7/30/10 Wind Turbine troubles North of the border AND Like a bad neighbor (especially in Rock County, Wisconsin) Acciona is there AND The moon is made of green cheese, economic recovery is made of green jobs
Thursday, July 29, 2010 at 11:57PM
The BPRC Research Nerd in Wind farm birds, Wisconsin wind siting council, acciona, acciona contracts, accionia wind, health effects, win farm wildlife, wind farm bats, wind farm compensation, wind farm complaints, wind farm contract, wind farm health effects, wind farm health effects. wisconsin wind farm, wind farm lese, wind farm property valuses


Dr. McMurtry on wind turbine concerns.

Click on the image above to hear why this Canadian doctor is concerned about the current state of wind turbine siting regulation.

 

NOTE FROM THE BPWI RESEARCH NERD:

Contracts signed by local landowners in Rock County were sold when Acciona bought the rights to develop an industrial scale wind project from fledgling wind developer, EcoEnergy.

EcoEnergy did not disclose how much profit they made from selling local contracts to the Spanish wind industry giant, but local landowners will not see a higher payout as a result, or an option to get out of the contract.

Five continguous Rock County townships have adopted ordinances that require wind developers to site turbines at least 2640 feet from non-participating homes.

In a matter of weeks, the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin will issue wind siting rules that will overturn those ordinances along with those of many other Wisconsin Towns and Counties.

Better Plan Wisconsin [BPWI], has repreatedly asked Acciona about its plans for the wind project in Rock County which at one time included siting 67 industrial scale wind turbines in the Town of Magnolia's 36 square miles.

Acciona has thus far failed to respond.

Landowners who signed contracts with EcoEnergy early on are now angered to find that the offer of a reported $4,000 per turbine per year is far below the going rate being offered to farmers in other communities in our state.

Some have expressed a desire to get out of those contracts and renegotiate something on par with what other wind developers are offering. Others want out because they have witnessed the damage and fragmentation of farm fields left behind by wind development in other parts of our state and want no part of it.

Still others have seen their families and communities torn apart by this issue and no longer feel that it is worth it.

However, landowners in Brown and Columbia Counties are finding out just how hard it is to get out of the contracts they signed at the kitchen table with the once 'friendly' wind developer.

Doing business on a handshake has long been the tradition in rural Wisconsin.

It was something that worked well before out-of-state wind developers began to show up at farmsteads with big promises and iron clad contracts.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, like a bad neighbor, Acciona is there too.

SOURCE: Windaction.org

The Dean Report

(Posted July 28, 2010)

Article originally appeared on Better Plan: The Trouble With Industrial Wind Farms in Wisconsin (http://betterplan.squarespace.com/).
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