LOCATION/TYPE

NEWS HOME

[ exact phrase in "" • results by date ]

[ Google-powered • results by relevance ]


Archive
RSS

Add NWW headlines to your site (click here)

Get weekly updates

WHAT TO DO
when your community is targeted

RSS

RSS feeds and more

Keep Wind Watch online and independent!

Donate via Paypal

Donate via Stripe

Selected Documents

All Documents

Research Links

Alerts

Press Releases

FAQs

Campaign Material

Photos & Graphics

Videos

Allied Groups

Wind Watch is a registered educational charity, founded in 2005.

News Watch Home

Experts testify on wind power effects; Wind farm won’t create noise pollution, lowered property values, they say 

PEKIN – Experts testified Thursday on behalf of a proposed wind farm, but a decision on whether or not the project gets county approval won’t happen until the end of the month.

The Tazewell County Zoning Board of Appeals has been holding public hearings since April 1, getting public input on the proposed Rail Splitter Wind Farm by Houston-based Horizon Wind Energy LLC.

Horizon presented a real estate appraiser and an expert on noise pollution, both of whom told the board the 67-tower project would have no negative effect on property values or quality of life.

“They would not be injurious or have any negative impact on the area,” said Greg Zak, a noise pollution expert from Springfield.

Peter J. Poletti, a real estate appraiser from Collinsville, said the towers wouldn’t affect property values but said it wouldn’t be feasible for Horizon to provide a property value assurance plan for adjacent home owners.

“I don’t really see a need for them,” he said.

Residents opposed to the project, which would cover more than 11,000 acres of farmland straddling Tazewell and Logan counties just east of Interstate 155, got a chance to ask more questions Thursday night.

“Which would you rather live beside?” Delavan resident Rod Egli asked Poletti, and gave him the options of wind farm, landfill or an unobstructed country view.

“That’s kind of a hard call,” Poletti said. “I would probably prefer, obviously everybody wants a country view.”

Egli said he opposes the project because his house would be surrounded by the towers, which would be 389 feet tall. Tazewell County would host 38 of them.

Further testimony, cross examination and closing arguments are now scheduled for May 20, while the board is expected to begin deliberating on whether to grant or deny construction permits for the project on May 27.

Horizon has temporarily pulled its application for special use permits in Logan County after failing to properly notify residents of wind towers that would be near their property.

The company plans to refile the applications after sending out proper notices to residents.

The total cost of the wind farm is expected to be between $175 million and $200 million.

It would sell energy to AmerenCILCO and generate power for about 30,000 homes in Illinois.

The project would be the second central Illinois wind farm development for Horizon, which operates the Twin Groves wind farm just east of Bloomington.

By Kevin Sampier

Peoria Journal Star

16 May 2008

This article is the work of the source indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.

The copyright of this article resides with the author or publisher indicated. As part of its noncommercial educational effort to present the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development to a global audience seeking such information, National Wind Watch endeavors to observe “fair use” as provided for in section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law and similar “fair dealing” provisions of the copyright laws of other nations. Send requests to excerpt, general inquiries, and comments via e-mail.

Wind Watch relies entirely
on User Funding
   Donate via Paypal
(via Paypal)
Donate via Stripe
(via Stripe)

Share:

e-mail X FB LI TG TG Share


News Watch Home

Get the Facts
CONTACT DONATE PRIVACY ABOUT SEARCH
© National Wind Watch, Inc.
Use of copyrighted material adheres to Fair Use.
"Wind Watch" is a registered trademark.

 Follow:

Wind Watch on X Wind Watch on Facebook

Wind Watch on Linked In Wind Watch on Mastodon