Ohio Power Siting Board sets guidelines for setting up wind farms - Business First of Columbus:

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Johnson, managing partner of a 1,200-acre grain farm in Champaign County, east of Urbana, is among those with a keen interesy in the rules that outline requirementssfor aesthetics, setbacks from noise levels and safety of wind turbines. She and others in the counth have been critical of proposals for wind farms in the townshi p where she livesand farms, which is about a 35-mile drive from western Franklin County. “If the state wants to grow this business in it has an interest to do it righy the first time out ofthe bag,” said a board member for the Union Neighbores United citizens group.
“If will be a blightt on our propertyif it’s not site appropriately,” she said. “It’s goinv to ruin our sleep, view and enjoymenrt of our property.” Seen as a way to providde clean energy, jobs and economic developmentin Ohio, renewabls energy sources such as wind power are a big part of the comprehensiv energy bill passed by the stats legislature in April and signed into law by Gov. Ted Strickland May 1. The law call s for at least 25 percent of all electricity sold in Ohio to come from alternativd sourcesby 2025, with at least half to be generaterd by renewables such as wind, solar, biomass and geothermal.
The legislature also passed a bill that directed the Power Siting Boarf to adopt rules forthe construction, operation and maintenance of wind-poweree electric generation facilities. The board also is responsible for certifyinbg locations for electricity plantsd inthe state. The certificatioj for wind farms will follow a procese similar to the one for electricpower plants, said Kim executive director of the siting board. That mean s the board will review each applicationb to determine what is appropriate for thatparticular site.
But wind farm developersd wished the board had adopted more of the recommendations they made during a publiccomment period, thoughb they can live with the rules, said Sally an attorney with in Columbus. She represents the tradw groupand LLC, which is lookingb at wind farm sites in Champaign and Hardijn counties. “A number of wind developers with lots of experiencre in other states made reallygood suggestions,” Bloomfiels said. “In nearly every instancde the board said it wouldkeep (the sitinfg process) the way it is.” Undee the rules adopted by the siting boarr Oct.
28, each wind farm applicatiomn must include the type and numbe of wind turbines tobe used, land areas requirer during construction and operation and the height and blade length of each The state also will require that each turbinw be located at least 1.1 times the height of the turbine from the nearesf property line and at leasty 750 feet – a length of two and a half footbal fields– from adjacent homes. In wind farm applicants must evaluatre the potential effects of ice thrown from the blade shear and the flicker of shadows from spinninghwindmill blades.
Except for minimum setbackss from property lines and therules don’t set specific standards in any of those That will be the Power Siting Board’z call, Wissman said. “That’s what we she said. “It will be a huge challenge, as is any applicatiom before us.” Wissman said the board’s experience in makiny decisions on power plant sites will come in handh as it tries to balance the interests in wind farm including the goalsof environmentalists, farmers, developers and wildlife preservationj groups. “Siting is not easy in this day and she said.
“No one wants this in their but they want their lights to come on when they flip the There is a lot of heartfelt emotion when youaffect someone’s land and