From Barton, Vermont, to the German border with Denmark and from the shores of Lake Huron, to the Romney Marches of southern England, wind power advocates are fighting crosswinds from local residents. In Barton in mid-January, a referendum overwhelmingly rejected the wind power turbines that were planned near this upper Vermont community. ...In Germany, where one-third of the world's current wind power is generated, doubters have provoked a loud debate. The company that owns the grid that includes nearly half the wind-farms in Germany reported its wind farms generated only 11 percent of their capacity. The company said the winds vary so much the wind farm had to be backed 80 percent by the conventional power grid.

The debate state residents and lawmakers should be having about how best to harness our untapped wealth of wind power has been reduced to an emotion-packed battle between local control and state mandates.

Have we spent all this time on research and attending meetings in order to have our valid concerns not taken seriously enough because select members on the commission have potential financial gain based on an ordinance written in favor of turbines being erected in our Township?

So maybe there won't be a rush to windmill-generated energy. Otsego County's ordinance has attracted the attention of law- makers in Lansing who think the state should get involved with regulating their use.