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

Bad timing makes bad policy 

The issue: Stephenson County Board considers zoning revision for wind farms

Our view: If this policy is needed, which is questionable, the timing is bad

Members of the Stephenson County Board are scheduled to meet tonight and discuss a recommendation on a proposal to revise the A-1 zoning category to allow wind farms as a permitted use.

Last Thursday, members of the county Zoning Board of Appeals reviewed the revision and voted unanimously to reject the idea.

As proposed, a developer seeking to erect a wind farm on property zoned for agricultural use would submit plans to the county zoning department.

Plans would then be evaluated to meet setback requirements and other criteria by the county zoning department, two public hearings would be hosted by the developer and neighboring property owners would be notified. Assuming all the requirements are met, the developer would be permitted to proceed with construction of the wind farm.

Terry Groves, head of the county zoning department, is on record indicating the agency has been considering the revision for quite some time.

If that is indeed the case, and we have no reason to doubt Mr. Groves, then the timing of this proposal could not be worse and should be delayed.

Here’s why.

Acting now, at a time when Stephenson County is being sued by two property owner groups opposed to proposed wind farm developments, subverts the public process. Adopting this proposal would create an opportunity for the developers to withdraw plans for the two wind farms now being considered, thereby negating the lawsuits. These same developers, if the revision is adopted by the county, would then resubmit plans for the wind farms and public input on the process would be limited to hearings, hosted by the developers and attended by county officials who are not answerable to the ballot box.

If, as Special Assistant State’s Attorney Frank Cook has stated, the intention of Stephenson County is to “streamline” the wind farm application process, and, as Mr. Groves has indicated, the proposal has been under consideration for quite some time, then there is no urgency on County Board members to adopt this revision at this time.

Doing so creates the appearance by County Board members of attempting to side-step public input on the current wind farm proposals.

Whether in favor or against wind farms, everyone should support a system of government that respects the public process. County Board members rejected the opinion of the Zoning Board of Appeals in overruling a recommendation not to issue a special use permit to Navitas Energy.

Last Thursday, the appeals board spoke with a unanimous voice in recommending to the County Board that the proposed revision of the A-1 zoning category should not be approved.

County Board members need to respect the public process and listen to the appeals board.

The Journal-Standard

10 July 2007

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