Tippecanoe settles on revised wind power rules

Both friends and foes of wind turbine development in Tippecanoe County united behind a compromise Monday.

After months of wrangling, the county commissioners unanimously approved ordinance changes that will require turbines be placed at least 750 feet away from the property line and 1,200 feet from a dwelling owned by someone who has not agreed to allow a company's turbines be built on his or her property.

Even the residents who've spent the most time and energy fighting wind farm developments said Monday that they "reluctantly support" changes to the setback requirements for turbines.

"It's not really enough," said Aaron Tyler, who lives on County Road 1100 South. "But I favor the change."

The original setback requirements being considered would have put the turbines at least 1,000 feet away from the property line of nonparticipating landowners, and 1,000 feet from the dwelling of a participating landowner.
Two weeks ago the county's Area Plan Commission recommended changes to the county ordinance. The changes had to go before the county commissioners, the Lafayette and West Lafayette city councils, and the town boards of Battle Ground, Clarks Hill and Dayton.

On Monday, the Lafayette City Council unanimously approved the zoning changes. The ordinance was not on the West Lafayette City Council agenda Monday.

Chuck Shelby is a pro-wind development farmer who lives on County Road 400 West.

"What is wind but a commodity?" he asked. "Those setbacks will make the developments less efficient, but I'm willing to compromise on that to move the project forward for the whole community."

Greg Leuchtmann, the development manager for a project Invenergy Wind LLC has planned in Tippecanoe County, said he was happy to see the amendment approved Monday. The Chicago-based company wants to build a 200-megawatt, three-county wind farm that would include 133 turbines in southwestern Tippecanoe County.

Leuchtmann said Invenergy hopes to start filing plans for the project in Tippecanoe County later this year.

"We're going to take the new rules back and use them for our engineering," Leuchtmann said. "We'll have more detailed plans in the future."

Performance Services is another wind energy company expecting to file plans in Tippecanoe County yet this year.

Scott Zigmond, a vice president with Performance Services, a wind farm company with offices in Indianapolis and Illinois, said the changes might affect the plans for development in northern Tippecanoe County. Zigmond said original plans were for a 50-megawatt wind farm, which was to include 25 turbines.

Jody Hamilton, director of economic development for Greater Lafayette Commerce, said the local business group devised tax revenue estimates based on the original plans discussed by the two companies. Over a 20-year period, Hamilton said Invenergy's development would net Tippecanoe County $25 million, while Performance Services plans would bring in roughly $9 million.

"And they will also create additional jobs in the community," she said.