Yesterday, voters in Huron County, Michigan made it more difficult to add more wind turbines to the local energy grid. These are the results of the vote:
• Approval of the Filion wind overlay district for DTE Energy: failed, 36.6 percent to 63.4 percent (1,110 yes to 1,923 no)
• Approval of the Sherman/Sigel wind overlay district for NextEra Energy Resources LLC: failed, 36.67 percent to 63.33 (1,120 yes to 1,934 no)
• Approval of Lincoln Township forming its own planning commission: passed, 58.39 percent to 41.61 percent (174 yes to 124 no)
• Approval of Sand Beach Township ordinance restrictions: passed, 83.77 percent to 16.23 percent (413 yes to 80 no)
Lincoln Township forming its own planning commission will likely make it harder for wind turbines to be developed in said township, and the (noise limiting) ordinance restriction in Sand Beach Township is likely to do the same. Wind turbines DO make noise, but even normal human speech is louder than the turbine noise, even when one is near the access paths to the turbines.
Well, this sucks. Wind is quite abundant in Huron County, to the point where we can get wind storms that are capable of snapping utility poles like twigs along with causing power cables to fall to the ground.
Wind energy has also created many jobs and is a quickly expanding energy sector. Wind energy can also give royalties to land owners that have turbines on their property, providing supplemental income, which is necessary in such a rural and relatively isolated area.
Even with this setback, Huron County remains the wind capital of the State of Michigan. Still, another 29 wind turbines are scheduled to be built this year. I just wish that the power companies will try to expand wind power further as fossil fuel-fired power plants are a relic of the past and bad for human health.
Source: www.michigansthumb.com/...