Yes, I have strong opinions about the wind farm issue, not that I believe wind energy is good or bad, rather that the whole episode has been handled so wrongly. Thirteen months ago I had no opinion at all, then I attended a Zoning Board of Appeals hearing and could not believe the audacity of the supporters and participants toward those who objected. ...Then eleven months ago I was part of a group of residents from both Lancaster and Waddams townships that drafted a compromising plan for proper and safe zoning setbacks of wind turbines with property protection for neighboring residents. When that proposal was presented to the county's Plan Commission it was rejected with one board member making the comment "we don't owe these people anything,"

The biggest concern that we all should have is how certain members of our county board have swayed many to believe that there are no alternatives but to push through with the construction of wind turbines. They have disregarded county zoning restrictions and recommendations (which exist to give residents a right of appeal) only to write their own rules which can lead to serious ramifications down the road. There was a concentrated effort to disallow the petitioned voice of nearly 1800 county residents who have various health, safety and financial concerns about the construction of these enormous structures. To throw out approximately 60 signatures as illegible ... seriously? I think the chairman has underestimated and insulted the intelligence of the rural population in Stephenson County to think that so many can't write their own name.

Opponents of these projects were initially stunned by the blatant disregard of public input by county board members on these zoning matters. Lawsuits have subsequently been filed, challenging the special use permits of each planned wind farm, and arguing the validity of a petition that may have changed the outcome of the county board decision to eliminate special use permits for wind farms. In the end, the question of whether these legal actions would have been initiated if county board members had been more receptive to public input should be asked.

Forty-three owners with 72 tract of land have agreed to construct turbines. How can we allow so few to dictate to so many?

The issue: The right of citizens to petition for legislation Our view: An important right that should be protected Opponents of wind farm projects presented the Stephenson County Board a petition signed by 1,800 landowners last week, citing a little-used state law that empowers citizens to change how legislation is approved by the county board, by petition. Statutes dictate that validated signatures representing 5 percent of the landowners in a county can require a "super majority," or three-fourths approval on legislation being considered by the board. In this case, wind farm opponents sought to petition the county board to prevent it from adopting a revision to the zoning ordinance that changes permitted uses for land in the prime agriculture category. County officials put the petition aside, and after further consideration, discussion turned to whether the exact number of landowners in Stephenson County could be determined. Land ownership can be confused by trusts, marital status, estate holdings and other legal "tools." Regardless of your opinion on wind farms, preserving the right of citizens to initiate action through petition is a vital right in our democratic system of government. In such cases when an electorate is unable to find sufficient consideration for its opinion through its elected representatives, the opportunity to prompt action through independent petition is a viable alternative.

I grew up, operated and still actively participate with my son on our family farm. Over all that time I have seen many trends in the agricultural business, but wind power generation is not one I consider to be agricultural based. Yet, our county leadership wants to allow these types of facilities permitted uses in our agricultural zones without any zoning board review or forum for public protest. The claim is to streamline the system but all it actually does is open the door for more and more wind turbines to be scattered about without any formal protest opportunity for neighboring land owners.

Acting now, at a time when Stephenson County is being sued by two property owner groups opposed to proposed wind farm developments, subverts the public process. Adopting this proposal would create an opportunity for the developers to withdraw plans for the two wind farms now being considered, thereby negating the lawsuits. These same developers, if the revision is adopted by the county, would then resubmit plans for the wind farms and public input on the process would be limited to hearings, hosted by the developers and attended by county officials who are not answerable to the ballot box.

Simply put the Oak Prairie wind farm is a good example of how developers and the county boards are ripping off the American taxpayers who fund these projects through subsidies. They are simply locating these projects wherever they can find a farmer/landowner who does not care about his neighbors and they think the resistance will be light (low income areas). There is no concern for power output. This is costing us all millions of dollars; many MW's of energy and gives the wind power industry poor performance numbers.

On July 5, 2007 at 7 P.M. in the county building, Chairman John Blum and his cronies will attempt to pass legislation that will completely change the meaning of agriculture. They are going to eliminate the current definition of what can be known as agriculture so it will suit their attempts to ramrod wind turbines into our area.

As the debate over "Wind Farms" continues, and is now into court, I cannot help but wonder why it has progressed this far dividing neighbors, friends and families. I also reflect on how the whole ordeal, which has put much undue stress on all parties involved, could have been avoided had our County Board followed normal protocol regarding the granting of Special Use Permits. Last fall, when the hearing for Special Use Application was in front of the County Zoning Board of Appeals, there were several long nights of testimony from both sides. After all testimony was heard, the Zoning Board of Appeals voted 3-1 to deny the application. At that point, in normal county procedure, the issue is over and the applicants must wait a year to apply again. However, in this case, our County Board leadership decided to be above the norm and overturn the Zoning Board of Appeal's recommendation forcing themselves and the county into imminent litigation.

Now for the disturbing bits. The renewable energy field experts on the panel that evening were present to offer their views on the future of "green energy." Mr. Slaymaker, a representative of a wind turbine project builder/operator, claimed that those who object to wind turbines need only to be "educated" to turn them to the wind side. I, my wife, and dozens of other Stephenson County citizens who oppose the wind turbine project proposed for Lancaster Township have spent the past six months "educating" ourselves and the only thing that's turning is our stomachs.

The Stephenson County Board has finally admitted that the "Property Protection Plan" for residents effected by the wind farm project was a sham. It was stated at the board meeting that this plan was not to protect the residents but to protect the county from the residents. Mr. Mickleson stated a protection plan would hamper future economic development. What development?

I was rather amused by U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin's Earth Day comments as reported in the Pantagraph regarding the positive "local'' economic impact of the wind farm east of town. Are not the towers designed and built in Germany, most the construction workers who assembled them from outside McLean County, the electricity transmitted to Chicagoland and the power company who owns the operation from Texas - until recently when Horizon Wind Energy was contracted to be sold to a Portuguese utility?

I really hope that everyone on the west side of Bloomington keeps fighting against construction of a wind farm. The Ellsworth-Arrowsmith area is virtually destroyed by turbines as far as you can see complete with red flashing lights at night. Many roads are virtually unusable because of damage caused by large trucks. Wind farms should be built on tracts of land, as close together as possible. That's how they are done in Arizona. They shouldn't be scattered all over the countryside!

So, those of us who purchased our property from a farmer, at his price, and who were warned by the county zoning board to never complain about the smell, or the dust, or the noise, or the manure that are inherent in “farm” operations, have every right to object to these enormous machines that will loom over their homes forever. The board never forbade us to complain about non-farm business conducted on farm land.

We cannot avoid the fact that some people will suffer from the wind farm projects, but we can ensure that the wind farm companies adequately compensate the damaged individuals for their losses. No reason exists that a farmer who happens to own the specific property on which the company will place its turbines will earn hundreds of thousands of dollars of revenue from the project, while a simple family with a small home adjacent to the wind farm will lose tens of thousands of dollars of property value from the same project. County officials can and should insist that corporations obtaining permits for wind farms agree to a legal process whereby individuals whose property values are damaged will be compensated for this loss. Many Americans, including the majority of conservative Central Illinoisans, reacted with anger when the Supreme Court ruled that a city could take an individual’s home and give the land to a private developer. But at least in that case, the homeowners were receiving compensation for the taking. The wind farm situation, where no compensation for damaged homeowners is offered, presents a far worse scenario. We need not, and must not, tolerate it.

In my opinion, the real issue here is that the residents (a very large number of them) do not want theses 400 foot monstrosities in their rural environment. They attended the hearings in a polite and orderly manner, testified before the panel and the panel agreed with them. The County Board decided to ignore this ruling. At the County Board meeting some members agreed with the people and voted against this project. The Board had reams of testimony to review because they did not attend those hearings. It would be almost impossible to have read all the testimony in such a short time. One board member even pleaded to have more time to go over the testimony. He was denied and subsequently voted against the project. Another member reminded the board that this project did not meet several of the criteria for approval. That testimony was also ignored.

Allowing wind companies free range because of the “We-have-to-do-something!'’ attitude, is like throwing spaghetti against the refrigerator, hoping it sticks and worrying about the mess later. Ignoring and minimizing genuine concerns of the affected residents and neighbors is dangerous, too. The scars of a divided community will last far longer than any turbine and the lease payments. Only those who’ve experienced small town/rural living can fully appreciate the value of a united, harmonious community. Blindly sacrificing that is not a price any of us should be willing to accept.

“Grandpa, tell us about the good old days.'’ “Well, not so very long ago, farmers grew crops, tended livestock, looked out for their neighbors and worshipped together. Children played outside without getting sick from turbine blade flicker. “On a clear night, you could see millions of stars. Cattle lowed in Uncle Ray’s dairy barns. Pumpkin pies baked in Grandma Linda’s kitchen. Uncle Kenny was as ornery as ever before he went stone deaf from working under the turbines. “Deer hunters gathered in sheds sharing hunting stories. Neighbors visited and were honest and forthright with one another. Come summertime, children showed their prized livestock at county fairs. Hiking through Comlara Park, folks enjoyed wildlife. “Then the factories came.