By Doug Finke
State Capitol Bureau
Posted Mar. 16, 2014 @ 10:00 pm
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Since the first wind turbine was installed in Illinois, it’s been the purview of county governments to set the rules for siting and installation of the turbines within their borders.
This year, though, lawmakers may be asked to consider a bill that would take that authority away from counties and have uniform, statewide standards administered by a state agency.
Sen. John Sullivan, D-Rushville, has introduced what would create a statewide standard for wind energy facilities, as well as establish standards for removing wind turbines from property if that becomes necessary.
“To my knowledge, there is no involvement (now) from the state standpoint,” Sullivan said. “There are a few federal standards, but they are very minor and ‘big picture.’ We have kind of a hodge-podge of county-to-county regulations and standards.”
In Sullivan’s view, some counties “have done a real good job of developing their standards.”
“In other counties, in the view of some individuals at least, they have not maybe had the resources, the time and expertise to do that,” he said.
Equal protection
The idea of a single set of statewide standards is being promoted by the Illinois Farm Bureau. Bill Bodine, associate director of state legislation for the bureau, said that in some cases, a single wind farm operation can stretch into more than one county and be subject to different regulations.
He also said that the different regulations can mean different levels of protection for landowners who have wind turbines on their property.
“We’re seeking to establish statewide standards for siting, construction and deconstruction of wind farms,” Bodine said. “It will provide constancy to that process so the same level of protections can be provided to landowners and farmers no matter what county they live in or their location.”
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