Hub City Wind

Continued from page 1

having to follow the ordinance’s regulations, which are stricter than those imposed by the state.

Under state statute, the Wisconsin Public Service Commission (PSC) has sole authority to regulate large-scale wind operations, but an exception in the law allows local towns to pass their own ordinances to “protect the public health and safety.”

Trine Spindler, a town of Day farmer who has led many of the local efforts against wind and solar operations, said the ordinance adopted by several towns in western Marathon County was meant to serve this purpose.

“It was not created to keep out wind or solar,” she said. “It was just created so there is at least fair rules and regulations so that we can protect the people who have to live around them.”

Spindler noted that the PSC’s wind facility regulations have not been updated since 2012, when turbines were significantly shorter than the ones proposed for future operations. The proposed turbines will have a tip height of 550 to 650 feet, which is just under the height of Rib Mountain in Wausau, and 20 to 25 turbines are planned for the project, according to Alliant Energy.

“There are a lot of them, and they’re going to be big,” Spindler said. “They’re going to have a big impact on our communities.”

The promotional materials and contracts from Alliant Energy and other companies offer hundreds of thousands of dollars of shared revenue for landowners and townships once the projects are up and running, but Spindler questioned whether that would ever materialize.

“The folder reads great: ‘We’ll all be millionaires, and the towns will flourish forever,’ right?” she said. “Just so you know, that is not a promise. It’s just a possibility.”

WARE and similar groups such as Farmland First have a long list of concerns about wind turbines, including their impact on dairy cows, deer and other wildlife; the effect on town roads during construction and maintenance; and the constraints they may place on landowners to fully utilize their properties.

Town of McMillan resident Heidi Peskie said she enjoys watching sandhill cranes flying by, so she reached out to the International Crane Foundation to ask about the potential impacts on the McMillan Marsh Wildlife Area. According to an email from the foundation, “a wind farm in the area could be a detriment” to the potential reintroduction of whooping cranes to the area, “if the wind turbines are too close.” Peskie said the group recommends a setback of 15 kilometers.

The foundation also provided a study on the impacts of wind farms on sandhill cranes, which regularly use the McMillan Marsh as breeding habitat. Peskie said she’s worried that wind turbines could disrupt the birds’ flight paths.

“I just didn’t want that to go away,” she said. “It’s something that gives me quality of life.”

Spindler also raised concerns about the inability of local firefighters to extinguish the flames if a wind turbine were to catch on fire and whether the turbines could impede medical helicopters from landing safely.

“I don’t know how much space a medical helicopter needs, but I know they fly under their discretion,” she said. “So, if they don’t feel like it’s safe to land, they will not land.”

Alliant Energy says Marathon County will receive $280,000 per year in revenue from the Hub City operation, and the five townships will be able to split $216,000 among them annually, but Spindler said that money is only guaranteed while the facilities are running at full capacity.

“The money they’re telling you that you’re going to get might not be there,” she said.

Wendy Rogowski, a resident of Green Valley, provided the audience with information about the scope of the proposed Hub City project based on research she did at the Marathon County Register of Deeds office. Across four of the five townships, Rogowski said a total of 17 landowners have signed up 5,900 acres for the project, including 3,897 in Day, 964 in McMillan, 739 in Green Valley and 324 in Cleveland (no acres have been signed up in Eau Pleine).

Rogowski also updated residents on the status of EDP’s lawsuit against Eau Pleine and Brighton, noting that a Marathon County judge is expected to rule on motions to dismiss the case “on or about May 23,” according to court documents. She noted that approximately 17 towns in Wisconsin have adopted similar ordinances, which are in jeopardy of being invalidated based on the outcome of the lawsuit.

“A legal decision one way or the other will set precedent, and then we’ll know how things will move forward from there,” she said.

Meanwhile, two bills have been introduced in the legislature that would require wind and solar companies to get approval from local town boards before proceeding with a project. Spindler said local lawmakers, such as Reps. Karen Hurd and John Spiros, support the bills, but even if they were to be passed by the legislature, it’s expected that Gov. Tony Evers will veto them.

A petition available at last week’s meeting calls on Gov. Evers not to veto the bills, but Spindler acknowledged that it will take a supermajority vote to override a veto.

“If these two bills pass with no supermajority, Tony Evers is going to veto them, and make them go away. That’s very, very clear,” Spindler said. “Nobody has gotten a supermajority for a bill in 40 years in the state of Wisconsin.”

Energy efficiency questioned

Bernie Wenzel, owner of the Stratford Heritage Barn, said he learned from a professor of his at college that wind turbines and solar panels are the least efficient sources of energy available.

As part of a final project, Wenzel said he and his classmates had to pick a crop to test its potential as a biofuel. Being from Marathon County, he chose ginseng.

“I gave my report and Dr. Jones said ‘Wenzel, if you ever do that, that is probably the dumbest thing anybody has ever done with the exception of putting up a wind turbine,” he said.

Wenzel also recalled how he and his family took a trip through Aurora, Ill., where they saw “thousands of blinking red lights” from the wind turbines there. He wondered what the people who lived among the turbines thought about them being there.

At least with solar panels, Wenzel said a property owner can take those down by themselves if they didn’t want them anymore, but he questioned if that was possible with turbines.

“No one’s taking a windmill down,” he said. “No one’s getting rid of that concrete.”

Wenzel also questioned whether the law of supply and demand would work for wind and solar when Wisconsin’s power needs are already met by abundant coal, natural gas and biomass.

“In my opinion, we don’t have the demand for that type of energy system here, and we don’t have the supply,” he said. “That’s why wind power is so inefficient. The supply isn’t here.”

Alliant’s response

When reached for comments about last week’s event, Ben Tanko, senior renewable development specialist at Alliant Energy, responded: “Wind energy delivers safe, reliable and affordable energy to customers without emitting greenhouse gasses. In addition, wind projects provide significant economic benefits to communities through the total capital investment, construction and operations jobs created, landowner leases and shared revenue payments to the towns and counties that host the generation. “

In response to concerns about wildlife, he said: “While we don’t know the exact details of the email referenced, we work extensively with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) throughout the study and application phases. These required studies are performed to help assist locations of turbines, and adjustments are made following feedback from the WDNR and USFWS. Study results help to avoid impacts to birds, bats, and other wildlife in the area. This includes evaluating flight and migration patterns. After the wind farm is operational, we will continue to monitor the site to assess any impact on wildlife and adjust our operations, as necessary.”

Tanko confirmed the payment amounts mentioned at the meeting, and said each town will be paid based the number of turbines within their boundaries.

“These funds are provided through the Utility Shared Revenue Program determined by the Wisconsin state legislature,” he said. “The amounts referenced are based on the project capacity (size) and is not related to actual production.”

Tanko also addressed the public safety concerns raised at meeting.

“Our top priority is safety, including keeping the public, first responders and employees safe during emergency situations,” he said. “We will partner with local fire departments and other local officials to develop emergency plans. A fire at a wind turbine is a rare event and extensive precautions are taken to prevent fires.”

Tanko said each turbine sits on approximately two acres of land, including the access road, allowing farmers to still grow crops near turbines. “If 25 turbines were to be constructed, we would expect only about 50 acres to be removed from crop production across the entire project,” he said.

Asked about the efficiency of wind power, Tanko replied: “Wind is comparable to the efficiency rating of a fossil fuel (coal) power plant. Additionally, the fuel of wind is free. Alliant Energy owns and operates a diverse mix of energy resources to ensure safe and reliable energy for customers. These resources include wind, solar, natural gas, coal, hydroelectric, and battery energy storage systems. As we cost-effectively transition to more renewable resources, we are enhancing the economic and environmental health of communities.”

TOWN NEIGHBORS- Town of McMillan resident Heidi Peskie speaks to a crowd of area residents at the Stratford Heritage Barn last Wednesday about her concerns with wind turbines planned for the area. Others who spoke include town of Green Valley resident Wendy Rogowski, left, and town of Day resident Trine Spindler, middle.

STAFF PHOTO/KEVIN O’BRIEN