But Robert Porter, a Rockford-based attorney representing the plaintiffs, repeated much of the initial criticism of the county, saying that notifications were not received before the legally required 15 days, while others say they received a notice with the wrong date of the meeting. Other plaintiffs claim they did not receive any notice at all of the hearing.

General Illinois

The path for the energy legislation is “straight uphill,” Harmon said, especially for issues such as a low carbon portfolio standard or rate redesign, which have the “real or political potential for raising rates on consumers.” In a state in the midst of a budget crisis that would be a tough sell. 

Energy Policy Illinois

A wind turbine at Lakeland College might have too many issues to keep it up and running. The school's president says fixing one of their wind turbines wouldn't be worth it. Monday night, he'll be making his case to the board. 

Safety Illinois

Bullock said the southernmost wind turbine of Lake Land's two 160-foot-tall, 100-kilowatt turbines was damaged by a lightning strike last summer and has not functioned properly since then. He said the administration does not believe that making the nearly $100,000 in repairs estimated for the turbine would be cost effective.

Safety Illinois

The bill passed on a 63 to 33 vote. Representative Vicki Lensing of Iowa City was among the Democrats who joined with Republicans to pass the bill. “I support jobs. I support economic development, but this is a private company coming in, wanting exceptions at the expense of private land owners.” 

Transmission Illinois Iowa

In an attempt to push the company into action, the committee hired an independent firm, Patrick Engineering, in November 2015 to do a cost study and write a decommissioning plan. The action is allowed under the special use permit with Minonk LLC paying the cost of the study. A copy of the report, which indicated the security deposit should be $15,135,851, was sent to Minonk Wind Farm LLC, which did not respond.

Zoning/Planning Illinois

The co-developer of a wind farm planned for northern Ford County and southern Kankakee County said that an escrow agreement approved by the Ford County Board last week calls for the developers to provide several million dollars in financial security to Ford County to cover repairs and improvements to public roads used to build the wind farm.

General Illinois

​"As a matter of physics, unless a customer's residence is directly connected to a wind farm or solar panels," electricity suppliers "cannot truthfully claim that they are providing electricity generated from renewable resources," the attorney general's office is quoted as saying in the administrative law judges' proposed order in January.

Energy Policy Illinois

It seems like we haven't learned much of anything as we continue to interfere in various energy markets. ...First, solar and wind power benefit from a production tax credit, which is simply a subsidy based on the amount of electricity produced. Coupled with various state laws that effectively force grid operators to purchase electricity from solar and wind generation whether or not it is needed, greenhouse gases may actually increase.

Energy Policy Illinois

A local law that would allow Somerset to opt-out of a provision in state real property tax law that allows energy projects to be exempt from property taxes will be presented and discussed in a meeting Wednesday.

Taxes & Subsidies Illinois

A wind energy conversion turbine caught fire Friday afternoon, causing responses from both Saunemin and Pontiac fire departments. ...It is, however, a little ironic that the source of power the turbines were trying to capture may have also caused or exacerbated the fire at the turbine.

Safety Structural Failure Illinois

Work slowed in July 2013, when a lawsuit was filed by 60 residents against Lee County and the previous owner, Mainstream. The court challenges cited nonconforming land-use issues, the turbines' effect on property values, and concerns about noise and shadow flicker. The delays have led to the expiration of special-use permits granted by the counties. The permits expired Aug. 26, 2015, in Whiteside County, and they are set to expire in mid-May in Lee County.

General Illinois

A wind turbine in northern Livingston County caught fire Friday. ...Streator Cayuga Ridge began operating in March 2010.

Safety Structural Failure Illinois

County Board OKs project with 12 stipulations/conditions

Zoning/Planning Illinois

Despite a recommendation of denial of all 127 conditional use permits by the Bureau County Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) last month, the county board approved all but nine permits on Tuesday.

Zoning/Planning Illinois

The county board will now have the final say in whether or not to grant the 127 conditional use permits for the wind farm project. ...the board has been known to vote against recommendations given by the planning commission and the zoning board of appeals.

Zoning/Planning Illinois

When wind energy development first darkened the door of Bureau County several years ago, there really wasn’t that much information available as to the adverse side effects these projects brought with them. That is no longer the case. The horror stories that used to be happening somewhere else are now being experienced on a daily basis by our very own citizens and residents of Bureau County. The elected officials that brought us the first wind development claimed, and rightfully so, “We didn’t know.” The time has now come for this county board to stand up.

Zoning/Planning Illinois

The loud and persistent opponents are far from conceding defeat, however. They say the 780-mile line, 200 miles of which are set to pass over Pike, Scott, Greene, Macoupin, Montgomery, Christian, Shelby Cumberland and Clark counties in Illinois, is being rammed through over widespread objections.

Transmission Illinois Missouri

The article paints a picture of renewable energy’s future being threatened by land owners who unpatriotically are hampering attempts to build electrical transmission lines from wind-rich Western states to customers. ...It [the transmission] has not been proven necessary by any state’s regulatory commission.

Taxes & Subsidies USA Illinois

The ZBA explicitly found the standards for granting the permits had not been met and to the contrary, the turbines “would be detrimental to or endanger the public health, safety, moral, comfort, or general welfare.” Further, the turbines “would be injurious to the use and enjoyment of those who own property in the footprint of the project and would have a negative impact on their property values” and “will impede the normal and orderly development of the surrounding property.”

Impact on People Zoning/Planning Illinois