Local governments eye wind energy rules

As wind turbines join barns and silos as familiar parts of the rural landscape, local governments are taking a closer look at how they can and should regulate the new technology.

Ten years ago, Indiana had few turbines of any size. The state’s first commercial wind farm in Benton County began production in 2008, and by the end of last year, the state’s wind-power capacity had grown to 1.34 gigawatts, enough to power more than 300,000 homes (if the wind were a steady, reliable source). Illinois has nearly 2 gigawatts of wind power.

While local government officials have the task of developing the new laws, many lack knowledge about wind energy. Advocates and opposition forces are both quick to quote research, but officials aren’t always sure which research they should trust.  One county planning employee noted, “There’s not a lot of information out there that’s unbiased.”

The issue has created lively discussions in rural communities, sometimes pitting longtime neighbors against one another. While many landowners are eager to add turbines to their property for the rental income they provide, others express concerns about noise and visual impact.

In Whitley County in Northeast Indiana, for example, county government officials are trying to create new laws that would spell out a permit process for wind turbines.  The original ordinance had to be abandoned after officials learned that the local plan commission’s president had signed an agreement to allow turbines to be placed on his own property.

As noted earlier this year in The Power Report, some farmers in southern Newton County, Indiana have called for the closing of the local airport, because FAA regulations prohibit the construction of tall wind turbines within a specific radius of the field. That means those farmers cannot host the turbines they see in their neighbors’ fields; nor can they benefit from the income such turbines provide.