Opinions
Category:
Illinois
If approved, the wind farm would deliver turbine impacts to 196 non-participating residences and only 23 participants. Objector petitions representing more than 170 project area landowners and 13,000 acres were filed against this project.
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General]
From numbers acquired from this FOIA request, it was determined there is an accumulated five-year loss of more than $130,000. At the end of 10 years, when the last of the turbine's loan payments are scheduled to be made, the district can be projected to have a deficit of more than $260,000 if the expenses or repairs don't go up. In the most recent year alone, the annual insurance and maintenance expenses have risen more than $2,000.
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General]
A wind "farm" creates an easement in gross over neighboring, non-participating property that impairs value. Thus, it is tantamount to an "inverse condemnation", or regulatory taking of private property rights.....an uncompensated taking.
Illinois, Bureau County, and my neighbors sold my property rights to the wind farm. The proposed wind farm in which my property is included has control of my privately-owned property. I have to ask for permission to build a house or a barn on my own land. I have been to informational and zoning meetings and never told my property rights were compromised, or that I would be restricted for the loss of freedom to use my property as I wish.
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General]
Ten of the 19 proposed turbines would violate Bureau County Zoning ordinances, mostly on being too close to homes, property lines and housing communities like Normandy. The developers have asked for variances to these ordinances. It is curious that developers could not find other spots for these 10 turbines in the thousands of surrounding acres.
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Impact on People|
Zoning/Planning]
I caution those for or leaning toward industrial turbines. First watch the documentary "Windfall" by Laura Israel. You'll see the farming town of Meridith, N.Y., transformed from congenial community to unfriendly factions, purposefully orchestrated by artful wind developers pitting neighbor against neighbor, strong-arming municipalities, targeting the town's council, and practicing the dirty politics of clean energy.
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General]
Wind almost never blows when the weather is hottest and the demand for electricity is highest.
That stark truth hasn't stopped state and federal policymakers from using consumer and taxpayer dollars to fund aggressive state renewable portfolio standards and generous federal subsidies to add expensive wind power to the nation's electricity grid.
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General]
The Lee County Zoning Board ...blatantly ignored its statutory responsibilities by recommending that the current 12-year-old, 1,400-foot setback distance between homes and wind turbines remain unchanged. ...this recommendation was made with absolutely no consideration or compassion for the harmful health effects that today's huge wind turbines would wreak upon Township families.
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Impact on People|
Zoning/Planning]
Wind industry is being allowed to develop across the United States with few state or federal regulatory fetters and fewer regulations based on empirical studies. Turbines reach the field for installation benefit of huge tax-payer subsidies, but without benefit of government studies, inspections or reviews ordinarily accorded such industrial development. Impacts come to light after a decade of performance and a host of private studies.
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General]
I and other farmers and landowners try to get help in fighting this wind farm company, but we get no help. We've lived here for more than 60 years, but a big, rich, communist Chinese company comes in and, in 3 months, runs over the rights of we, the people.
Also filed under [
General]
A decommissioning plan needs to be included in the revised county ordinance to protect the property owners and the county in the event that the wind company breaches its contract and abandons the wind farm, leaving the mess and the liability with the residents of Lee County.
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General]
As we sit on our patio, we are looking at 31 turbines spinning. The sound is a monotonous sound of whish, whish that can vary in intensity and, at times, has sounded like a train rumbling down a track. I refer to it as irritating, like a dripping faucet. It just never stops, unless the turbine is not running.
The beautiful countryside in our area has disappeared, along with the quiet and peaceful county living we once had.
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Impact on Landscape|
Impact on People]
We've seen the debris that was thrown by a malfunctioning turbine in DeKalb County. We've seen the blade that was left hanging after a lightning strike there, too. We've read about problems at other sites. We're concerned about the noise and sound that is created by the huge turbines.
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Zoning/Planning]
The committee was dissolved prematurely. None of the most important issues, including noise, setbacks, shadow flicker, property values and decommissioning, were given due consideration. The fact that the committee spent about 10 minutes out of the entire eight meetings on setbacks speaks to the inadequacy of the entire process.
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General]
Horizon's representative, Robert Yehl, claimed the company would improve local roads before, during and after construction of the wind farm. ...Baloney! Roads were in terrible shape during construction of the original wind farm. And they are in worse shape now than before.
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Impact on Space]
What we have here are miles and miles of visual pollution. Those who imagined that a wind farm would consist of a half dozen or so wind turbines scattered about in the boonies should take the drive. By some estimates, the hundreds of wind turbines produce enough energy to power a city of 250,000. Imagine what it would have to look like to power a city of 3 million.
Chicago's early planners weren't talking about Lake Michigan when they devised the famous dictum: Forever open, clear and free. They were protecting an uncluttered city lakefront.
But those are the words that came to mind when we heard about Evanston's designs on Lake Michigan.
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General]
Last weekend, the Talking Pictures Festival screened "Windfall," a documentary exploring how wind turbines affected the rural town of Meredith, N.Y. The Daily spoke with Director Laura Israel about the creation of the documentary and what Evanston residents should do about the controversial issue of wind turbines.
There is growing opposition to the installation of utility wind turbines in the United States. Citizens have learned that living among these enormous structures has a negative impact upon their personal well-being and the social fabric of their communities.
Public officials, quick to approve these structures, were blinded by potential revenues.
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Impact on Landscape|
Impact on People]
I drive a hybrid car averaging 45 miles per gallon. I heat and cool my home with geothermal energy using the heat of the earth. I recycle whenever possible. I do these things because I care about the environment and want to conserve natural resources.
Considering this, you'd probably assume I'd be in favor of wind energy, but you would be wrong.
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General]
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