Letter: Wind farm opponents launch another attack in Boone County - Opinion - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

 

• Posted Jan. 22, 2015 @ 5:00 pm

 

Wind farm opponents who want to deprive Boone County of millions in revenue for all residents and taxing bodies are launching another attack, and an important hearing will be held at 7 p.m. Jan. 27 at the Zoning Board of Appeals meeting in the County Board Room, 1212 Logan Ave., Belvidere.

• Angered at the Boone County Board’s refusal last year to approve an ordinance that would greatly restrict any wind farm development in the county, opponents’ latest proposal would ban all wind farms in the county. The proposal now, based on a 500-foot turbine, would require a piece of land that is bigger than 10 football fields on all sides of the turbine, as this requirement is asking for a setback of 3,250 feet from all property lines. Their previous request was for a 1,500-foot setback from property lines. That was defeated last January.

  Opponents appear to be confident that there are enough newly elected county board members that they helped get elected who will vote to approve this latest proposal. The ZBA is also stacked with all wind farm opponents. We know there are hundreds and hundreds of people in our county who approve of wind energy. We ask community members to come to the meeting and/or call one of our county board members and tell them we should be encouraging renewable energy, as we see thousands doing it all over the world without any of these extreme setbacks.

  Board members include: Sherry Branson, 815-713-1963; Jeffrey Carlisle, 317-258-2151; Denny Ellingson, 815-292-3394; Kenneth E. Freeman, 815-547-9132; Sherry Giesecke, 815-721-0894; Karl Johnson, 815-885-4613; Paul A. Larson, 815-547-4530; Raymond Larson, 815-597-1040; Craig Schultz, 815-977-0658; Brad Stark, 815-378-6629; Bob Walberg, 815-544-2100; and Catherine Ward, 815-978-8029.

  — Roxann Grenlund and Deb Doetch, Poplar Grove

 

 

Letter: Wind farm opponents launch another attack in Boone County - Opinion - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL