Why Scott Walker Killed Wind Energy Jobs in Wisconsin
From an article by Louis Weisberg in the Wisconsin Gazette:
When Wisconsin voters elected Scott Walker governor and handed Republicans control of the Legislature, about 1,000 new jobs in the emerging wind energy sector stood waiting on the state’s horizon, according to industry proponents.
But Walker, who received at least $1.5 million in campaign cash directly from interests opposed to wind energy and much more indirectly, quickly quashed the rules that would have allowed those jobs – and the state’s energy independence – to move forward.
Walker’s move reportedly startled wind-energy supporters on both sides of the political aisle, since the so-called “wind siting” rules were ironed out during a year of negotiations with all the major stakeholders and approved by a two-thirds, bipartisan majority of lawmakers during the legislative session immediately preceding the state’s GOP takeover.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 1 so far )Highland Wind Farm, LLC files application for project in St. Croix County
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 19, 2011
Contact: Kristin Ruesch or Matthew Pagel, 608-266-9600
Kristin.Ruesch@wisconsin.gov or Matt.Pagel@wisconsin.gov
Madison, WI—The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (Commission) has received an application from Highland Wind Farm, LLC to build a 102.5 megawatt wind project located in the townships of Forest and Cylon, St. Croix County, Wisconsin. When the application is deemed complete, the Commission will have up to 360 days to make a decision on the application.
An electric generation project of 100 megawatts (MW) or greater requires a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) from the Commission.
The Commission has siting jurisdiction over all wind energy systems 100 MW or larger and over utility-owned wind energy systems, regardless of size.
A political subdivision (city, town, village, or county) has siting jurisdiction over non-utility wind energy systems smaller than 100 megawatts.
2009 Wisconsin Act 40 made several changes to the state statutes regarding the siting of wind energy systems. The law retained the jurisdictional split between the Commission and political subdivisions; directed the Commission to write wind siting rules; and stated that a political subdivision may not impose requirements that are more restrictive than those in the Commission’s wind siting rules.
In response, final Wind Siting Rules promulgated by the Commission (PSC 128) were published in the Wisconsin Administrative Register on February 28, 2011, to be effective March 1, 2011. Currently the rules are not in effect due to legislative suspension.
The Commission and interested parties are currently working to resolve concerns regarding wind siting for non-utility projects under 100 MW. Because Highland Wind Farm, LLC has planned a project surpassing the 100 MW threshold, the project application will be treated like any other CPCN application received by the Commission; however, the Commission is also statutorily required to “consider whether installation or use of the facility is consistent with the standards specified in the rules promulgated by the commission under Wis. Stats. §196.378 (4g) (b),” meaning the Commission will need to at least consider whether the application is consistent with the standards in the promulgated, yet suspended, PSC 128 rules.
Once the Commission receives all pieces of an application, the Commission has 30 days to determine whether the application is complete. After a CPCN application is deemed complete, the Commission urges the public to take advantage of the many opportunities to weigh in. The public is encouraged to read the Commission’s public notification letter, verify interested parties are included on the Commission mailing lists, review the application posted online, ask questions of the Commission staff, submit comments, and testify at hearings. Information can be found at the Commission’s web site, http://psc.wi.gov, and at local libraries, government offices, clerks’ offices, and within the environmental review documents that will be prepared for the project.
Wis. Stats. § 196.491 describes the procedures related to the issuance of a CPCN. The general application requirements for the CPCN are described in Wis. Admin. Code ch. PSC 111. An overview of a typical application review process can be found at: http://psc.wi.gov/thelibrary/publications/electric/electric03.pdf.
Documents associated with the Highland Wind Farm application can be viewed on the PSC’s Electronic Regulatory Filing System at http://psc.wi.gov/. Type case numbers 2535-CE-100 in the boxes provided on the PSC homepage, or click on the Electronic Regulatory Filing System button.
Rep. Barca: Wind energy holds the key to rapid Wisconsin job growth
A news release issued by State Rep. Peter Barca (D-Kenosha):
Last year Wisconsin made great progress on wind energy and there was bipartisan enthusiasm for advancements in this cutting-edge industry. A wind energy bill was approved last session with a two-thirds majority in both houses – including the leaders of both parties. Organizations such as the Wisconsin Energy Business Association praised Wisconsin’s potential for success in wind energy.
We fully expected the bill would be implemented early this year and Wisconsin would begin catching up with its neighbors. Currently Iowa gets nearly 20 percent of its energy from wind, while Wisconsin generates a mere two percent of its energy supply from this renewable, local source. Minnesota and Illinois each currently produce four times as much. Other states in our region are benefiting from cheap and clean energy, huge private investments, and countless high-tech energy and construction jobs.
Wind energy creates jobs. And Wisconsin needs jobs.
When Gov. Walker took office, it was estimated that Wisconsin’s wind industry contributed between 2,000 and 3,000 direct and indirect jobs. There are 171 wind-power supply chain businesses in Wisconsin. And we are home to more than 20 manufacturing facilities that make components for the wind industry. This represents tens of millions of investment in wind-specific manufacturing infrastructure and equipment.
Inexplicably, Gov. Walker and legislative Republicans have used the rules process to cripple wind energy production in Wisconsin, leading to the cancelation of several major wind projects, which RENEW Wisconsin estimated would have produced a thousand jobs and $1.2 billion in investment.
This will also cause Wisconsin to fall further behind our neighboring states.
Democrats pushed to allow the wind siting rules to go into effect – giving more certainty to developers and allowing major wind energy projects to go forward and would have certainly created hundreds, or possibly thousands, of jobs. But Republicans refused, despite the prior bipartisan agreement last session on this issue. (more…)
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )New research shows relatively few bird and bat deaths from wind turbines
From a news release issued by Great Lakes Wind Collaborative:
New research shows relatively few bird and bat deaths from wind turbines
Mortality rates for birds flying into the turbines of Great Lakes wind farms vary, but are generally low, according to a recently completed analysis of wind energy impacts on birds, bats, fisheries and wildlife.
The report by the Great Lakes Wind Collaborative (GLWC) reviewed data from a number of wind turbine sites in the Great Lakes region and found mortality rates for songbirds ranging from 2.5 bird deaths per year per turbine at an Ontario, Canada site to 11.8 at a Wisconsin site. Additional research on raptors and waterfowl found them to be less prone to turbine collisions than songbirds, while bat mortality was very similar to songbirds, ranging from two to 11 bat deaths a year per turbine.
The report, State of the Science: An Assessment of Research on the Ecological Impacts of Wind Energy in the Great Lakes Region, was compiled from research presented at a GLWC-sponsored workshop. Wind turbine impacts on wildlife, particularly birds and bats, have figured prominently in the public discussion of wind energy and the siting of wind farms. While the information collected for the new report adds to the science of wind energy impacts, the report also identified several data gaps to be filled. Impacts of offshore wind turbines in the Great Lakes, for instance, can only be theorized as there are no offshore wind farms in the Lakes as yet.
“This compilation of the current state of knowledge is intended to give a head start to all parties dealing with these issues, and to help them make well-informed decisions in the real world,” said Steve Ugoretz, past co-chair of the GLWC Siting and Planning Workgroup.
Priorities for research going forward, as laid out by the report, include more data on the effects of wind farms on migratory corridors, establishment of ecologically defensible mortality thresholds and setbacks, and research on potential impacts from artificial reef habitat creation for offshore installations.
As more data on wind energy impacts is accumulated, according to the report, the policy issues that will emerge include such questions as: What are acceptable levels of mortality caused by a wind turbine for a particular species, and what are appropriate buffers from important ecological areas?
Said Jeff Gosse, Hydro & Wind Power Coordinator of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and co-chair of the GLWC Siting and Planning Workgroup, “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service supports the development of renewable energy, including wind power. Our objective is to ensure that such development is ecologically sustainable, with minimal impact to wildlife resources such as birds and bats, and in the case of offshore development, fish. This report is a critical milestone toward achieving that objective in the Great Lakes Region.”
The full report is available at the Great Lakes Wind Collaborative web site.
Contact: Becky Pearson, 734-971-9135, bpearson@glc.org
####
The Great Lakes Wind Collaborative is a multi-sector coalition of wind energy stakeholders working to facilitate the sustainable development of wind power in the binational Great Lakes region. For more information on the Collaborative, visit http://www.glc.org/energy/wind
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 1 so far )Wind turbine issue turns slowly
From an article by Tom content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
In Columbia County, the biggest wind farm in the state is nearly complete.
Ninety turbines are being erected by Wisconsin contractors including the Boldt Co., Edgerton Contractors and Michels Corp., in a $367 million project. On a typical day this year, about 175 workers have been on the job, pouring foundations, constructing towers and hoisting turbines and blades into place.
The activity comes despite a stalemate on wind turbine siting that wind power supporters say threatens to make the We Energies Glacier Hills Wind Park not only the largest but the last major wind farm to go up in the state.
But wind developers are expressing hope that a logjam can be broken, after recent conversations between the governor and several wind development firms.
Since this year, wind industry representatives say five companies have suspended or canceled work on projects in Wisconsin.
At issue is the Walker administration’s work to address pressure from opponents of wind farms, including the Wisconsin Realtors Association, who say that wind projects are interfering with private property rights of homeowners who live near turbines – and the effects of noise and shadow flicker from the turbines.
Gov. Scott Walker was backed by wind farm opponents in his 2010 election campaign and included a bill to restrict wind farm development in the jobs package he unveiled in his first weeks in office.
But concern about stalling all development and business for Wisconsin firms resulted in pushback against the Walker bill, which ended up being the only piece of legislation that was left to die out of the initial jobs special session.
Criticism of wind turbine siting persists, with state Sen. Frank Lasee, a possible candidate for U.S. Senate, recently unveiling a bill calling for a statewide moratorium on wind turbine construction until more research is done on the health effects of the devices.
“We met with Gov. Walker to discuss how we can work together to allow the economic benefits of wind energy to help boost Wisconsin’s economy,” said Mike Arndt, a Wisconsin native who now is vice president of Element Power, a company developing projects around the country. Arndt was one of the wind industry representatives who met with Walker two weeks ago.
Among Element’s projects is $300 million to $400 million wind farm in Manitowoc and Kewaunee counties.
The Walker administration is now sending signals that it’s seeking middle ground on the wind controversy.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Wind power amendment shot down
From an article by Mike Ivey in The Capital Times:
An effort to push forward with new rules for siting wind towers in Wisconsin has failed.
On a largely party-line 60-30 vote, the Republican-controlled Assembly on Thursday voted down an amendment that would have cleared the way for an expansion of wind generated electricity here.
The rules for siting of wind turbines were approved by the state Public Service Commission under former Gov. Jim Doyle. But implementation of those rules has been suspended under a directive from Gov. Scott Walker.
Walker and others, including Rep. Frank Lasee, R-Ledgeview,have said the rules should be reviewed again, with more consideration given to those living near wind farms. Some residents have complained of noise and visual impacts from wind turbines, which can be up to 300 feet tall.
Rep. Gary Hebl, D-Sun Prairie, had co-sponsored the wind amendment that was attached to a bill that allowed for larger trucks on Wisconsin highways, including trucks that carry equipment for electric transmission lines.
In a statement, Hebl said it was ironic that the wind amendment was shot down just as new figures showed Wisconsin lost more jobs in September.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 1 so far )PSC needs to establish firm wind rules
From an editorial in the Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter:
It is becoming increasingly difficult to gauge which way the political winds are blowing when it comes to establishing rules on siting wind farms in Wisconsin.
The state Public Service Commission isn’t close to coming up with a solution that would appease wind developers on the one hand and property owners, who claim turbines affect their health, on the other.
The Manitowoc County Board in September voted against a one-year moratorium on large wind turbine construction in the county, in effect saying it is growing impatient with the PSC.
Developers are growing increasingly impatient. Tim Polz, vice president of Midwest Wind Energy of Chicago, said his company was ready to develop a large wind farm in neighboring Calumet County but put it on hold because of the uncertainty about state siting rules. The company had spent three years and about $1 million developing the project.
“Right now, we just don’t have a path forward in Wisconsin,” Polz said. “The uncertainty is just too much now.”
Into the mix comes State Sen. Frank Lasee, R-Bellevue, who earlier this week introduced a bill that would require a statewide moratorium on future wind turbines until the PSC receives a report from the Department of Health Services regarding the health impacts on people and animals.
It is uncertain how far such a report is away, or how long it would take.
Gov. Scott Walker earlier introduced a bill to increase — from 450 feet to 1,800 feet — setbacks for wind turbines from the nearest property line.
That proposal was lauded by wind industry critics and the real estate industry, but officials in the wind industry said the governor’s proposal would ruin their business in Wisconsin.
Manitowoc County rejected in 2009 a developer’s proposal to erect a wind farm in the Mishicot area, in part because of the lack of clear rules and oversight. It is becoming a familiar scenario as the PSC continues to drag its feet.
Firm standards and rules are needed — and quickly. The longer this drags out, the more likely it becomes that local ordinances will conflict with state standards. Local lawmakers are becoming increasingly impatient with the state on this issue.
The longer we go without a firm set of rules, the less confidence local municipalities will have in the PSC’s ability to find a workable solution.
The PSC should build some measure of local control into its solution, but the agency must meet the challenge of becoming the go-to agency on the basic rules of wind tower siting.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Walker should reconsider his stance on setbacks for wind farms
From an editorial in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Wind farms in Wisconsin can lessen the state’s reliance on coal-fired power plants at the same time that they add jobs to the economy. But instead of moving forward on this economic development tool, Gov. Scott Walker’s administration is taking a step back. That’s a mistake and something Walker should rethink.
What the governor and the Legislature have done is change the rules under which wind farms are sited, seeking to put greater distance between homes and wind farms. As a result, at least two firms have announced they are canceling or suspending plans to build wind farms in Wisconsin – and that means a loss of potential jobs.
Here’s what happened: Two years ago, the Legislature called on the state Public Service Commission to establish a uniform standard for wind projects across the state. The idea was that a statewide standard was better than the patchwork of local rules and moratoriums that were in place. It was a good idea, and the PSC came up with a rule.
One of its elements was a 1,250-foot setback from a neighbor’s property line; it also would have provided decibel and shadow flicker requirements for wind farm turbines.
The setback wasn’t enough for Walker and wind farm opponents; in January, the governor introduced a bill with a 1,800-foot setback, although he said this week that his administration remains open to wind energy. Last week, a legislative committee sent the PSC’s new rule back to the PSC for more work. The concern is that wind farms will hurt property values of neighboring residents.
That’s resulted in enough uncertainty over the future of wind farms in Wisconsin that Invenergy of Chicago canceled plans to develop a wind farm near Green Bay and Midwest Wind Energy suspended development of two wind farms.
A statewide standard still needs to be set by the PSC. And the legitimate concerns of neighbors of wind farms need to be taken into account without giving too much credence to fears that are unfounded and overstated. But the standard should not be so restrictive that wind farms become impractical in Wisconsin. That takes Wisconsin out of the clean energy economy – a bad bet.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Angry anti-wind crowd intimidates town board to change vote on turbine permitting
From an article by Tony Walter in the Green Bay Press-Gazette:
GLENMORE — The Glenmore Town Board voted Monday to wait 60 days before voting on a permit request to have seven wind turbines built in the town.
In an emotion-filled meeting that at one point had Town Chairman Don Kittell call in police officers when residents began chanting and shouting, the board reversed an earlier vote to approve the permits.
Mark Dick of Cenergy, a subsidiary of Pennsylvania-based CG Power Solutions that is seeking to erect the turbines, said the board’s delay on a decision was based on emotion and opinion, not law.
“You’re asking the Town Board to violate law,” Dick told the more than 100 residents who crowded into the Glenmore Community Center. “You might as well as ask them to outlaw smoking.”
The board voted quickly at the meeting’s outset to approve the permits, with Kittell and Supervisor Kriss Schmidt supporting it and Supervisor Ron Nowak opposing it. Kittell argued that the board was simply following the law that required it to honor a conditional use permit that went into effect before the town changed its wind turbine ordinance last year.
But residents reacted angrily, chanting, “No permits,” then “change your vote,” prompting Kittell to call for police support.
“The people are trying to get out of hand,” Kittell said on his cell phone. One Wisconsin State Patrol officer and two Brown County Sheriff’s Department officers showed up 15 minutes later.
And from a story on Green Bay Fox 11 News: :
TOWN OF GLENMORE – An emotional outburst from some Brown County residents causes a town board to go against an original vote on a wind project.
The town of Glenmore board met Monday night and voted on the building permit proposed by CG Power Solutions to build seven turbines.
The board initially voted 2 to 1 in favor of the permits.
About 75 residents were at the meeting and then voiced their opinion.
After the outcry, the board chairman called for police assistance and briefly closed the meeting.
He later reopened it, and held an open forum.
Glenmore residents and officials from the wind turbine company spoke.
The board then voted to delay the vote on the permits for 60 days until it can be further reviewed by the state.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Committee set to vote on suspension of wind siting rules
From the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA):
The Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules (JCRAR) has now scheduled a special meeting on March 1st to consider suspending the PSC128 Wind Siting rule that our industry worked on in 2009-2010 that are scheduled to take effect on March 1st. If the JCRAR suspends the PSC128 rule, before it otherwise would take effect that same day, we will be back where we started two years ago on wind siting reform in Wisconsin.
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