On Monday, Vermilion County Board members will get their first opportunity to discuss a new ordinance that will regulate the creation of wind turbines in Vermilion County. Several developers of wind turbine farms are considering building in the county, more specifically in the southwest, northwest and northern parts of Vermilion.

Village officials heard mixed opinions from residents Monday as they looked to gather information on potential regulations for wind turbines. Roughly 25 people gathered at Poplar Grove's Village Hall for a public hearing, which is mandatory before any ordinance can be adopted. The feelings of those who spoke were split between proponents and opponents of commercial wind farms.

A public hearing was packed Tuesday night with people who wanted to tell the Lee Village Board exactly why they are for or against a proposed wind farm along the DeKalb-Lee county line. The project would consist of 133 electricity-generating wind turbines owned by Florida-based FPL Energy. All of the proposed turbines are in unincorporated areas, but a state law passed last year allows municipalities to exercise zoning authority on wind turbines within one and a half miles of their corporate boundaries.

Vermilion County officials forged ahead Monday with their first discussion on how to regulate the potential construction of wind-turbine farms in the absence of a countywide zoning system. Several wind-turbine companies are seriously considering the county for development of alternative-energy farms, but the county is different from other counties where wind farms already exist because Vermilion has no zoning. ...Attorney and Vermilion County Board Member Bill Donahue, D-District 7, has been working on developing an ordinance that would contain the same type of regulations that would be developed through a regular zoning process in other counties.

Vermilion County economic development officials are in talks with at least four companies interested in building wind-turbine farms in Vermilion County. The county has no zoning system, but county board officials are taking steps to regulate the construction and operation of the alternative-energy farms by writing an ordinance. ...Haugen said landowners need to be protected, and the companies need to know the expectations before making major investments.

Residents hoping to sound off on wind turbine laws Monday were told to come back in two weeks. The village of Poplar Grove delayed a public hearing on potential zoning-law changes for wind towers because the legal notice of the meeting was published incorrectly, village President Roger Day said. ...village officials say they want to protect residents who may not want a wind farm near their homes or fear it could lower their property values.

The Iroquois County Planning and Zoning Committee voted unanimously to recommended to the full board a wind farm request. Friday morning the committee heard from Vision Energy representatives Mark Gerson and Turner Hunt as they asked for the conditional use to build 47 wind towers in Milks Grove Township.

The Ford County Regional Planning Commission will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Tri-Point school building in Kempton to consider the applications for the energy farm, K4 Wind Farm. Towers are proposed to be dotted across 32,000 acres stretching from within Kankakee County, about two miles north of Chebanse, to the Kempton-Emington area, about five miles into eastern Livingston County. The Ford County Zoning Board has given a unanimous recommendation to the application in that county in which 97 turbines are proposed.

In August, Union Ridge Wind, opponents of the Railsplitter Wind Farm, did file a court appeal on the conditional use of agriculture-zoned land for the construction of a wind farm. The Logan County Board granted the conditional use to Railsplitter Wind Farm and Horizon Wind Energy in July. The appeal would need to be dropped before the county would sign one of the agreements necessary for meeting the conditions set forth by the Logan County Zoning Board of Appeals and accepted by the county board in July.

Ten wind towers in southeastern Woodford County have been removed from the controversial White Oak Energy Center. John Hamann, Woodford zoning administrator, said he was notified of the removal Tuesday morning by Joel Link, director of business development for Invenergy Wind of Chicago. A settlement recently was reached between homeowners and the company, opening the door to construction of the 100-tower project, with about 90 in McLean County.

A settlement has been reached between homeowners and Invenergy Wind, opening the door to construction of the controversial White Oak Energy Center in McLean and Woodford counties. The agreement was reached just days before a bench trial scheduled to begin Monday on the longstanding dispute. "A settlement has been reached, but because of the confidential nature, I can't give details," said Joel Link, director of business development for Invenergy, on Friday.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office has declined to give an opinion about the legality of expanding a jointly-owned enterprise zone in Tazewell County, State's Attorney Stewart Umholtz said Friday. Umholtz requested an opinion from Madigan's office several months ago ...But Umholtz said the issue isn't quite over for him. "This is an issue of statewide importance," he said. "I'm still trying to encourage state government to follow state law."

The city's plan commission has recommended that the Paxton City Council not regulate wind farms within 1½ miles of the city limits. The state allows municipalities jurisdiction over that marginal area, but the commission recommended that Ford County regulate it. The county's wind farm ordinance prohibits erecting the wind turbines closer than 1,500 feet from the boundaries of any platted community within the county.

The first step in getting wind towers in Iroquois County was passed last night. The Iroquois County Regional Planning Commission approved unanimously the conditional use of 47 properties in the Milks Grove Township. The township, in the northeastern most corner of the county, would have just a portion of the wind tower farm to be spread across Iroquois, Kankakee, Livingston and Ford counties.

After some confusion and a tie vote, the Tazewell County Board decided to leave the approval of wind farms up to the Zoning Board of Appeals. "I think that's a mistake," said board member Dean Grimm before the final 8-10 vote Wednesday that left the approval process for wind farms in the hands of the ZBA.

Questions remain, but it appears Navitas Energy will proceed with its wind farm project near El Paso using only 36 wind towers. The Woodford County Board last month approved a special use permit for the Minneapolis-based company, but stipulated that six towers remaining within 1 ½ miles of El Paso be removed. The company earlier agreed to move six other towers near U.S. 24 and Interstate 39 to a southern part of the 3,000-acre site. Wanda Davies of Navitas said the company likely will proceed with a reduced number of towers, but using larger turbines - 2.2 megawatts instead of 2.

Cheryl Wagner, a URW member and a vocal opponent throughout the process, says she can only speak in general terms. Wagner said a proposal was given to Horizon, which the energy company is currently reviewing. The proposal was drawn up by Porter and agreed upon by URW. Neither Wagner nor Porter would disclose what was in the proposal, but an appeal may hinge upon whether or not it is accepted. "Horizon said they really want to do this (project)," said Wagner. "But, they're not willing to give a property value guarantee."

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.