Ireland-based Mainstream has indicated it would keep $13,721 on hand for the possible decommissioning of the 53-turbine wind farm. But opponents say the cost of taking down the turbines would cost millions.

Whiteside County's zoning panel on Wednesday unanimously recommended the approval of a wind farm in the county's southeastern corner. The decision followed more than 2 months of public hearings, including much feedback from nearby residents opposed to the project.

The nine-member panel will be weighing public comments made during Monday night's public hearing in Potomac, which was scheduled by county officials in response to several citizens calling for changes to the county's ordinance, especially increasing the distance a wind turbine can be built from houses and other structures.

Under the regulations approved Tuesday, the setbacks of 250 percent would be required for towers with heights ranging from 175 feet to the maximum of 400 feet. The County Board is expected to discuss and vote on the recommended regulations next Tuesday.

Today, only a couple of small mining areas in the county still are listed as active by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources' Office of Mines and Minerals. It's the mines no longer in use, however, that have the attention of future energy providers. ...The problems that can occur when building over a mine exist in a few places in southern Vermilion County. ...and the ground underneath has sunk.

Illinois’ senators said Friday that they no longer are blocking President Bush’s nominee for a Pentagon post after learning from the Defense Department that one of its recent report won’t be detrimental to wind farms in their state.

The rest of the board agreed with the half-dozen residents who spoke at the meeting that the wind turbine wasn't appropriate for the area, which is known for its scenic river views and abundant wildlife, including eagles and other migratory birds.

Whitlock says the success of the first phase is also prompting investors to consider expanding beyond initial expectations, to possibly add as many as 140 more turbines. A third phase could have as many as 40 more turbines, on top of 120 already proposed. Depending on results of wind tests that could begin in a few months, Whitlock says investors could develop a fourth-phase with 100 turbines if they can negotiate with land owners living north of Route 9.

"Once we get the power sold, then we can put together the financing to pay for the $70M Phase One and balance of Phase Two. That is the last piece of the puzzle," Goede said. "Our expectation, our goal, our plan is to have power sold or some transaction like that in place in the next three months, no later than the end of January."

The Pike County Board wants to make sure money's in place to decommission wind farm turbines. Board members Monday adopted a measure requiring developers to provide a surety bond when submitting a wind farm application.

Plan commissioners are set to discuss an amendment to a wind turbine ordinance and the development of the Lake County Government Center Libertyville campus at Monday's plan commission meeting. ...The village board in September approved a moratorium on wind turbine construction.

Roy Douglas knows it will not be too long before his family loses its five-generation farm to encroaching development ...but right now, he is more worried about losing the horizon and his peace of mind to the university's proposal to build up to three 400-foot wind turbines on the land across the street, less than 1,000 feet from his front door.

Political maneuvers could pull the plug on two Central Illinois wind farms, one in Livingston County and the other in Woodford County. In Livingston County, Chatsworth officials agreed in principle to adopt an ordinance banning wind farm turbines within a mile-and-a-half of city limits, said town President Richard Pearson. The concern is a proposed wind farm by Chicago-based Invenergy Wind which could disrupt the scenic views of a planned 900-acre lakeside subdivision called Oliver’s Crossing, he said. “Nobody wants to live next to a 400-foot windmill that I know of,” Pearson said. “We prefer to keep them away from the city limits.” In Woodford County, meanwhile, squabbles over road repairs could disrupt the development of a 79-turbine, 160-megawatt, $260 million wind farm near Benson.

A national model for how to burn coal in an environmentally responsible way, or an extortion scheme hatched behind closed doors...... As part of the pact, CWLP would spend $37 million on wind-generated power and other environmentally friendly approaches to generating electricity.

New York-based Global Wind Harvest still plans to move forward with a $300 million wind farm project in Adams County, even though Acciona Energy is no longer a partner and a timeframe for submitting an application has not been established.

The nearly 500 wind turbines approved by the Henry County Board to date have hardly been sited on paper yet, but the first revenues have come in to the county. Board members on Tuesday approved moving $161,850 in zoning application fees from the general fund to the capital building fund. County board chairman Tom Nicholson had said he felt the one-time money should go towards capital improvements — possibly including courthouse repair, parking or an employee entrance. Zoning and special use permits for Competitive Power Ventures’ second, “Midland” wind farm — 70 turbines in Galva, Burns and Cambridge townships — was also approved Tuesday. The board approved CPV’s 135-turbine Spring Creek wind farm last month and Invenergy’s permits for 266-turbine Bishop Hill Wind Energy Center in October. The ordinance establishing rules for wind energy systems was approved in September of 2005.

Horizon Wind Energy confirmed in March it was in the early stages of evaluating the potential of a wind turbine project that would cover the corners of Vermilion, Champaign, Edgar and Coles counties. Horizon officials have said test towers could evaluate the wind for as long as two years before work begins. In Danville, however, work has already began to make sure all bases are covered for the potential of an incoming wind farm. Bill Donahue, chairman of the Vermilion County Board's finance committee, is working on an ordinance setting certain rules for everyone involved, ranging from landowners to Horizon.

An official from PNE Wind USA Inc. confirmed Friday the company intends to erect a wind farm in northern Tazewell County and has just finished a meteorological tower that will help the company determine the number and size of the turbines it will use.

A proposal to build an environmentally friendly 100-room hotel and conference center and a green energy museum in the Sauk Valley has found support from a local zoning board and officials at Sauk Valley Community College. Bruce and Joyce Papiech, who own a 41-tower wind farm north of Sublette in Lee and Ogle counties, took their plan before the Lee County Zoning Board Thursday. The plan also includes the addition of 74 new windmills to their existing farm. The board unanimously voted to recommend the plan to the Lee County Board, which likely will consider the project on Jan. 15.