J. Thomas Siwo
This article, from law firm Bricker & Eckler LLC, is authored by J. Thomas Siwo.
The Ohio Power Siting Board has requested public comment on “draft rules to implement a provision” in HB 483, the recently enacted law that expanded the setback requirements for wind turbines, according to a recent Gongwer report. Before HB 483, wind turbines were required placement of 1,125 ft from inhabited structures on neighboring lands. The new law requires a 1,125 ft setback from neighbors’ property lines (for more on this, see our June 18, 2014 blog post).
Earlier this year, the Power Siting Board filed several rule changes with the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review, but “regulations dealing with health and safety, land use, ecological information, and setback requirements laid out in certification applications were delayed due to the legislation.” The deadline for public comment on the changes is January 16, 2015.
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I am contacting you in response to the request for comments on the wind turbine industry, specifically the set backs.
I just heard of your requests for comments concerning the set backs. I am sure that many people would love to comment on this but have no idea that you are asking for input on this subject.
To start off with Wind Power in Ohio does not make sense on any level. First and foremost it is not now or never will be economically feasible. It is just another heavily government subsidized program that steals money from hardworking taxpayers! Just look at what it has done to Europe. Due to Germany’s move to Wind Energy they are unable to supply electricity to all of their residential homes and people are going without heat. They are currently building the largest coal burning electricity producing plant the world has ever seen, while their wind turbines set still in their fields. Take a look at Spain (Iberdola’s home), look at how it turned out for them. Then look at England. Why are we going down the same path!!!!
Not only does Wind Energy not make economical sense, it is ruining the lives of Ohio citizens that get nothing but higher taxes and electrical bills. People that live and have invested in homes in these Wind farms are suffering. Either they stay and put up with them or take major losses on the value of their homes when they try to sell. If they can sell! And if they do stay, a huge turbine 1,125 feet from your property line is not safe! Even 1,125 feet from a property line is not safe. These turbines are continually getting bigger and taller, when the 1.125 ft. setback was established were they as big as they are now?
It seems as if you rubber stamp everything that comes across your desk concerning Wind Farms. Why is that? Just because something is politically popular at any given time does not mean that you should just blindly accept it! I do believe that we need Renewable energy, but we need it to work and we need it to be economically feasible. Think of it this way, instead of wasting billions of dollars on Wind, we could be spending this money on developing something that will work and be sustainable!
Sometimes it is hard to believe that this is the same country I grew up in.
I am strongly in favor of a law that requires industrial wind turbines to be 1,125 feet back from property lines. As someone who lives in an area where much of the land has been leased to wind turbine companies, I would honestly prefer that wind turbines not be allowed anywhere near inhabited properties. A resident on Giffin road in Van Wert, Ohio, recently complained that she no longer has quiet, peaceful days because of an industrial wind energy site that is nearly a mile away. Taxpayers have been forced to waste millions of their valuable dollars on industrial wind energy projects, yet there is little to no positive return; schools near such industrial sites may receive paltry amounts of grant money from the wind energy companies, but residents of the counties plagued by industrial wind energy sites are subject to problems such as shadow flicker during the day, flashing red lights at night, and incessant noises such as a low-pitched hum and loud whooshing when the turbines are running. Why are people living in beautiful, peaceful rural areas being forced to endure industrial wind sites when there is absolutely no profit for the counties and their residents? Industrial wind energy in rural Ohio is a foolish endeavor that serves only to pad the pockets of the wind energy companies.
Twenty-some years ago, we purchased a small property that offered nothing more than a fix-up farmhouse surrounded by fields. My husband, a man of vision & passion for preserving our environment, did his part by immediately planting 2000 seedlings and digging a pond. I’ve witnessed our property go from a boring & desolate yard to a wonderful wildlife preserve. It’s with daily anticipation that we watch for wildlife that is benefiting from our efforts. Simultaneousy, a gentleman across the field did much the same with his newly purchased property. The past two years, his pond has hosted sandhill cranes & numerous other varieties of birds during their migrations. We’ve witnessed wild turkeys strutting with their young, the snowy white owl swooping through the blue sky, the herd of deer grazing on the wide open grasses. We’re loving it and feeling good about doing what our own DNR has encouraged. Imagine our disappointment & feeling of defeat when we read the announcement in the paper that leases had quietly been acquired for an industrial turbine site that will surround our home. Already aware of the negative impact of the 152 turbines having a 20 year life expectancy, subsidized at $600 million in our county, we knew another site was of no value to our community. As we attended meetings & gathered information, we felt absolute betrayal. It was disgusting to learn how a company of very little regulation and complete disregard for the residents was in place to build an industrial site stretching for miles. The owner across the field has sold his property & moved out of state. We are choosing not to sell for a variety of reasons. One reason is that we feel there is no “safe” place from the industry at this time. Until the subsidies are definitely gone & reasonable regulations are in place to protect residents & their properties, buying real estate in Ohio is truly a risky gamble – rural or within city limits.
All subsidies need to be withdrawn, in any form, to Company’s of Wind Turbines. If they can’t be self sufficient, they need to be considered as JUNK Science. This SCAM has gone on long enough and taxpayer money is being wasted. Put these Turbines where they can do their best work…………IN THE OCEAN!