Construction of the first commercial-scale wind-powered electric generation facility in Ohio could begin as early as next summer in Champaign County if the Ohio Power Siting Board approves the proposal submitted in April by Buckeye Wind, LLC., a subsidiary of Everpower Wind Holdings Inc. which recently finished construction of its first project, located in Pennsylvania. As the first, the decisions made by officials likely will set precedent for future applications and preview the process for any possible future applications in Logan County.

The Jefferson Township Board of Zoning Appeals voted 4-1 Tuesday to make corrections to its original approval of Roger Brown's request for a conditional use permit to build a 197-foot-tall meteorological tower on property he owns along State Route 540. ...Zoning regulations allow conditional use permits for projects that can be classified as public service facilities ...but do not specifically mention turbines or meteorological towers.

A number of Crawford and Richland County residents have reservations about wind turbines popping up in their farmlands. John Warrington, of Vernon Township, and Brett Heffner, of Jackson Township, conducted a community meeting outside the Vernon Township building Tuesday. More than 40 residents attended to listen to information about the proposed Phase 1 Black Fork Wind Farm project.

Several Fairfield County townships are updating their zoning codes to regulate windmills ...A change in state law last year gave the Ohio Power Siting Board authority to approve large projects generating five megawatts of power or more. It also gave local zoning boards the responsibility to regulate small wind turbines producing fewer than five megawatts.

Richland and Crawford County officials voiced concerns but offered support for a future wind farm during ...Hettich gave a presentation on the specifics of installing as many as 112 Vestas 1.8 megawatt wind turbines across Richland and Crawford Counties starting in the second half of 2010. The turbines would be located at various sites encompassing about 46,000 acres of land across the county's borderline.

After reviewing model ordinances on wind turbine zoning from Wisconsin and Sandusky, Clyde city council members agreed that the city will need to be restrictive when they draw up their ordinance. Clyde City Manager Dan Weaver suggested council members make a motion at the next meeting to prepare an ordinance for the city planning commission to review.

Northwood officials are mulling zoning regulations and an application process for wind turbines as more of the green-energy devices pop up on the east side. Under recommendations from the Northwood Planning Commission ...private wind turbines within city limits could not be taller than 40 feet from ground to blade tip.

The city is getting greener, at least in terms of electric utility generation. Perrysburg recently adopted standards for wind turbine electric generators as part of a number of changes to the city's planning and zoning code. Wind turbines up to 100-feet tall are permitted in certain areas of the city.

An Erie, Pa.-based energy company wants to determine whether its feasible to develop a wind farm on property at the Lake County Landfill in Painesville Township. Lake County commissioners have approved an agreement with Lake County Winds, LLC, a subsidiary of BQ Energy, that allows the company to conduct a study to see if the land would be conducive for wind energy.

County planners aren't supporting Portage Township's attempt to relax wind turbine rules for residents. Portage Township Trustees have proposed changing its current zoning regulations on electric-generating wind turbines in residential districts to make them more accessible, said Portage Township Trustee Jack Stables.

Union Twp. residents will have to decide whether they want zoning regulations for wind turbines. Energy companies have made proposals to erect numerous windmills in the county, including Union Twp. The issue is on the Nov. 4 ballot. ...The regulations, which were drafted by a township zoning commission, do not adequately protect area homeowners, said Julie Johnson, a Union Neighbors United representative. Among the problems, she said, the regulations rely on the state to set a noise standard for the turbines, and would measure setbacks from homes, instead of property values.

Contrary to comments made Monday by Councilman-at-large Jacob Chicatelli, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources has not indicated wind turbines will be taboo on east side property. ...At Monday night's work session, while members were debating the merits of various wind farm proposals, Chicatelli said he was told by a member of the state Division of Wildlife that turbines will never be erected on city-owned land because of bird migratory patterns in the area. Recently, Chicatelli said he learned the comment was made by someone from a federal - not state - wildlife agency.

A proposed wind turbine at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds faces one more hurdle before it can be approved by the city. After being approved unanimously by both the Board of Zoning Appeals and Planning Commission, the turbine is now before City Council.

"Wind is coming whether you want it or not," Ohio Power Siting Board Executive Director Kim Wissman said at one point in the more-than-two-hour-long meeting with concerned citizens and wind turbine leaseholders. She said that while some companies have abandoned a project in the early stages, she does not recall a time in her 30 years with the Siting Board that the arm of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio has turned down a project. "I'm not sure the board has outright rejected an application, but we have required certain modifications," Ms. Wissman said.

Tom Patton wants to harness the wind. The Avon Lake resident wants to put a wind turbine about 50 meters out into Lake Erie - something that Patton said hasn't been done elsewhere in the Great Lakes. He's in a holding pattern though, he said, as he has to wait for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to review the project. His understanding of the problem is that the ODNR doesn't have any rules or regulations regarding wind turbines in the lake, and they don't know when they might have them, Patton said. He already has the approval of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

For the second time in recent months, the Jefferson Township Board of Zoning Appeals has approved a request to build a meteorological tower to measure wind data. The four members present at Tuesday's meeting voted unanimously to allow Roger Brown to install a 197-foot-tall lattice tower on the property he owns along State Route 540. ... In justifying the conditional use, they said the project could be classified as a public service facility that includes various energy-generating structures but does not specifically mention wind turbines or meteorological towers.

For years, there's been lots of talk about building the towering, green-energy wind turbines in lots of places: along the Lake Erie shoreline, in Morrow or Logan counties, maybe even in Hardin County. But while all those locations have been debated, EverPower Renewables has negotiated leases with at least 100 property owners, mostly in eastern Champaign County, for land for the turbines. Now, the New York-based wind-energy developer plans to file two applications with the Ohio Power Siting Board for what, if approved and built, will dwarf Ohio's only other wind farm, a four-turbine project in Bowling Green.

At least two companies are interested in offshore wind development in New York's Great Lakes waters - BQ Energy, which developed Lackawanna's Steel Winds, and AWS Truewind. "I don't think it's inevitable, but I think it's very likely," said Bruce Bailey, AWS Truewind's president. There are significant obstacles and unknowns. ...Installing wind turbines in water can be at least twice as expensive because of the cost of mobilizing marine crews, the specialized nature of the installation equipment and the turbines and the need to move the power onshore, experts say. And that doesn't factor in what would be necessary to deal with the ice that often covers the eastern end of Lake Erie in winter.

Wind turbine regulations, which are being proposed as more people look into alternative energy sources, are on their way to the Miami County commissioners. If approved by the commission, the regulations reviewed and recommended for approval last week by the county Planning Commission would be added to county zoning regulations. Those regulations are used in townships that don't have separate zoning codes. Jacob Hoover, county planning and zoning director, said current zoning has no rules for the wind turbine generators.

Council met with interim city manager Edward Somppi to discuss an offer from SGR Site Associates, of Willoughby, which is interested in buying at least 159 acres of the East Conneaut Industrial Park to develop in a wind farm using turbine generators. The closed meeting also included State Rep. Deborah Newcomb of Conneaut and Joseph Mayernick, executive director of Growth Partnership for Ashtabula County. After the executive session ended, Somppi told Council President James Jones that council should set a public information meeting on the company's proposal. Before adjourning the special council meeting, Jones agreed to set the public meeting, but no date was announced.