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Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Ind. Gov't. - "Tippecanoe County residents ask for moratorium on wind turbines"

Interesting article today by Dorothy Schneider in the Lafayette Journal Courier:

A group of rural Tippecanoe County residents who have lingering concerns over the impact of wind energy development asked county commissioners Monday to press "pause" in the process.

Jim Pairitz, who lives on County Road 1200 South near West Point, asked for a moratorium on accepting applications or granting permits for large turbine systems. He said he was asking on behalf of other residents from Randolph, Wayne and Jackson townships in southern Tippecanoe County.

"This would be to the benefit of all parties involved and would allow enough time to update the (zoning ordinances)," he said. "We ask that you start the process to find out what a moratorium would look like." * * *

The county completed a lengthy review and revision of its wind farm rules in April. And planning officials here are expecting an application for the county's first large-scale wind farm development to come this summer.

But Pairitz said there's new information that should be considered before such a project is reviewed in Tippecanoe County. He and other residents have brought information to various county committees about health concerns resulting from proximity to wind turbines.

The 1,000-foot setback outlined in the county ordinance may not be sufficient to protect nearby residents, Pairitz said.

Earlier this month, a committee of the county's Area Plan Commission authorized the formation of a study committee to look into those claims.

Sallie Fahey, executive director of the Tippecanoe County Area Plan Commission, said a total moratorium sought by Pairitz would impact plans expected to come this summer from Chicago-based Invenergy Wind LLC.

Invenergy's plans could lead to a project in southwestern Tippecanoe County and portions of neighboring Fountain and Montgomery counties. A vice president with the company could not be reached for comment on the potential moratorium Monday. The size and the scope of the project were not available on Monday.

Fahey said Monday that companies such as Invenergy might take legal issue with a moratorium being imposed on development. As far as she's aware, Tippecanoe County has never imposed a moratorium on a specific type of development, Fahey said.

"Indiana is a pretty pro-property rights state," she said. "To me, that means if wind energy companies have already purchased easements, there's going to be some major curtailment of business operations. That's probably going to be an issue."

Posted by Marcia Oddi on June 22, 2010 09:22 AM
Posted to Environment | Indiana Government