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.

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.