Livingston County Still Weighing Wind Turbines - CIProud

 

01/23/2015 10:13 PM

 

By Associated Press

01/23/2015 10:31 PM

 

 

 

PONTIAC - The public has played a big part in the hearings for wind farms, around Livingston County.

PONTIAC - The public has played a big part in the hearings for wind farms, around Livingston County.
"We don't want to shut anyone off, hope we haven't yet. We don't intend to,” said Bob Young, vice chairman of the Livingston County Board. “We want everything out, try to be as honest as we can be."
For months, the debate has raged on: Is it worthwhile to add 136 wind turbines all over the county, which would nearly double the current total?
"There’ve been, like you said four or five meetings (normally) but this one there's a lot of emotion,” explained Young.
That emotion is coming from both sides,but Invenergy, the company that's looking to get the permits, does not consider the three hours per, three times a week meetings as an unnecessary evil.
"The more people know about the benefits, you know, of hosting a wind energy facility, with the economic infusion it brings through tax revenue and jobs, the better,” said Kevin Parzyck, Invenergy’s Vice President of Business Development.
Signs are up all over town, with people who are not blown away by the proposal. Many have said it could disrupt their way of life.
"They're concerned about the market value of their homes, they're concerned about health issues, wind noise, and they're very sincere,” said Young.
Invenergy says it will continue to bring in experts to help soothe whatever issues the public may be facing.
"I think it's been a very fair discussion,” said Parzyck. “There are disagreements, but it's in no way hostile. I think it's a very constructive discussion."
And one that could have maybe 11 more hearings before the process is over. The first will be Monday at Pontiac Township High School. The rest will be at the Walton Center in Fairbury.
Once these hearings are finished, the zoning board of appeals will make its recommendation to the county board. For the time being, the county won't allow anyone else to apply for permits, until at least June.

Livingston County Still Weighing Wind Turbines - CIProud

North American Windpower: ICC Approves Key Illinois Transmission Line

 

by NAW Staff Thursday October 23 2014

Commonwealth Edison's (ComEd) Grand Prairie Gateway Project, a transmission line that is expected to remove wind energy bottlenecks in Illinois, has received approval by the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC).
According to the company, the line will extend for 60 miles across Ogle, Dekalb, Kane and DuPage counties. The new line will create immediate customer savings by reducing grid congestion, increasing customers' access to lower-cost generation, including wind power. Construction is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of next year, and the line is expected to be in service in 2017.
"As the competitive electricity market expands, transmission lines become congested over time, just like highways do as the communities around them grow," says Terence Donnelly, ComEd executive vice president and chief operating officer. "This congestion impedes the flow of low-cost energy, increasing the cost of delivering that energy to our customers, and we’re obligated to solve that problem. We are pleased that the Commission has recognized the need for this important new line, which will offset those increases just as soon as it’s energized."
The line will expand ComEd customers' access to generation by approximately 1 GW, providing greater access to clean energy.
"Congestion on the system is inhibiting the lowest cost generating plants – like wind – from getting power to customers that want it," says Sean Brady, regional policy manager of Wind on the Wires. "These bottlenecks force wind farms to operate less efficiently and restrain the future development of more environmentally friendly wind generation in Illinois, so this project will further promote a competitive marketplace and the continued growth of wind power."
The 345kV electric transmission line will be constructed between ComEd's existing substations near the communities of Byron and Wayne. The route would begin at the Byron substation and run east until Plato Center in Kane County, where the line would run southeast along railroad corridors to the substation near Wayne. The project adds a third major transmission path across the ComEd territory, which also enhances reliability, particularly during extreme weather events.
The need for the project was first identified as part of the annual regional planning process managed by PJM Interconnection, the regional transmission organization that plans and operates the ComEd transmission system.

North American Windpower: ICC Approves Key Illinois Transmission Line

Plans Continue for Western Illinois Wind Farm | Tri States Public Radio

 

By Rich Egger

Developers are not worried even though it’s been six years since plans were unveiled for a wind farm in Warren and McDonough Counties.

 

A central Illinois wind farm

Credit Rich Egger

“Sometimes people forget how significant of a construction project we’re trying to do here,” said consultant Barry Fladeboe.

“I think when you look at the scale and the overall capital invested, a wind farm is about the same type of investment as many skyscrapers. So if you think about it like that, it’s a pretty neat project to bring out to a rural area.”

He said the wind farm will likely be “at least a $250 million capital raising effort.” Fladeboe said most of the costs go into the turbines.  He said the towers are all steel and it’s expensive to build and erect each turbine. 

Fladeboe said it’s typical to be four-to-seven years into a development before something happens.  So the development cycle is “very normal” for this project, which is called Cardinal Point.

“We’re very excited about 2016, ’17, and ’18,” he said.

“The primary reason this project hasn’t been built yet is simply that no one in Illinois has been buying power from renewable energy for the past couple of years.”

It’s not known when construction will begin. Fladeboe said the project is in an advanced development stage. He said most of the permits are in place. What's now needed is a power purchase agreement, ie, a contract with a company that will buy the energy produced.

The project was initially proposed by Eco-Energy.  Element Power took over about five years ago, and it recently sold the project to Canada-based Capitol Power.  Fladeboe has worked on it for both Element and Capitol.

Kim Pierce, Executive Director of the Macomb Area Economic Development Corporation (MAEDCO), said the project could benefit from the new ownership.

“Capitol Power is in the wind business. Element Power, while they’re a great company, that was not what their emphasis was,” said Pierce.

She said even though the project has changed names and owners a few times, she remains optimistic it will come to fruition.

Plans Continue for Western Illinois Wind Farm | Tri States Public Radio

Should an individual limit their Freedom Of Information Requests to a government agency?

 

Can a Freedom of information Request be denied because the requester is a recurrent requestor?

 

The apparent answers are  “yes” and “yes” based upon the Illinois Attorney General’s 2012 opinion.  SEE:  http://foia.ilattorneygeneral.net/pdf/opinions/2012/12-001.pdf                                                   

If you are a recurrent requestor you can be denied or receive less than normal response time. The  apparent statutory threshold  is quite large--thresholds of 50 requests within a year, 15 requests within 30 days, or 7 requests within 7 days.

Absentee and Early Voting | Boone County, Illinois

In-Person Absentee Voting

For the February 24, 2015, Consolidated Primary Election, In Person Absentee Voting will begin February 2, 2015, and end February 23, 2015.  In Person Absentee voting will be conducted at the Boone County Clerk's Office, 1212 Logan Ave, Suite 103, Belvidere, Illinois, from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, Monday thru Friday and Saturday morning February 21, 2015 from 9:00 am until Noon.  Please note that the office will be closed Monday, February 16, 2015, in honor of President's Day.   For more information about In-Person Absentee Voting please contact the County Clerk's Office at (815) 544-3103

Early Voting

For the February 24, 2014, Consolidated Primary Election, Early Voting will begin on February 9, 2015 and end February 21, 2015.  Early Voting will be conducted at the Boone County Clerk's Office, 1212 Logan Ave, Suite 103, Belvidere, Illinois, from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, Monday thru Friday and Saturday morning February 21, 2015 from 9:00 am until Noon.  Please note that the office will be closed Monday, February 16, 2015, in honor of President's Day.  For more information about Early Voting please contact the County Clerk's Office at (815)544-3103.

Absentee by Mail

For the February 24, 2015, Consolidated Primary Election, The Boone County Clerk's Office is now accepting applications to vote by mail.  If you wish to vote by mail click on the attachment below and return to the Boone County Clerk's Office at 1212 Logan Ave, Suite 103, Belvidere, IL 61008.  The last day applications are being accepted is February 19, 2015.  This is a primary election so the party ballot you want to receive must be on the application.  There is only a Republican ballot for the February 24, 2015 Consolidated Election.  If you have any questions please contact the County Clerk's Office at (815) 544-3103. 

Attachment
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Application for Absentee Ballot 2-24-2015.pdf
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Absentee and Early Voting | Boone County, Illinois

Voter Registration Ends, Grace Period Voting Begins | Boone County, Illinois

Mary S. Steurer, Boone County Clerk, announced that Tuesday, January 27 was the last day to register to vote for the February 24th, 2015 Consolidated Primary*.   If you missed the January 27th deadline you may grace period register from January 28th - February 20th Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm and Saturday, February 21st from 9 am to Noon.  Please note that the office will be closed, Monday, February 16, 2015, in honor of President's Day.  In order to grace period vote you must have 2 forms of identification, one must have your current address. If you grace period register you must be prepared to vote at the same time. 

If you have any questions, call the County Clerk's office at (815) 544-3103.  We are located at 1212 Logan Ave, Suite 103, Belvidere, IL 61008.

*This only applies to residents in the City of Belvidere - Ward 5.  Registration remains open for all other Boone County residents.

Voter Registration Ends, Grace Period Voting Begins | Boone County, Illinois

Belvidere Daily Republican—Regarding January County Board Meeting

 

Boone County approves issuing bonds for new animal building
By Bob Balgemann
Reporter

BELVIDERE - Boone County has taken another step toward construction of a new animal services building.

...

The county board voted 12-0 Wednesday night (Jan. 21) to issue $800,000 in bonds for the project. At 1.33 percent interest, the total cost of the 3,000-square-foot building will be $817,000.

County Administrator Ken Terrinoni called that transaction "a good day in the financial market."

"This will ensure that the money is there for construction of the new building," said board member Karl Johnson, chairman of the finance, salaries and taxation committee. "We can proceed with the construction documents even though the location has not been selected."

The board also voted unanimously to approve spending $10,000 for architect Mark Schmidt to prepare construction documents and $4,600 for Legacy Designs for related engineering work.

Ground breaking is anticipated later in the spring, with occupancy slated for the end of 2015.

The favorite, unofficial choice for location of the new building has been county-owned land on the east side of Illinois 76, just south of Spring Creek Road, site of the highway department. But now interest is being expressed in property on South Appleton Road, where the current animal services building is located.

SOIL, WATER DISTRICT FUNDS

Board members resolved at least temporarily the issue of funding the Boone County Soil and Water Conservation District office for the 2014-15 fiscal year.

That became an issue last fall when the county board of health, which oversees the health department, refused to continue providing a $66,000 subsidy for the district's annual budget of about $133,000. That was done to help balance the department's 2014-15 budget, after the county took $50,000 from its budget to help defray expenses of the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund.

What evolved was a lengthy verbal skirmish between the health department and county dated back to 2008-09 when the department was allowed to increase its levy by $143,000 for two consecutive years to fund an expansion. But the expansion didn't occur and the department was asked to repay the $286,000 by subsidizing the soil and water conservation district budget.

Health officials said this year they believed that debt had been satisfied, and that they no longer were obligated to help fund the district. In fact, they said the department had actually paid back $307,000.

The county board action was to transfer $33,000 from the health insurance fund to the general fund, as the county's share of the $66,000. The board of health will pay a like sum, meaning the two are splitting that cost but only for the current fiscal year.