 If a company added turbines like these close to your home, without consulting you at all, what would your concerns be? |
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Home _________________
Adams County Wind Ordinance
Safety & Health Issues
Flicker, Noise,
Real Estate Values
Crop Dusting & Agricultural Issues
What You Can Do
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Landowners individually named in lawsuit re: DeKalb, IL County Board Wind Ordinance, 1-9-2010 A Wisconsin farmer talks about his regrets
A medical doctor's plea |
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We are not against
wind energy. Rather, this website includes important questions
about the best ways to develop our Adams County Wind resources,
and it reflects our obvious concern that the Adams County Wind Ordinance
fails to protect the interests of all of our residents. The public
deserves a far better deal than this ordinance provides. Thank you for considering this information; we promise to respect those who have differing opinions, and we hope for the best future for our beautiful and beloved Adams County. |
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Wind Farms in Adams County Wind Development should be Safe, Fair, and Open |
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Photo Credit: Betterplan.squarespace.com |
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Current Status of Wind Farm Development
1. Clayton/Golden/Camp Point: According to an Acciona representative speaking to the Adams County Board, they have 77 leases covering 12,000 acres of land so far between Golden and Clayton, east of Highway 94 and on both sides of Highway 24. We have heard firsthand reports of several parcels of land leased within Clayton's 1.5 mile zone, extremely close to the city. The developer (Acciona & Global Winds Harvest) stated they need to acquire another 6000-8000 acres (up to 20,000 total acres) for this wind farm. 2. Quincy/Mendon/Ursa/Marcelline: At the Adams County Board meeting, the Acciona representative stated he did not know who was developing this wind farm, and stated that "there may be other developers working in the county." Therefore, the identity of that developer is a mystery, and they have not taken part in the dialog about the Adams County Wind Ordinance. However, we have received secondhand reports of parcels of land already leased beginning 1.5 miles north of Quincy, between Highway 96 and Interstate 172, including the Ewbanks area, and continuing north past Mendon, Ursa, and Marcelline. We have been told about land leased quite close to each of these towns, including next to one nursing home and bordering the city limits of at least two towns. If the reports in the media are accurate, then at least 150 leases have been secured in Adams County already; therefore these two wind farms will cover at least 24,000-40,000 acres of ground, before they continue to expand in future years (as is typical in other places). 3. Three Additional Wind Farms? At a presentation in Mendon, a public announcement about the representative of the wind developer said he is working on "five wind farms in the area," but it is unknown where the other three might be--only the developer knows where they plan to build their wind farms at this time. 4. In other news--Current Recommendations for June 8th hearing:
A. NOT to recommend changing the setback of 1000 feet (foundation to turbine) from non-participant homes B. To add a setback of 1500 feet, measured from the property lines, for all school property. C. To require developers to submit a "shadow flicker mitigation plan" with their application to show how they intend to address the problem of shadow flicker D. To hold a public hearing before they vote on a particular permit application for a wind farm. E. To change the application procedure to give themselves more time and flexibility in reviewing a permit application.
5. Camp Point Public Hearing--not yet scheduled: The Camp Point Village Board is ALSO considering adopting an ordinance that would either allow or prevent wind development within the 1.5 mile zoned area outside of the city limits. At stake is whether Camp Point can grow in the future, the quality of life for those living in town, and the real estate values for property in the town and surrounding area. This hearing has not yet been scheduled. Watch for details.
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Testimony about Noise Effects on an
Ellsworth, Illinois Family "Living with turbines has caused us to change many things in our lives. While we retain the use of our property, much of the time we are no longer able to enjoy it. We do what we need to do outside and hurry back inside, confined to our house to avoid the constant sounds from the turbines and substation... "These sounds can clearly be heard inside our home...every member of our family has experienced difficulty sleeping, headaches, irritability, pressure in our ears, and fatigue since the turbines closest to us began operation...Some in our family have also experienced heart palpitations. My youngest daughter tells me it feels like a hamster running inside her chest...the noise is most common at night and occurs often between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m. We are often awakened by the noise and find it very difficult, if not impossible to go back to sleep..." -- Rene Taylor, rural Ellsworth, IL from testimony given before a Union, WI planning commission on 5-28-08. The closest tower to her home is 1500 feet away--(we only have a 1000 foot setback in Adams County)
_____________________________________________  View from one person's home near the proposed development area for the new wind farm. There is no compensation for loss of view in the ordinance, but what are the rural Adams County views of sunrise, sunset, and expansive horizons worth to you? Wind farms dominate the horizon for miles in every direction, so we might want to ask if there are any areas of the county where we want to preserve the beautiful views. |
Photo Credit: Betterplan.squarespace.com
Wind turbines located near homes can negatively affect the value of that
real estate.
(see more details). To be fair, shouldn't the wind developer submit a plan to compensate
those landowners for any loss of value? Real Estate Values: Conclusion of Iowa State University Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation “At present time, anecdotal data indicates that wind turbines have a depressing effect on nearby land values and are a drag on the ag real estate market. Most recent anecdotal data from Illinois indicates that assessed value on farmland is dropping approximately 22-30 percent on farmland that is near land where wind turbines have been placed. Also, the increased risk of getting sued for nuisance has a dampening effect on value.” Source: Iowa State University Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation “Wind Energy Production: Legal Issues and Related Liability Concerns for Landowners in Iowa and Across the Nation” www.calt.iastate.edu |
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These wind turbines are being built out west, far from anyone's home,
which is a responsible way to develop wind power. And if
they need to be built around people's homes, then we think conservative
safety guidelines should be followed, affected people should be fairly
compensated, and the process should be public and open. |
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