wind turbine ...The decision was influenced by a pending alternative energy ordinance that would restrict the size and location of wind turbines in Woodbury.

"We thought we found our Shangri-La," Schulte, a rural Goodhue landowner, told about 90 people gathered Wednesday for an informational wind energy meeting. "If I would have known the (wind) project was in the works, I would not have bought this property." Schulte bought land four miles west of Goodhue more than two years ago. He said many landowners like himself - those who don't own enough property to house wind turbines but will live directly in their shadows.

The Afton City Council continued its wind turbine talk during a work session last month. During a Sept. 8 work session two experts in the field, Brian Ross from CR Planning and Sean Wagner from the architecture firm Meyer, Schere & Rockcastle, spoke to the council about wind turbines and turbine ordinances. “We need to hear how the community feels about this issue,” Afton City Council member Bill Palmquist said.

The Clay County Commission approved an ordinance Tuesday that establishes standards stricter than state law on where wind turbines can be erected and how noisy they can be at night. The new rules apply to projects not regulated by the state, which are those that generate less than 5 megawatts of power.

A moratorium issued last week by the Austin City Council gave city employees 120 days to finalize a draft ordinance concerning the construction of wind turbines within city limits. It is an issue that three Austin residents find imperative to the process of becoming more energy independent.

Unclear guidelines of where residents can erect wind turbines on their property has caused gridlock on the Otter Tail County Board. The issue came to a head after two residents requesting to erect wind turbines left the county's Planning Commission struggling to decide if the permits should be approved. The Planning Commission turned to the county commissioners for direction, suggesting a possible six-month moratorium on wind turbine permits.

State regulators plan to vote today on a Wisconsin utility's plans to build a massive wind farm in southern Minnesota. Wisconsin Power & Light Co., a subsidiary of Madison-based Alliant Energy, wants permission to start the first phase of the farm on 32,500 acres just north of Albert Lea in Freeborn County. Plans call for scores of turbines that would generate about 200 megawatts of electricity.

The bent tree wind farm project has been in the works since 2003. Now the Wisconsin Power and Light Utility Company is looking to secure a permit in Minnesota to begin construction on the project. But not everybody is happy.

State regulators plan to vote Thursday on a Wisconsin utility's plans to build a massive wind farm in southern Minnesota. Wisconsin Power & Light Co., a subsidiary of Madison-based Alliant Energy, wants permission to start the first phase of the farm on 32,500 acres just north of Albert Lea in Freeborn County. Plans call for scores of turbines that would generate about 200 megawatts of electricity.

Austin City Council members unanimously approved Monday an ordinance prohibiting the issuance of permits for constructing wind turbines used for generating electricity. The moratorium will give the time needed for city staff to finalize a draft ordinance establishing specific development standards for constructing such towers.

Paul White has a keen interest in the public hearing set for 11 a.m. July 14 before the Clay County Commission, where an ordinance regulating small-scale wind projects will be discussed. White is president of Project Resources Corp., the company behind the Lakeswind Power Plant, a proposed wind farm that would include part of Clay County. ..."It could kill our project,” he said.

The proposed New Ulm Wind Project in Nicollet County cleared another hurdle last week.The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission accepted the application of New Ulm Public Utilities to place five wind turbines in Lafayette Township.

City council members on April 15 approved amendments to Cottage Grove's two decades-old zoning ordinances that cover wind turbines, establishing more stringent permitting and adding a public hearing requirement for businesses and homeowners interested in harnessing wind power for electricity.

The massive power line project known as CapX 2020 has been approved by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. The commission made one stipulation in its decision today: The line from Brookings, S.D. to the Twin Cities has to carry wind generated power. The lines will run between Fargo and Monticello, Brookings and the Twin Cities and the Twin Cities to La Crosse.

The Freeborn County commissioners on Tuesday accepted written comments gathered by the Planning and Zoning Department on a proposed transmission line to connect the planned Bent Tree Wind Farm to the Hayward electrical substation. As recommended by Planning and Zoning Director Wayne Sorensen, the commissioners resolved to consider public concerns in an environmental assessment to be done by the Planning and Zoning Department.

To meet Minnesota's goal of getting 25 percent of its electricity from clean renewable wind energy by 2025, the state's utilities would need to build a 345-kilovolt line between Granite Falls and Shakopee at a cost of $460 million, according to a study released Friday. The 125-mile line would replace a 260-kilovolt power line that is 60 years old.

About 100 people showed up Monday, February 16 at the St. George Parish Center when the New Ulm Public Utilities Commission held a listening session to hear concerns of local property owners. This was the first public meeting held in Nicoillet County by the PUC about the controversial wind farm project. ...There seemed to be an aura of frustration as some had hoped their questions would be responded to at the meeting.