Topic of Discussion: PROPOSED WIND TURBINE ORDINANCE
Tuesday, October 23, 2012 @ 7: 00 PM
Bengal Township Hall – 6586 West M-21
·
An application by Forest Hill Energy to install 40 Utility Scale
Wind Turbines in Bengal, Dallas & Essex Townships has been submitted to
Clinton County and is currently under review by the Clinton County Planning and
Zoning Board. The application states
that 25 Wind Turbines will be located in Bengal Township, 9 in Dallas Township
and 6 in Essex Township and are 426 feet tall.
·
Both Dallas and Essex Townships have adopted their own Licensing
Ordinance which requires the applicant to meet the Clinton County Wind
Ordinance standards as well as the standards set forth at the township level
with regards to, but not limited to noise levels, turbine setbacks and shadow
flicker.
·
The Township Licensing Ordinances adopted by Dallas and Essex
Townships protects the non-participating
landowner by requiring the setback distance be measured at a landowner’s
PROPERTY LINE, not at the landowner’s residence as the County Wind Ordinance
calls for. In addition, the Township
Licensing Ordinance states that a Wind Turbine cannot cast ANY shadow flicker
on your property. However the Clinton County Ordinance states that you may
endure up to 30 hours of shadow flicker
per year on your residence.
·
Forest Hill Energy is admitting that annually, more than 30 hours
of shadow flicker will be cast upon your home by including the following
statement in their application, “In the unlikely event that shadow flicker is found to cause a
nuisance, mitigation could include strategically placed tree plantings, window
coverings, or window awnings.”
·
Because the output of wind is highly variable and rarely
correlates with demand, meaning wind is not readily available during hot summer
months and cold winter days when demand is the greatest, other sources of
energy cannot be taken off line. The wind turbine industry is unable to show
ANY evidence that wind power being on the power grid reduces the use of other
fuels.
·
Properties located near wind turbines decrease in value and living
near a wind turbine is not desirable. You may not be able to sell your home for
what it’s worth, or perhaps, not at all.
·
Noise and shadow flicker can cause serious medical problems. Some
residents living near wind farms have abandoned their homes because, not only
can they not sell their property, but they themselves can no longer live there
due to adverse health impacts caused by wind turbines.
·
The energy produced from these wind turbines will not provide
energy directly to your home. In
addition, the applicant has stated that the turbines are 30% efficient; meaning
the proposed 64 MW project only has a capacity of 19 MW.
·
According to data provided from the US Energy Information Agency
from the first five months of 2012 this year’s expected CO2 emissions have
declined by more than 800 million tons, or 14% from their peak in 2007. The
reason is the unprecedented switch to natural gas, which emits 45% less carbon
per energy unit when compared to coal; not
because of wind turbines or solar panels.
·
The Michigan Tax Tribunal changed the depreciation rate for wind
turbines, dramatically reducing the money municipalities will earn from wind
farms. Because municipalities have so much to lose, the counties of Huron, Sanilac,
Gratiot and Tuscola are considering an inter-local agreement to share the cost of
legal fees to fight DTE in an effort to receive their promised tax revenue.
Huron County View, Front
Page, 2012-9-13; Mackinac Center for Public Policy (Michigan Capitol
Confidential); Slate.com “Why Are Carbon Dioxide Emissions Down So Much in the
US?, by:Bjorn Lomborg, posted Sept. 15, 2012; National Wind Watch (www.wind-watch.org); www.youtube.com: Wind
Turbine Shadow Flicker and Noise: Wind Turbine Ice Throw; South Point Wind Farm
