Entries in BCCRWE (5)
8/27/10 What's it like to live in a Wisconsin Wind Project?
This interview was conducted by Tim Harmann who is with the Brown County Citizens for Responsible Wind Energy (Link: BCCRWE.com)
Elizabeth Eberts is a resident of the We Energies Blue Sky/Green Field wind project. Click on the image below to hear what she has to say about living with wind turbines. For those whose internet connection isn't fast enough to watch video, a transcript is provided below.
Transcript of Interview with Elizabeth Eberts
I'm a non participant of the wind turbines but I have them to the north, west and south of me. We live down in this hollow part and they just come straight above by our house and we hear all the noise.
And sleeping at night, if they don't turn at night, I sleep great. Like last night I had a terrific nights sleep but this week, Wednesday they were really going and just like that in the middle of the night I'll just jump up and there's nothing I can do.
It just does something. I don't know what the noise is that wakes me up or what it is but I can sleep through thunderstorms, anything. But I cannot sleep through this. I've tried different things but I just can't.
And I complained to them about the noise and they said they can do nothing about the noise. It's the way it is, etc. etc.
Well I had my son over here because he had to have major surgery. And you know, because we could leave from here I thought it was real nice.
Well then he told me, he said he couldn't sleep all night because it sounded like an airplane hovering over his bedroom all night long. So he couldn't sleep.
And I thought it was just me, you know? I never gave it a thought.
In our township, noise means nothing. That's exactly what they told me. They say it at every meeting you go to. "We're not going to discuss the noise."
Well, it's a big problem here. Especially for me with [turbine noise ] coming down at me.
And they just don't acknowledge it at all.
So in addition to your noise and your sleep, you had some problems with your TV?
Well we have problems with the TV, the scanner and the FM radio.
The TV was the worst of them all. It took a good year, and I just told them after all that they did I said that this is it. Take it out. I don't care what you give me. I can't stand it any more.
It would go out. You'd be listening to a program, you'd see half of it, and all of a sudden it's gone. Then it would come back again. Well. It was just totally out of control. I was just plain frustrated. You just turned the TV off and just let it off for awhile.
And you said you visit your daughter who is in the wind farm too and she has other issues?
Yes. She has bad shadow flicker. Over the complete house. Because the wind turbine to the east of her is on a very high hill, so it covers their whole house.
She can't go anyplace in her house where she does not see shadow flicker.
Well, [the wind developer] offered the blinds and that. Well, [the flicker will] go through the top part of your window. You can put them up as good as you want, it still goes through.
I was putting up-- we made curtains for her--- and I was putting them up and I seen this flickering going in there, and I said, "Oh my gosh," I had to get down from the ladder and turn away from it.
And she says, "Oh, this isn't bad, mom."
Well, to me it was. That was very bad.
But they will put blinds up for you or whatever
But what do you put windows in your house for?
[This wind farm] they just put it up and that was it. They didn't work with us at all.
And what they say to you, don't believe them.
I had this guy from We Energies coming into my house and telling me he'd give me back everything he took away.
And then he shook my hand.
And you know what? To this day yet I haven't gotten everything back they took away, They can't give me it back. There is no way. Unless they stop these turbines.
The BPRC Research Nerd
in BCCRWE, BCCRWE, Brown County Citizen's for Responsible Wind Energy, Life in a wind farm, We Energies, We Energies wind farm, Wisconsin wind farm, wind farm complaints, wind farm contracts, wind farm noise, wind farm noise, wind farm ordinance, wind farm property value, wind farm property value, wind farm setbacks, wind farm shadow flicker, wind farm shadow flicker, wind farm wildlife
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7/8/10 Meet Me at Van Ables: Brown County is Getting the Word Out: The trouble with siting industrial scale wind turbines 1000 feet from homes
Wind Farm Meeting Tonight in Holland
SOURCE: Greenbay Press Gazette
July 8, 2010
By Jon Styf
A group that has opposed a proposal to build a 100-turbine wind farm in southern Brown County will host what it calls an informational meeting tonight in Holland.
Chicago-based Invenergy LLC has proposed the wind farm in Morrison, Glenmore and Wrightstown. It is waiting to resubmit its application until the guidelines are approved by the PSC.
The Brown County Citizens for Responsible Wind Energy has organized tonight's meeting scheduled for 6:30 at Van Abel's of Hollandtown, 8108 Brown County D in the town of Holland.
The BPRC Research Nerd
in BCCRWE, BCCRWE, Brown County, Brown County Wind, Invenergy, Invenergy, wind farm contract, wind farm health, wind farm noise, wind farm ordinances, wind farm setbacks, wind farm shadow flciker, wind farm strong arm, wind farm wildlife
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6/17/10 When there is so much money to be made, who cares about the neighbors? Who wants to listen to the Brown County Board of Health?
HEALTH OFFICIALS WEIGH IN ON WIND FARM
SOURCE www.fox11online.com
June 16, 2010
By Becky DeVries
BROWN COUNTY – A Brown County committee makes a recommendation against an area wind farm because of worries it may be unhealthy for people nearby.
Brown County’s Board of Health says it believes the risk is too high, and is recommending a proposed wind farm not be built.
Invenergy is the Chicago-based company, planning to build 100 wind turbines in southern Brown County. The wind farm is not a done deal yet. The state Public Service Commission is still taking public comments on the topic, and has yet to give final approval.
“Behind me there would be at least three of them I believe, possibly more, and there will be some on this side also,” Jeff VanRossum explained near his Town of Wrightstown home.
The view from VanRossum’s front yard could soon change if plans are approved to put up 100 wind turbines in southern Brown County.
“There’s too many variables, too many health issues,” said VanRossum.
VanRossum does not want the wind farm in the area, his main concern is health.
“We’re saying that this is not a safe place to cite a wind farm,” said Audrey Murphy, chair of the Brown County Board of Health.
The board is formally recommending the wind farm not be built. Murphy says the main concern is the risk of water contamination that could happen as a result of an underground system that would connect the windmills.
“The greatest threat to this wind farm is the ground water situation,” said Murphy. “This is an area that has a historical record of having ground contamination.”
However, Invenergy, the company proposing the project, says it has addressed ground water contamination concerns in the past, and has not had problems.
“We’re confident that it will be shown that our project is a safe and reliable facility that is going to generate great economic benefits,” said Kevin Parzyck, development manager for Invenergy.
The Wisconsin Public Service Commission says its three commissioners will review all the information regarding the wind farm and make a decision based on that. The recommendation from the Brown County Board of Health is just one piece of information the commission will review. It doesn’t necessarily hold any more or less weight than any other piece of information.
“We have to start making a step toward cleaner air,” said Dave Bining.
Bining lives just down the street from Jeff VanRossum, and welcomes the windmills.
“I’m for it,” said Bining. “We can’t keep pumping pollution into the air. At some point there’s got to be an alternative. Wind mills may not be the answer, but right now they’re available.”
Just which neighbor gets his way remains to be seen.
The Wisconsin Public Service Commission is still accepting public comments. It will review them, and other information and then make a decision, on allowing the plans to go forward. Invenergy hopes to start construction on the Brown County wind farm next year.
SECOND STORY:
BROWN COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH OPPOSES WIND TURBINE PROJECT
SOURCE: www.wbay.com
June 17 2010
By Marcie Kobriger
Plans in motion to build a 100-wind turbine farm in southern Brown County will be at a standstill if the Public Service Commission accepts a recommendation from the county board of health.
The board says digging in to put up the turbines could put the public’s health at risk.
Whether the complaints are that they’re noisy, ugly, or emit stray voltage, the arguments against building wind turbines in Brown County have been stacked high.
But it’s what’s beneath the ground that’s convinced the Brown County Board of Health that this type of green energy is not the way to go in the southern part of the county.
Well water in the Town of Morrison and other southern Brown County communities has been plagued for years.
“Over 30 percent of our wells in the Town of Morrison right now are over the drinking water standard for nitrates,” Bill Hafs of the Brown County Land and Water Conservation Department said.
E. coli and other bacteria have also been found in the wells.
The project would require digging 81 miles of trenches to bury cable to carry power from the wind turbines to the electrical grid.
With farms as far as the eye can see — providing plenty of manure to spread– conservation experts say the Town of Morrison, with less than one foot of top soil above bedrock in places, is susceptible to well contamination.
“Once you’ve disturbed that and hit the bedrock, then if you land apply any waste over the top it’ll hit that cable and go down into the bedrock and cause a ground water contamination,” Hafs said. “We’ve created a conduit to bedrock, a conduit to ground water.”
But the board of health’s recommendation has done little to reconcile friends and families who’ve been at odds over the issue of wind turbines since the wind farm was first proposed.
“We till fields, we till swamp holes, we till sink holes, we till frog holes, and none if it affects the ground water. How could a wire?” neighbor Harvey Hafeman responds. “How could that affect groundwater? That’s a myth.
Hafeman believes the recommendation has less to do with water concerns than the concerns of his neighbors who oppose wind turbines.
“It’s all because these people don’t want a tower in their back yards.”
Hafeman says he has the acreage to put many wind turbines on his property.
He doesn’t believe the four-foot cable trenches would pose any additional threat of well contamination.
“If they did go nine feet, the basement of this house is nine feet deep and they don’t go that far even if they don’t have to,” Hafeman said.
Conservationists disagree.
“You typically don’t spread animal waste or industrial waste close to buildings,” Hafs responded.
NOTE FROM THE BPWI RESEARCH NERD: To read more about Wisconsin wind issues and the latest on what is happening in Brown County, visit the Brown County Citizens for Responsible Wind Energy (BCCRWE) website by CLICKING HERE
HAVE YOU REACHED OUT AND TOUCHED YOUR PSC TODAY?
The PSC is asking for public comment on the recently approved draft siting rules. The deadline for comment is July 7th, 2010.
The setback recommended in this draft is 1250 feet from non-participating homes, 500 feet from property lines.
CLICK HERE and type in docket number 1-AC-231 to read what's been posted so far.
CLICK HERE to leave a comment on the Wind Siting Council Docket
SAVE THE DATE: The PSC will be holding public hearings for the wind sitting rules on
Monday, June 28 @ 1PM & 6PM in Fond Du Lac at the City Hall on 160 S. Macy Street
Tuesday, June 29 @ 1PM & 6PM at Holiday Inn in Tomah on 1017 E. McCoy Blvd.
Wednesday, June 30 at the PSC in Madison on 610 North Whitney Way, 1pm and 6pm
The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin has scheduled several hearings throughout the state regarding the creation of statewide wind turbine regulations.
The new regulations apply to wind farms that will generate less than 100 Megawatts of power. Specifics about turbine height, noise and distance setbacks, shadow flicker, signal interference and when residents and government agencies must be notified about proposed projects are included in the 53-page document.
To view the document, go to www.psc.wi.gov, enter docket number 1-AC-231 into the case search bar and download the document titled “Notice of Hearings” with the Public Service Commission reference number 131882.
Comments are due on Wednesday, July 7, 2010 at noon and must be mailed to: Sandra J. Paske, Secretary to the Commission, Public Service Commission, P.O. Box 7854, Madison, Wis., 53707-7854.
Comments can also be faxed to (608) 266-3957 and are due by Tuesday, July 6, 2010 at noon.
Online comments can be submitted at http://psc.wi.gov using docket number 1-AC-231.
The BPRC Research Nerd
in BCCRWE, Brown county board of health, Wind farm health effects, wind farm bats, wind farm complaints, wind farm contracts, wind farm ground water, wind farm noise, wind farm shadow flicker, wind siting council
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5/5/10 Wisconsin Wind Wars: What farmers who host turbines are saying.
"It can sound like a freight train going through the other end of town. The problem is that freight train don't have a caboose. It don't stop. It just keeps rolling and rumbling on and on and on, for hours and hours,"
-Al Haas, farmer hosting turbines on his land
Wind blowing up storm of strong opinions
100 wind turbines proposed for Brown County
CLICK HERE FOR SOURCE: WLUK-TV Fox 11
Wednesday, May 5 2010, 7:20 PM CDT
Reporter: Lou Hillman
MALONE - If you walked out of your home every morning and saw wind turbines in every which direction, is it a site you would get used to?
"You don't even notice them anymore. They've been here two years and it's just a part of life now, I guess," said Ken Krause, a farmer in the Fond du Lac County town of Marshfield.
Or, is it a site you would grow to hate?
"Not these big, industrial turbines. They just don't belong here," said Al Haas, a farmer in the Fond du Lac County town of Malone.
It's something many neighbors in Fond du Lac County will never agree on. Opinions are even more polarized among those who live on the Blue Sky Green Field wind farm . With 88 wind turbines, it is currently the largest wind farm in the state.
Haas has three turbines spinning on his farmland. He makes about $15,000 a year just for having them there. That's a nice side income with no extra work involved.
"We were told we would basically be able to farm right up to it. We were told there would be basically no land loss to speak of, it just sounded like a good deal," said Haas.
That extra money? Haas now says it isn't worth it. He blames the wind turbines for damaging his crops and interfering with his TV reception.
But his main complaint is the noise. He says it keeps him up at night and has led to stress.
"It can sound like a freight train going through the other end of town. The problem is that freight train don't have a caboose. It don't stop. It just keeps rolling and rumbling on and on and on, for hours and hours," said Haas.
"There are probably 3 or 4 days out of the month where they are loud but I think it's a small prices to pay," said Ken Krause.
Krause stands on the other side of the wind debate. He even likes the look of the two turbines on his farmland.
"If each community in the country was doing what we are doing, we wouldn't need foreign oil ... Not as much anyway," said Krause.
Krause points to the pain at the pump two summers ago.
"Some people are already forgetting the $4 (a gallon) gas we had a couple years back. This is helping," said Krause.
So, are all the wind turbines worth it? That's what people in Brown County want to know. Some have even contacted people on both sides of the issue in Fond du Lac County to hear first hand with it's really like living inside a wind farm.
"Is there a place for wind? Maybe. But I don't think it's in Wisconsin," said Jon Morehouse, the spokesman for Brown County Citizens for Responsible for Wind Energy .
The group represents more than 200 people who are opposed to large-scale wind development in Brown County. Many of those people say wind turbines blemish the landscape and pose health hazards.
"We need to slow down, we need to slow down until things get put into place to regulate these industrial monsters to a safe and healthy level," said Morehouse. "People are going to have to put up with them for 30 years."
100 turbines are proposed in southern Brown County, with 54 turbines going in the town of Morrison, 22 in Holland, 20 in Wrightstown and 4 in Glenmore. It would be the largest wind farm in the state.
The project is being developed by Invenergy, a private firm from Chicago . The company says the location is one of the best places to harness wind in Wisconsin.
"Wisconsin has very good places for good wind and good transmission capabilities near where the power is going to be used," said Kevin Parzyck, the wind development manager for Invenergy.
Invenergy is still modifying its application for the project. It will ultimately go to the state Public Service Commission for a decision.
That process will likely take several more months which gives people in Brown County more time to research the issue.
"We want people to go. Go to a turbine, stand under a turbine, see what it's like, the proof is in the pudding," said Parzyck.
Though, there are many farmers in Fond du Lac County who say a few days in their shoes would turn most people against wind development.
The BPRC Research Nerd
in BCCRWE, Invenergy Parzyck, Invenergy Wisconsin, Wind farm health effects, Wisconsin wind farm, wind farm conracts, wind farm noise, wind farm shadow flicker
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2/9/10 TRIPLE FEATURE: Dude, Where's My Wind Farm Stimulus Money? AND When an 'empty gesture' is full of meaning: Town of Holland's wind moratiorium and what the PSC says about it, AND What's that smell? Is it the conflict-of-interest problem in Brown County?
New Wind Farms in the U.S. Do Not Bring Jobs
Millions have been invested in wind farms, but it hasn't brought jobs
Click Here for Source: ABC World News
Jonathan Karl
Feb. 9, 2010
Despite all the talk of green jobs, the overwhelming majority of stimulus money spent on wind power has gone to foreign companies, according to a new report by the Investigative Reporting Workshop at the American University's School of Communication in Washington, D.C.
Nearly $2 billion in money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has been spent on wind power, funding the creation of enough new wind farms to power 2.4 million homes over the past year. But the study found that nearly 80 percent of that money has gone to foreign manufacturers of wind turbines.
So Where Are the Jobs?
"Most of the jobs are going overseas," said Russ Choma at the Investigative Reporting Workshop. He analyzed which foreign firms had accepted the most stimulus money. "According to our estimates, about 6,000 jobs have been created overseas, and maybe a couple hundred have been created in the U.S."
Even with the infusion of so much stimulus money, a recent report by American Wind Energy Association showed a drop in U.S. wind manufacturing jobs last year.
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called the flow of money to foreign companies an outrage, because the stimulus, he said, was intended to create jobs inside the United States.
"This is one of those stories in Washington that when you tell people five miles outside the Beltway, or anywhere else in America, they cannot believe it," Schumer told ABC News, "It makes people lose faith in government, and it frankly infuriates me."
Matt Rogers, the senior adviser to the Secretary of Energy for the Recovery Act, denied there was a problem.
"The recovery act is creating jobs in the U.S. for American workers," said Rogers, "That is what the recovery act is about, that is what it is doing. Every dollar from the recovery act is going to create jobs for the American workers here in the U.S."
How Did This Happen?
Several of the large European turbine manufacturers had limited manufacturing facilities in the United States, but there was nothing in the stimulus plan that required that the turbines, or any other equipment needed for the wind farms, be made here, said Rogers. There are strict "Buy America" provisions in the Recovery Act, but this Green Energy Stimulus initiative turned the existing tax credits into cash grants, bypassing the "Buy America" provision.
Iberdrola, one of the largest operators of renewable energy worldwide, is based in Spain and has received the most U.S. stimulus dollars -- $577 million. It buys some of its turbines from another Spanish manufacturer, Gamesa, which has a U.S. connection. Gamesa has two facilities to manufacture turbine blades in Pennsylvania, but the company said the market forced it to temporarily lay off nearly 100 workers.
Eric Sheesley was one of those laid off from the Gamesa plant before Thanksgiving. "When we're employing other countries, we can't feed our kids at home. It gets hard you know." Sheesley had a glimmer of hope when a letter arrived this week telling him to report back to work next week.
One reason so much money is going overseas is that there is not much of a wind power industry in the United States -- only two major American manufacturers make wind turbines: General Electric Energy and Clipper Wind based in Carpinteria, Calif. Even those companies do a significant amount of their manufacturing overseas. General Electric told ABC News that GE's Renewable Energy business has 3,000 employees around the world, 1,350 here in the United States.
Schumer said the way to revitalize the domestic wind power industry and to create green jobs is to require that at least some of the turbine equipment to be made in the United States.
An American Farm With Chinese Jobs
Perhaps the most controversial wind project is one that has yet to receive stimulus money.
A Chinese company called A-power is helping to build a massive $1.5 billion wind farm in West Texas. The consortium behind the project expects to get $450 million in stimulus money.
Walt Hornaday, an American partner on the project, said it would create some American jobs. "Our estimation," he said, "is that we are going to have on the order of 300 construction jobs just within the fence of the project."
But that's in addition to 2,000 manufacturing jobs -- many of them in China.
Lauren Reynolds, a reporter at ABC's San Diego affiliate 10 News, paid a visit to the vacant office of A-power.
To read more about how wind energy companies in San Diego are forced to spend their federal stimulus dollars abroad, go to today's San Diego Tribune and the Watch Dog Institute's Web page.
Second Feature:
Holland backs hollow wind farm moratorium
If the town wants a moratorium, the state has no reason to disagree, said PSC spokeswoman Teresa Weidemann-Smith.
“It’s the community’s right to make those decisions,” she said. “But ultimately, the decision by the PSC will take precedence.”
February 9, 2010
Local solidarity is driving a Holland wind farm moratorium that has no chance of success if the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin approves a project in the town.
“We know the PSC will have final say in this project,” said Holland Supervisor Michael Geiger. “We’re just letting them know how we feel about it. When it comes to town politics, we’re about as grass roots as you get.
“The people that live next door want to know you’re supporting them. That’s what I’m doing.”
Holland is one of four Brown County towns targeted by Chicago-based Invenergy LLC for the estimated 100-turbine Ledge Wind Farm. If the project advances, Geiger said, Invenergy could build 22 turbines in Holland.
But the town has enacted a one-year moratorium on wind farm development and revised its setback standards for turbines from 1,000 feet to a half-mile from buildings.
Invenergy representatives did not return calls for comment.
If the town wants a moratorium, the state has no reason to disagree, said PSC spokeswoman Teresa Weidemann-Smith.
“It’s the community’s right to make those decisions,” she said. “But ultimately, the decision by the PSC will take precedence.”
The PSC has authority over projects expected to generate more than 100 megawatts of electricity. Weidemann-Smith said the Ledge project is expected to generate 150 megawatts.
According to state law, if the PSC approves a project, it can proceed despite any local ordinance prohibiting the project.
The PSC has not yet begun its review of the Ledge Wind Farm proposal, Weidemann-Smith said, because Invenergy has not submitted a complete proposal for the project. She said she does not know when that will happen.
Once the PSC begins its formal review of the project, she said, there will be plenty of time for local comments.
The comments are coming in already. The PSC has an open docket on the project with more than 80 public comments.
Jon Morehouse, a member of the executive committee for Brown County Citizens for Responsible Wind Energy, said waiting until the public comment period to speak out against the project would not send as strong a message.
“The moratorium is something that was voted on and publicized,” he said. “If you say nothing, you get run over.”
The Brown County citizens group encouraged the town to enact the moratorium, Geiger said, and the other towns in line to host Ledge turbines also are being encouraged to enact moratoriums. He said he knows the moratorium means nothing if the PSC approves the project, but an empty gesture is better than no gesture.
“The residents at the last two meetings have said they’re prepared to fight,” he said. “I don’t know how they’ll do that, and I don’t really want to know. All I know is with the moratorium, I’m doing something the majority wants.
“If you don’t do something they want, they’ll get somebody who will.”
VISIT THE DAILY REPORTER’S SPECIAL WIND FARM PROJECT PROFILE PAGE
THIRD FEATURE:
Wind farms causing conflict-of-interest controversies among Brown County town boards
As Brown County pursues wind farm bans, some of their officials have already signed contracts for turbines
February 10, 2010
By Scott Williams
As residents seek help stalling a wind farm development in southern Brown County, some local officials are facing conflict-of-interest questions because they have signed deals with the developer allowing wind turbines on their property.
The issue has ensnared town board members in Morrison and Wrightstown, and it is slowing action on wind farm opponents' efforts to delay the development.
Morrison Town Board members on Tuesday postponed action on a proposed wind farm ban because they are awaiting legal opinions on whether Trustees Kevin Collins and Ron Lemke should participate in the decision.
Collins and Lemke both have signed contracts with Invenergy LLC, the Chicago-based developer that wants to build Brown County's first major commercial wind farm. The developer has offered about $8,000 a year to landowners willing to permit a 400-foot wind turbine on their property.
Morrison Town Chairman Todd Christensen said he would not allow the board to discuss the wind farm until determining whether Collins or Lemke has a conflict.
"We're stepping very carefully here," Christensen said. "I just don't want to put anybody in any situation where they're going to get into trouble."
The same predicament faces Wrightstown Town Chairman William Verbeten and Trustee Ronald Diny, both of whom have signed contracts with Invenergy.
With a vote scheduled tonight in Wrightstown on a proposed moratorium on wind farm construction, Verbeten said he might abstain from the vote or postpone action entirely.
Verbeten said Tuesday that he signed a deal allowing a wind turbine on his property before he realized the Town Board would play a role in the development. The final decision on large commercial wind farms in Wisconsin normally comes from the state Public Service Commission.
"We weren't going to be involved," Verbeten said. "We were out of it."
But an opposition group known as Brown County Citizens for Responsible Wind Energy is pushing local elected officials to impose moratoriums or take other action to derail the project.
State law prohibits elected officials from participating in any official issue in which they have a substantial financial interest.
Reid Magney, spokesman for the state Government Accountability Board, said the law does not define substantial financial interest, but state officials interpret it to mean anything more than token.
"We would expect local elected officials — and companies doing business in Wisconsin — to know the law and not put local elected officials in jeopardy," Magney said.
Invenergy is seeking state approval to build 100 wind turbines in southern Brown County, including 54 in Morrison and 20 in Wrightstown. The rest would be built in the towns of Holland and Glenmore, although Holland Town Board members last week approved a one-year moratorium.
Invenergy contends that such local roadblocks are meaningless because state regulators can override all such obstacles when they decide whether to permit the project.
Company vice president Joe Condo said town trustees in Brown County perhaps should abstain from official decisions if those trustees have signed contracts to participate in the development. But considering that the state has the final say, Condo added, "It's really a moot point."
An attorney advising Morrison officials has outlined other ways that the town could involve itself, including passing a resolution on the wind farm proposal or intervening in the state regulatory case.
Steven Gillis, the town of Wrightstown attorney, said he does not perceive a conflict for Verbeten or Diny, at least not on the moratorium issue scheduled to be discussed tonight.
Gillis said he still must conduct more research to determine if the trustees could participate in other issues related to the project, including a local conditional use permit that he believes will be required for the wind farm.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," he said.
Diny and Lemke could not be reached for comment.
Collins declined to discuss his Invenergy contract except to say that although he sees no conflict, he would abstain from any Town Board vote if necessary.
Asked how a three-member board could decide an issue without two members participating, Collins said, "I'm not sure how they'll address that."
Morrison Town Board members have called a special town meeting for 7 p.m. March 8, at a location to be announced, to air public opinions on the wind farm.
The BPRC Research Nerd
in BCCRWE, Brown County Citizens for Responsible Wind Energy, Invenergy, Morehouse, Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, Responsible Wind Energy, Town of Holland moratorium, Weidemann-Smith, Wind farm health effects, town of Holland
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