Better Plan, Wisconsin

 

NOTE FROM THE BPWI RESEARCH NERD:

The Executive Director of RENEW Wisconsin -mentioned in the article below- is a registered lobbyist who helped write state-wide wind siting rules.

 Among RENEW'S biggest financial 'sponsers' (or clients) are

American Transmission Company, LLC , utilities Madison Gas & Electric, and We Energies, wind developers Horizon Wind Energy, LLC, enXco, Emerging Energies LLC  and Wind Capital Group, Inc.

Representatives of both Emerging Energies and Wind Capitol group, two wind companies with direct financial interest in the outcome of the siting guidelines were also appointed by the PSC to help write the wind siting rules

Other council members included representatives of WPPI and WeEnergies.

And not just the Executive Director of RENEW but also its President.

A clear majority of the council members had a direct or indirect financial interest in the outcome of the rules they were tasked to write.

CLICK HERE TO SEE WHO HELPED WRITE THE RULES SET TO REPLACE LOCAL CONTROL OVER WIND SITING

BILL WOULD LET LOCAL OFFICALS CONTROL WIND TURBINE SITING RULES

By Clay Barbour, Wisconsin State Journal,

Via www.wisinfo.com

January 24, 2012 

MADISON — The long stalemate over windmill siting rules could become a moot point if the Legislature approves a new bill that keeps the power over turbine placement in the hands of local officials.

Sen. Frank Lasee, R-Ledgeview, late last week introduced a bill that would allow officials in cities, villages, towns and counties to establish the minimum distance between a wind turbine and a home — even if those rules are more restrictive than any the state tries to enact.

“The situation now is sort of lawless,” said Rob Kovach, Lasee’s chief of staff. “Townships don’t really know where they stand.”

New statewide wind siting rules, more than a year in the making, were suspended just before going into effect last March. Lawmakers sent those rules, which dealt with wind farms of less than 100 megawatts, back to the state Public Service Commission, where they have stayed as officials worked to reach a compromise between industry supporters and their critics.

“The whole reason for statewide rules is to have consistency and regulatory certainty,” said Michael Vickerman, executive director of RENEW Wisconsin, an advocacy group focused on renewable energy. “This bill, if it passes, would essentially say the state is off limits to wind power.”

The location of windmills has been a controversial issue in the state. Critics of the industry contend the energy generators hurt property values and can lead to health problems.

The rules being worked on by the PSC would have required wind turbines have a setback from the nearest property line of 1.1 times the height of the turbine, or roughly 450 feet for an average windmill. The rules also required turbines be at least 1,250 feet away from the nearest residence.

Lasee’s bill would supersede the rules in all areas where they conflict, namely placing the power to determine setbacks in the hands of local governments. It also would change the rules dealing with wind projects larger than 100 megawatts, forcing the PSC to respect the rules established by local officials.

If no new wind siting bills are adopted by March, the rules stuck in PSC will go into effect.

A letter from Representative Bies regarding the wind rules:

December 9, 2010

The Honorable Jeff Plale, Senate Chairperson
Senate Committee on Commerce, Utilities, Energy and Rail
State Capitol, Room 313 South
Madison, WI 53702
 
The Honorable James Soletski, Assembly Chairperson
Assembly Committee on Energy and Utilities
State Capitol, Room 21 North
P.O. Box 8953
Madison, WI 53708
 
Chairmen Plale and Soletski,
 
I am writing to you today to request that you formally object to Clearinghouse Rule 08-070.  I have reviewed the changes made by the Public Service Commission and it appears the changes that were made did nothing to address the serious concerns raised by many people including me about the effects of these rules.
 
Among these concerns are the potentially unconstitutional takings of land rights from property owners adjacent to wind projects who will be unable to use or develop significant portions of their property, the reduction of local home values, the possible detrimental health effects from noise and shadow flicker, and the removal of any substantive local control over these projects.  
 
For these and other reasons I am requesting that you object to the proposed rule prior to December 22, 2010 so that it may be taken up by the Joint Committee on Review of Administrative Rules.  

Thank you,
 
GAREY BIES
State Representative
1st Assembly District

NOTE FROM THE BPWI RESEARCH NERD:

The PSC delivered a multi-million dollar gift to wind developers by unanimously approving rules which made siting turbines even easier than they first proposed, shocking many rural Badgers whose lives will be directly affected once these rules are adopted.

Changes include decreasing setbacks from homes from 1500 feet to a setback distance that will be  3.1 the turbine height or 1250 feet which ever is the lesser. So a 500 foot tall turbine gets the same setback as a 400 foot turbine.

Chairman Callisto was convinced that a turbine that is 100 feet taller with a wider blade span than the current 400 foot turbines will somehow be quieter, thus eliminating the need for a longer setback.

What he based this assumption on is unknown. Better Plan believes it's based on the assurances from wind developers who need to place turbines that are 50 stories tall no more than 1250 feet from non-participating homes to insure a profitable project.

He did not address the issue of the how the new setbacks will increase hours of shadow flicker on a residence. Nor did he seem to care.

 The new rules also pamper wind developers by lowering payments to non-participating neighbors.

Sources tell Better Plan that the rules were immediately sent to the legislative committees who have ten business days to make a decision. If the committees do nothing, the rules will become automatically become law.

If the committee members object to the rules, they will be sent to a rules over-sight committee which could call for a hearing and then introduce a bill to stop the rules from being adopted.

According to our source, out-going Committee chairman Senator Jeff Plale (D), who heads the senate committee made it clear an objection of this sort unlikely.

However, we've also been told that committee member Senator Robert Cowles (R) has been frustrated with his interaction with the PSC regarding this matter. Sources say the PSC has been unresponsive to Senator Cowles concerns.

Senator Erpenbach (D) sent a detailed letter outlining the ways he'd like to see the rules strengthened to protect residents of wind projects in our state. This too was ignored by teh PSC.

The Wisconsin Towns Association also made it clear to the PSC that the original rules were not strong enough to protect rural residents and suggested changes.

Once again, ignored by the PSC.

The three Doyle-appointed members of the PSC not only paid no attention to these requests, they also ignored the hundreds of residents of our state who testified over the course of the rule-making process, and asked for more protection. The PSC also ignored local ordinances adopted by rural Towns which sought to protect its residents.

What the PSC did not ignore were wind developers wishes. By weakening the rules they have handed developers exactly what they wanted. The cost? No cost to the PSC but for rural Wisconsin residents the cost is health, safety and property values.

WHAT YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW

You can call the committee members listed below and ask what their plans are regarding the new PSC rules.

Let them know the new rules are even less protective than the ones origially proposed and must be rejected because they will endanger the health, safety and property values of rural Wisconsin residents.

YOUR PHONE CALLS ARE VERY IMPORTANT.

Call early and call daily. Committee legislators need to hear from you, and you need to know what they intend to do about the new rules.

Senate Committee on Commerce, Utilities, Energy, and Rail:

Jeff Plale (D) Chair  608-266-7505   or 414-694-7379

Robert Wirch (D)  608-267-8979  or 262-694-7379

Jon Erpenbach (D) 608-266-6670  or 888-549-0027

Pat Kreitlow (D) 608-266-7511     

Robert Cowles (R) 608-266-0484 or 920-448-5092

Sheila Harsdorf (R) 608-266-7745                        

Neal Kedzie (R) 608-266-2635 or 262-742-2025

The Assembly Committee on Energy and Utilities:

James Soletski  (D)  Chair  608-266-0485              

Josh Zepnick  (D)   608-266-1707  or 414-727-0841 

Anthony Staskunas  (D) 608-266-0620   414-541-9440

Jon Richards  (D)  608-266-0650    414-270-9898

John Steinbrink  (D) 608-266-0455     262-694-5863

Joe Parisi  (D) 608-266-5342                          

Ted Zigmunt (D) 608-266-9870                  

Michael Huebsch  (R) 608-266-0631                            

Phil Montgomery  (R) 608-266-5840  or 920-496-5953 

Mark Honadel  (R)  608-266-0610 or  414-764-9921 

Kevin Peterson (R)  608-266-3794                 

Rich Zipperer  (R)  608-266-5120                            

YOU CAN ALSO SEND AN EMAIL TO EACH OF THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS

SENATE:

Sen.Plale@legis.wisconsin.gov

Sen.Wirch@legis.wisconsin.gov

Sen.Erpenbach@legis.wisconsin.gov

Sen.Kreitlow@legis.wisconsin.gov

Sen.Cowles@legis.wisconsin.gov

Sen.Harsdorf@legiswisconsin.gov

Sen.Kedzie@legis.wisconsin.gov

ASSEMBLY

Rep.Zepnick@legis.wisconsin.gov

Rep.Staskunas@legis.wisconsin.gov

Rep.Richards@legis.wisconsin.gov

Rep.Steinbrink@legis.wisconsin.gov

Rep.Parisi@legis.wisconsin.gov

Rep.Zigmunt@legis.wisconsin.gov,

Rep.Huebsch@legis.wisconsin.gov

Rep.Montgomery@legis.wisconsin.gov,

Rep.Honadel@legis.wisconsin.gov

Rep.Petersen@legis.wisconsin.gov,

Rep.Zipperer@legis.wisconsin.gov