Hearing will consider changes in wind farm rules
Staff writer
Proposed amendments to the county’s wind farm overlay regulations will be discussed at a public hearing May 22.
Commissioner Clarke Dirks gave the amendments to commissioners and planning director Sharon Omstead March 24.
He contends they would safeguard residents and natural resources.
Under his proposals, a project’s boundary would be all properties leased by the wind farm for any purpose associated with the project.
After submitted, the boundary could not be modified.
Dirks wants no turbines within:
- 1,320 feet of each other or a public right of way;
- 1,760 feet of a participating residential structures including garages;
- 2,750 feet of a non-participating residential structure;
- 1,760 feet of a non-participating property line;
- 1,320 feet of a designated wetland;
- 15,840 feet of city limits, public parks, public hunting areas, churches, schools, airports, or cemeteries.
A residential structure would include a garage and secondary residential structures.
Turbine access roads would be agreed in writing between the wind farm owner and landowner, be low profile, and not interfere with runoff.
Aircraft detection lighting systems would have to be approved before the wind farm plan is submitted for a conditional use permit.
At the end of turbines’ useful life, equipment would have to be removed and disposed at a licensed facility.
Tower foundations would have to be removed to a depth of at least four feet, and the foundation site would have to be restored.
Roads could be left intact if the landowner requests.
Decommissioning would be at the wind farm’s expense.
A plan to mitigate visual impacts would have to be submitted with the conditional-use application.
A third-party review of potential impacts on wetlands, stream corridors, native prairie, historical or cultural sites, and historical trail corridors would be needed before construction.
A plan to replace prairie destroyed by installation also would have to be approved before submitting a conditional-use permit.
Overview of existing environmental conditions also would have to be documented for county and state and federal wildlife agencies.
Included would be monitoring of seasonal bats and migratory birds, non-crop vegetation, threatened and endangered species, and sites of conservation significance.
Flood plain development permits would have to be obtained before applying for a construction permit.
Noise from the wind farm would not be allowed to exceed 45 decibels (the sound level of a quiet office or library) at residential structures.
A wind farm would have to submit a development plan including boundaries, a certificate of Federal Aviation Administration approval for an aircraft detecting light system with a plan from its manufacturer, agreements for roads, a payment in lieu of taxes agreement to cover 50% of all waived taxes, and monitoring and decommissioning agreements.
After a conditional use permit was approved, the company would have a year to apply for a construction permit and a year after its approval to begin construction.
Plan requirements would include the total number of turbines, their specifications and approximate locations; locations and descriptions of ancillary equipment; and pre-approved road agreements including roads to be used for any aspect of the project.
Wind farms would be responsible for needed upgrades and damage to roads, rights-of-way, and utilities.
Shedding from turbine blades of Bispenaol A, a chemical used to coat the inside of blades, would have to be made. The chemical could affect behavior, brain and prostate glands of fetuses, infants, and children.
A decommissioning agreement would have to include standards and complete cost estimates for removal and restoration with secured funding.
Dirks also wants no turbine blades to be cut up onsite without containment and removal of dust and debris.
And he wants fines and / or revocation of the conditional use permit if a company fails to comply.