Goodhue County ten rotor diameter setbacks
What is really on the line in the decision whether or not to apply Goodhue County’s setbacks in the permitting of AWA Goodhue’s wind project? The future of the planet? Not likely. The future of wind development in Goodhue County? Maybe, but only if you assume that wind can only be developed by large industrial corporations who sign a minimal amount of land and bully their way through the permitting process. The future of AWA Goodhue? Possibly but only their timeline and project layout are affected for sure. They can proceed by signing more land and participants and negotiateing with the people who live inside ten rotor diameters of their turbines.
The ten rotor setback insures that wind development will be done in areas where the majority of residents are signed participants. It does not prevent all industrial wind energy development. It reduces the shadow flicker on non-participants to almost zero. It insures lower noise levels for non-participant, It does not insure that turbine noise for non-participants will not exceed present background levels.
How does it effect you as an individual landowner? It certainly reduces the number of sites where you can site turbines on your land without the consent of your neighbors. But would you really want to inflict possible problems on your neighbors without their consent? Their consent might even offer you some protection from legal actions. If you and you neighbor don’t get along now, doing a turbine on your land closer to their house than the house where you live is not likely to improve relations. But conversely if your neighbor were to become a paid participant you may become the best of friends.
So what is really at stake? Not wind development so much as who will benefit and who will pay the price. Will the people who have lived here for generations benefit or pay the price for wind development? Will our basic rights be ignored? Will we be compensated for our lost property value? Will we be allowed to harnes the wind for our own use and to sell at fair market value? Or will outside forces seize control of our wind and property rights for their profit at our expense and the expense of our children for generations.
Rick Conrad 25 Nov 2010
