TURBINE TROUBLES

Foes in a huff over proposed state rules on wind power

By CLAY BARBOUR Wisconsin State Journal 

The State is moving forward with a new law that could free up
regulation on wind farms in the state, leading to more alternative
energy sources. On Tuesday August 10, 2010 some of the wind turbines
were photographed in the Malone and St. Cloud area near Fond du Lac.

ST. CLOUD - Elizabeth Ebertz loves her garden, but the 67-year-old
grandmother doesn't work in it much anymore. The small vegetable
patch, which has produced onions, carrots and tomatoes for many family
dinners, sits behind her home, in a little valley, about a half-mile
from a dozen 400-foot-tall wind turbines.

The structures are part of the Blue Sky Green Field Wind Energy
Center, one of the state's largest wind farms, capable of producing
energy for about 36,000 homes.

Unfortunately, said Ebertz, the turbines also produce enough noise to
chase her from the garden - and most nights, disturb her sleep.

"Sometimes it sounds like a race track, or a plane landing," she said.
"You wouldn't believe how loud it gets."

The state Public Service Commission is considering a new set of wind
farm regulations that could free up the industry and promote growth in
Wisconsin, a state that has lagged behind the rest of the Midwest in
using wind as an alternative energy source.

The PSC, which regulates state utilities, is expected to send the
proposal to the state Legislature by the end of the month.

If passed, the measure could go a long way in helping Wisconsin reach
its goal of generating 10 percent of its energy with renewable sources
by 2015. Renewable sources account for just 5 percent of the state's
energy now.

The measure could also end what has been years of localized fights -
often spurred by well-funded anti-wind organizations - that have
effectively killed at least 10 proposed wind farms in the past eight
years, and scared off several others.

But for people like Ebertz, the new rules mean more people will have
to deal with wind turbines and the problems that come with them.

"I wish those things were never built here," Ebertz said. "They're
just too close to people. I wish they were gone."

Trailing in production Wisconsin spends about $1.5 billion on imported
energy every year. And despite ranking 16th in the country in
available wind, the state trails other Midwestern states in wind
energy production.

According to the American Wind Energy Association, Wisconsin has the
capacity to produce up to 449 megawatts of energy from wind farms -
enough to power about 110,000 homes.

Meanwhile, Minnesota wind farms produce 1,797 megawatts, Illinois
produces 1,848 and Iowa generates 3,670.

"It's not even close," said Barnaby Dinges, an AWEA member and
lobbyist from Illinois. "Wisconsin is in danger of falling out of the
wind game altogether. It's getting a reputation as inhospitable to the
wind industry."

Dinges has lobbied for six wind farms in the past five years, three of
them in Wisconsin. He said the state has a number of well-organized
anti-wind groups that have endangered its "10 percent" goal.

"This isn't like any grass roots opposition we have seen elsewhere,"
he said. "These aren't just concerned citizens going to meetings.
These are mass mailings, billboards, full-page ads. It's more
professional and it costs a lot of money."

Jenny Heinzen, a professor of wind energy technology at Lakeshore
Technical College and a member of the state's Wind Siting Council,
said she has been amazed with the opposition.

"I have my suspicions that they are getting help from some groups from
outside the state, but that has never been confirmed," she said,
referencing persistent rumors of coal and natural gas companies
helping to kill wind projects here.

The state's anti-wind groups include: the Brown County Citizens for
Responsible Wind Energy, the WINDCOWS, the Calumet County Citizens for
Responsible Energy, Healthywindwisconsin and the Coalition for
Environmental Stewardship (CWESt).

The groups have some powerful supporters, including several prominent
lawyers, lobbyists and former state Sen. Bob Welch and former CEO of
American Food Group and Green Bay Packers board member Carl Kuehne.

But officials with the anti-wind groups say most of their members are
simply residents who do not like the thought of living near a wind
farm.

"We heard that criticism before, that we are a front group for oil and
gas companies, but it's just not true," said Lynn Korinek, a member of
WINDCOWS. "We are a group of about 200 members who hold rummage sales
to fund our fight. There are no special interests behind us, believe
me."

Wind turbine syndromeMost of the state's anti-wind groups say they
have nothing against wind energy, they simply disagree with how it is
implemented in the state.

Still, their websites show members either fear the possible
side-effects of wind energy, or want others to fear them. The concerns
include diminished property values, occasional noise pollution, odd
shadows cast by the giant windmills along with loss of sleep from
vibrations, increased menstrual cycles, high blood pressure,
headaches, and irritability.

Recently, the Wisconsin Division of Public Health looked into the
issue. Officials studied more than 150 medical reports, interviewed
dozens of residents and municipalities and consulted the universities
of Wisconsin, Maine and Minnesota, as well as the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.

Their conclusion was that scientific evidence does not support the
claim of wind turbine syndrome, an umbrella term for various health
problems some have attributed to wind farms. The letter also points
out that many of the symptoms associated with the condition -
headaches, irritability, loss of sleep - are fairly common and can be
attributed to other factors.

"They can explain it anyway they want, but something is different
around here and it has been ever since they put those turbines up,"
said Allen Hass, a 56-year-old farmer who owns about 600 acres in
Malone.

Hass has three turbines from the Blue Sky Green Fields site on his
property. He said We Energies, which owns the wind farm, pays him
about $12,000 a year for the space.

Hass said the money does not make up for his health problems,
including headaches and loss of memory.

"I wish I never made that deal," he said.

State has authority

The new rules, written by the Wind Siting Council, streamline the
state approval process so potential developers know exactly what they
face when considering a project in Wisconsin.

Probably the most important aspect of the new regulations deals with
state permitting. In the past, the state only had direct authority
over wind farms generating more than 100 megawatts.

Under the new rules, the state would deal with all wind farms. Local
municipalities would still be involved, but they would not be allowed
to establish regulations more strict than the state's.

Supporters figure this will open the door for the rapid growth of wind
energy in the state by bypassing many of these local fights that have
created such a logjam. Wisconsin is home to nine wind farms, with
another two under construction, and three in the planning stages.