Proposed wind ordinance changes now in the hands of county board

Board could send changes next to regional planning

Gordon Woods
Posted 12/27/17

Proposed wind ordinance changes

now in the hands of county board

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Proposed wind ordinance changes now in the hands of county board

Board could send changes next to regional planning

Posted

CLINTON — As Christine Shaffer awaited her opportunity to speak to the county board on Dec. 21, members of a group calling itself “DeWitt County Residents Against Wind Turbines” handed out “no wind towers” buttons to the audience.  Shaffer was there to recommend amendments to the county’s wind energy ordinance.

Shaffer, a Waynesville Township resident, told the board she felt the proposed text amendment changes to the wind energy ordinance would strengthen the county’s existing code and would address concerns some residents have.

“Our goal here tonight, in moving forward, is to strengthen the ordinance so it protects the health, safety and welfare of all residents of DeWitt County,” Shaffer said.  “The changes we are requesting are not unreasonable and are actually based on standards that have been integrated in other states and communities.”

Shaffer surveyed for the board the main parts of the proposed ordinance changes.  

Tradewind Energy is currently in the data-gathering stage to determine if land near Waynesville would be suitable for a wind farm.

Ken Shaffer first presented the proposal to the county’s land use committee in Dec. 11.

Ken Shaffer told committee members during that meeting that he felt the proposed changes would decrease the likelihood of disputes arising from windfarm operations.

“Make no mistake, windfarms will create significant changes in the landscape of our communities and the county,” Shaffer said.

He said it made more sense to set standards that applied to all windfarms in the county rather than deal with the facilities “ad hoc” through the use of special use permits.

Shaffer hopes his proposed amendments will progress through the county zoning process, including the land use committee, regional planning commission and zoning board of appeals, which would culminate with review by the full county board.

His recommendations include site approval applications, notification of public meetings and open houses and a reduction of proposed wind tower heights to a maximum of 499 feet.  Limiting the height of the towers to 499 feet or less would affect the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lighting requirement by reducing the number of warning lights required on tower tops.

Shaffer’s proposal also would increase the set-back requirement to six times the height of a tower, “or 3,250 feet,” whichever is greater than any primary structure.  He also proposes a set-back distance of 1,620 feet from an adjacent property line.

He recommended that windfarms should comply with requirements of the Illinois Pollution Control Board and with road usage requirements for roads maintained by the county.

The proposal also recommends wind energy companies be required to conduct shadow flicker studies of proposed sites to reduce daytime annoyance for area residents.  The county would establish a limit on shadow flicker.

Shadow flicker is the occurrence of repeated, moving shadows on and inside nearby structures caused by the movement of wind turbine blades.

Shaffer also asks for a property value guarantee.  Wind energy companies would agree to guarantee their windfarms would not have an adverse effect on the values of non-participating land owners.

Windfarm applicants also would be required to conduct a wildlife study of a proposed site as part of the application process and provide mitigation for electromagnetic interference with broadcast and Wi-Fi signals caused by wind towers.

And, the proposal would require wind energy companies to have a clear decommissioning plan for old wind turbines.

At the Dec. 21 county board meeting, board chairman David Newberg explained that the board would determine if it wanted to recommend any or all of the proposed changes to the Regional Planning Commission (RPC), the first step in the approval process.

Those recommendations then could advance to the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA), where testimony is taken from residents.  Any recommendations from the ZBA then would go to the full county board for approval.

Following the meeting, members of “DeWitt County Residents Against Wind Turbines” handed out fliers outlining the points of the group’s opposition to wind farms.

Those points included “visual pollution,” a possible decline in property values, production of radioactive waste during production of some wind turbine parts in China, reported health issues in areas around wind farms, disruption to wildlife, among other points.