Manitowoc County Kills Wind Turbines
The Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter ran the following guest commentary on April 12 by Jenny Eigenberger, the Electrical Apprenticeship Insructor at Lakeshore Technical College:
Well, it’s over. The Wind Energy Systems Advisory Committee (WESAC) has completed both a small and a large wind ordinance for Manitowoc County. WESAC was formed nearly one year ago – after a moratorium was enacted that halted the installation of wind turbines of any size. The committee met regularly to determine facts, address public concerns and construct appropriate wind energy ordinance language. . . .
The ordinance language can be changed, but it will take intervention at the state level or a lawsuit to make that happen. It’s a timely process that will likely cost the taxpayers of Manitowoc County lots of money. Meanwhile, the County Board of Supervisors is preparing to adopt the second of two wind energy ordinances that may as well state, “No wind turbines shall be permitted in Manitowoc County.”
The committee consisted of five county board supervisors, a citizen member representing WINDCOWS, (Wisconsin INDependent Citizens Opposed to Wind turbine Sites), and me. I was asked to join the committee because I support wind power and see it as a vital component for Wisconsin’s energy future. I was a counterweight to the WINDCOWS’ viewpoint.
My objective was to educate the committee members and the public about wind power, and to demonstrate through facts, science and experience that wind turbines aren’t evil and dangerous.
Unfortunately, that approach proved ineffective. I talked about pollution from traditional power plants and Wisconsin’s new energy law (Act 141), which imposes stronger renewable energy requirements on electrical utilities. That didn’t work either. The WINDCOWS were set in their beliefs. I was no more likely to change their minds than they would mine.
It seems the WINDCOWS are more concerned about the aesthetics in their neighborhood than the global implications of burning fossil fuels and importing all of our energy sources.
Their opposition was strong, organized, opportunistic, focused, passionate and unrelenting. The WINDCOWS attended every meeting en masse and swarmed the committee with negative public input. They maintain a Web site that perpetuates fear about the “dangers” of wind energy.
In short, they did their job well. Manitowoc County will not have the opportunity to enjoy the economic and environmental benefits of wind power – a mature, reliable and cost-effective source of domestic energy.
I find it hard to believe that this community intrinsically hates wind generators. Instead, I sense a strong mistrust of wind system developers, local government and electrical utilities. And even though no member of the general public has ever been physically harmed by wind power, and the chances are infinitely greater one will be injured in a traffic accident than hurt by a wind turbine, the WINDCOWS argue that people choose to drive; they don’t necessarily choose to live near a wind farm. However, we all choose to use electricity. In spite of this, the WINDCOWS did an excellent job portraying themselves as helpless victims.
Speaking as an advocate for renewable energy and an enthusiast of wind power, the new ordinances are horribly flawed, highly restrictive and probably illegal. For example, a privately owned small turbine (to power a house or a farm) must be at least 1,000 feet away from neighboring buildings.
This restriction essentially prohibits small residential wind machines. In fact, a person needs 92 acres of land to install a small wind turbine if adjacent parcels have structures near the property line.
Despite our state statute that prohibits any restriction of a wind system unless it serves to protect public health and safety, the committee consistently voted in favor of strict regulations that far exceed Wisconsin’s statutory limits.
Perhaps if there were less apathy on the part of those who support and/or wish to pursue renewable energy projects in this county, the results may have been different. I was powerless without public support.
The ordinance language can be changed, but it will take intervention at the state level or a lawsuit to make that happen. It’s a timely process that will likely cost the taxpayers of Manitowoc County lots of money. Meanwhile, the County Board of Supervisors is preparing to adopt the second of two wind energy ordinances that may as well state, “No wind turbines shall be permitted in Manitowoc County.”
I am sincerely disappointed.
