What Purpose?
Purpose. How do we create purpose or find purpose in the future of wind energy in our county, all while protecting our future? For making decisions and choices on wind energy these 2 words, WHAT PURPOSE, help us remember the 11 key components to protecting our citizens.
WHAT
W for Wildlife : When you go hiking there are signs along the trail saying do not liter, feed or touch the wildlife. We are walking through their habitat and need to respect it. This is no different for turbines. Are we having those precautionary trail signs to protect our eagles, bats, deer, soil organisms, migratory birds or even cortisol levels in livestock?
H for Height : The average one-story home is about, 10-15 feet tall. A standard water tower is 130 feet tall. The Miner elevator is roughly 200 feet tall. The statue of liberty is 305 feet tall. Turbines proposed to the FAA for the Railsplitter II expansion are documented at 656 feet. How did the scale of proportions in our landscape become so out of balance? Are we creating balance in the form of a height maximum?
A for Ambient noise : Turbines are not that kind of neighbor that is going to blare Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing at 2 am of course, but what they do create is Ambient noises. As the turbine moves through the sky it creates infrasound, which is a constant 24/7 low frequency noise. Are turbines placed far enough from homes to create the least amount of noise disturbances?
T for Trespassing : The next generation we will face a new era of trespassing. I am going to read a section directly from the Invenergy lease agreement which states the ways in which you have to allow a turbine to trespass when you sign a contract “electromagnetic fields, audio, flicker, visual, view, light, noise, vibration, air turbulence, wake, electrical, radio interference, shadow or other effects” How do we protect the non-participating property owner from these terms they did not agree too?
PURPOSE
P for Public rights : We all live in an area that is considered pretty rural. One public right threatened is access to Life Flight when life threatening emergencies and roadway accidents happen. Should the right of Life Flight be taken from someone because turbines are in too close of proximity to homes and roadways that Life Flight is in a no-fly zone?
U for Undisclosed information : Where the content and facts are coming from is so important. During the ZBA hearings a few months ago, we encountered this in the form of hidden information during the real estate analysis. As residents of Tazewell County, we were able to recognize this and this is just one occurrence. If you missed this I encourage you to go listen to the ZBA recordings.
R for Responsibility : Who is held liable? Unfortunately, Tazewell County has had this problem before with the Pekin landfill. Having a clear plan of action for legal responsibility is crucial. Will it be the tax payers? Is what has been put aside for decommissioning account inflation? Is the county at fault for not having adequate setbacks? With great power often comes great responsibility.
P for Public roads : Our rural township roads where the towers will be placed started out as dirt roads a hundred years ago, eventually they added gravel, then have now tar and chipped them. An average traveler on these roads such as a Ford Explorer weights about 6000 lbs. Do rural Tazewell county roads have the infrastructure to carry extreme oversized turbine loads weighing in excess of 200,000 lbs? Are the roads citizens rely on for safe travel everyday being taken seriously?
O for Options : Does the ordinance or the project being proposed give its citizens a choice? Or has it become dictated to that person what is going to happen to their home. If you read thru the proposed UCTC text amendment most of the regulations state: “a participating or non-participating landowner may waive this setback” This gives protection for those who do not wish to participate and options for those who do.
S for Setbacks : Are our homes, properties, towns, schools, and future developments protected? Are future choices limited because of unfair regulation of setbacks? A setback is one of the most important pieces. It serves as a restraining order between a non-participating property owner and a wind turbine. Without them, we allow violation.
E for Effect : Lastly, are the effects of a protective ordinance of a greater value to the citizens, whom the county board is elected to protect, or the wind developer? Removing a few towers from a footprint map to comply with a 3000 foot setback will not disturb the wind developer or it’s employees, who are not local. Whereas the residents and their children’s children’s will live with the consequences of unregulated wind energy for 50 + years.