The past few days have seen two significant victories for proponents of growing the wind energy industry in Wisconsin.
On July 8, the Assembly Committee on Energy and Utilities approved with a 10-2 voice vote Assembly Bill 256, which would replace varying local ordinances and regulations with statewide wind farm siting standards. The bill, which Rep. Steve Hilgenberg, D-Dodgeville, co-sponsored, now is in the rules committee.
On Wednesday, the District 2 appellate court struck down a Calumet County ordinance that set height, noise and setback requirements for wind turbines. The appeals court decision likely would apply to a number of local government ordinances that are more prohibitive than current state law. The state currently allows local restrictions on wind farms only for health or safety reasons, if they do not significantly increase the cost of the system or decrease its efficiency, or allows for an alternative comparable system.
While wind farm siting hasn't been much of an issue thus far in Green County, there is an ordinance here that allows for only one turbine on a five-acre land parcel and regulates how high towers can be.
Wind farm development in Wisconsin has met significant opposition at the community level. The disorganized, patchwork system of local government regulations has served to discourage the growth of the state's wind energy industry - a detriment to our state economy and environment.
Early last year, an effort in the state Legislature to establish uniform, statewide siting standards for wind turbines fell short. We said then, and still believe, that taking local control out of local decisions generally is undesirable. But in this case, statewide siting standards are the only way to prevent wind farms from being blocked in Wisconsin community by community.
According to the American Wind Energy Association and RENEW Wisconsin, our state lags significantly among Midwest states in wind farm operating capacity and in wind farms under construction. Wisconsin currently has only 449 megawatts in operating capacity. Iowa has 2,883 MW, Minnesota 1,803 and Illinois 1,020. Illinois has 511 MW of projects under construction, including the EcoGrove Wind Farm project in Stephenson County. Iowa and Indiana have just more than 300 MW in production. Wisconsin has none.
Statewide siting standards would make it easier for investors to place wind farms in Wisconsin, creating much-needed jobs and helping the state and nation shift to cleaner energy sources and reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil. Hopefully, the bill that easily passed the Assembly committee will makes its way to the desk of Governor Jim Doyle, who has supported state standards in the past.
On July 8, the Assembly Committee on Energy and Utilities approved with a 10-2 voice vote Assembly Bill 256, which would replace varying local ordinances and regulations with statewide wind farm siting standards. The bill, which Rep. Steve Hilgenberg, D-Dodgeville, co-sponsored, now is in the rules committee.
On Wednesday, the District 2 appellate court struck down a Calumet County ordinance that set height, noise and setback requirements for wind turbines. The appeals court decision likely would apply to a number of local government ordinances that are more prohibitive than current state law. The state currently allows local restrictions on wind farms only for health or safety reasons, if they do not significantly increase the cost of the system or decrease its efficiency, or allows for an alternative comparable system.
While wind farm siting hasn't been much of an issue thus far in Green County, there is an ordinance here that allows for only one turbine on a five-acre land parcel and regulates how high towers can be.
Wind farm development in Wisconsin has met significant opposition at the community level. The disorganized, patchwork system of local government regulations has served to discourage the growth of the state's wind energy industry - a detriment to our state economy and environment.
Early last year, an effort in the state Legislature to establish uniform, statewide siting standards for wind turbines fell short. We said then, and still believe, that taking local control out of local decisions generally is undesirable. But in this case, statewide siting standards are the only way to prevent wind farms from being blocked in Wisconsin community by community.
According to the American Wind Energy Association and RENEW Wisconsin, our state lags significantly among Midwest states in wind farm operating capacity and in wind farms under construction. Wisconsin currently has only 449 megawatts in operating capacity. Iowa has 2,883 MW, Minnesota 1,803 and Illinois 1,020. Illinois has 511 MW of projects under construction, including the EcoGrove Wind Farm project in Stephenson County. Iowa and Indiana have just more than 300 MW in production. Wisconsin has none.
Statewide siting standards would make it easier for investors to place wind farms in Wisconsin, creating much-needed jobs and helping the state and nation shift to cleaner energy sources and reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil. Hopefully, the bill that easily passed the Assembly committee will makes its way to the desk of Governor Jim Doyle, who has supported state standards in the past.
