Who decided they could put this industrial wind project in a residential/agricultural area? We are taxed under a residential rate, but live in an agricultural area. How can the wind company propose measuring distances for safety from noise from the corner of our residence instead of the property line? Nowhere else in any zoning laws does this exception apply. Who gave them that right to use our backyard as their buffer zone? ...The cost of ``free'' wind doesn't figure into it the astronomical cost to upgrade the transmission lines. The utilities passed that cost on to us! We ask that the board study the issues objectively and find their own answers through independent research. There are better choices instead of spending upwards of $200 million for this project. The money could be better spent on education.

In Odell Township, less than half of the turbine sites are owned by folks from the township. Those that live in Wisconsin, California and Chicago are happy to ruin a place they don't have to look at or live in. How convenient it is that there is no mention of these spinning, blinking, eyesores as being 500 feet tall. Which of our county officials have seen a 500-foot tower in person? ...Why do they need to be so big? In poor wind areas you need bigger turbines to produce power, and the state of Illinois has identified this area as economically marginal.

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.

From my perspective, the future for Illinois is bleak - due to the failure to meet rising demand for electricity. Industry requires power and will migrate to areas with assured supplies of electricity. That isn't Illinois. ...This problem cannot be legislated away and will only be solved by adopting rules and legislation that encourage construction of new power plants here.

Do we want to leave the entirety of our surroundings to the administrative technicalities of a zoning office through the mere vote of 12 people whose interests raise grave doubts of motive? Of course not. Clearly, a matter of this gravity and importance should be decided by public referendum.

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.

Drive east of Bloomington at night and park for 20 minutes. Like the endless flashing lights? Each turbine is 450 feet tall and 50 of them flash 45,000 times every hour. Oh, I forgot, if you live in town, you don't have to look at them. For tens of thousands of us in rural areas, it is all night - everynight - for the rest of our lives.

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!