County OKs wind farm
By ELENA GRIMM
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egrimm@daily-chronicle.com
DeKALB – The DeKalb County Board granted permission in a 16-4 vote Wednesday for a wind energy company to build and operate 119 turbines in western portions of the county.
The company plans to move dirt before the end of the month, and a group of neighboring landowners vehemently opposed to the wind farm say that a lawsuit may soon be filed.
NextEra Energy Resources, a subsidiary of Florida Power & Light, has proposed a total of 151 turbines for the project that straddles two counties. Of those, 119 are in unincorporated DeKalb County and in Afton, Clinton, Milan and Shabbona townships. Other turbines are proposed for Lee County and the village of Shabbona, both of which have approved them, and for the village of Lee, which is scheduled to act on the proposal in July.
“This is the major hurdle to overcome,” NextEra Project Manager Anthony Pedroni said after the meeting. Asked whether litigation may delay the project, he said that with 145 turbines now permitted, the company plans to keep on schedule.
About 150 people attended the meeting in the 950-seat Carl Sandburg Auditorium at Northern Illinois University’s student center, a venue chosen in anticipation of a large crowd because of the wind farm decision.
Voting against the project were John Gudmunson, R-Somonauk; Scott Newport, R-DeKalb; Riley Oncken, R-Sycamore; and Mark Todd, R-Waterman.
Jeff Metzger, R-Sandwich, abstained from voting because of a possible conflict of interest, he said, and three members – Marlene Allen, R-Sandwich; Pat LaVigne, R-DeKalb; and Michael Stuckert, R-Sycamore – were absent.
Newport said his opposition stemmed from the proposal not meeting the essential service clause of the zoning ordinance for agricultural zones.
“Absolutely electricity is essential,” he said. “Is wind energy from turbines essential? Based on testimony of the applicant, when wind is less than 10 to 15 mph, these turbines don’t operate. To me that’s hardly an essential service.”
Paul Stoddard, D-DeKalb, said that after weighing the pros and cons, he favored the wind farm because of the economic boost it may provide the county.
“Unfortunately we’re asking a few homeowners to bear the brunt of this,” he said. “I know that’s not fair ... but we have to remember the greater good of the county.”
And Oncken told the audience that he had wavered back and forth but finally voted no because “if I had that many doubts in my mind, it must not be the right thing to do.”
The company submitted its proposal in early January, and a February public hearing was postponed because the venue was too small.
Rescheduled to March, the hearing lasted nearly 19 hours, and hearing officer David Dockus recommended the committee not approve the permit because of several concerns. NextEra submitted supplemental information to address the concerns, and Dockus recommended approval after a two-day hearing May 11 and 12.
Among the 36 conditions tied to the special use permit are a bond to decommission turbines, a guarantee to offset additional costs for crop spraying, setbacks from structures and property lines, an arbitration process and a property value guarantee.
Several conditions were amended Wednesday to increase the letter of credit amount, limit nighttime construction activity and remove more concrete from soil during the decommissioning process.
Recently added to the conditions is that NextEra will pay for legal counsel to represent the county should a lawsuit ensue.
Mel Hass, chairman of Citizens for Open Government, a group of about 50 neighboring landowners opposed to the wind farm, said following the meeting that they met with their attorney, Rick Porter, Wednesday morning and “he believes we have a very good case” against the county’s application of its zoning ordinance.
“If we have a zoning ordinance in place, by God, that has to be respected,” Hass said.
Before a decision to sue NextEra or the county is made, Hass said that the group needs to meet to assess their level of commitment, as it may be a long, financially demanding process.
What’s next?
NextEra must obtain building permits for each tower, and the site plan with drainage and storm water specifications must be approved, County Planner Paul Miller said. Before that, letters of credit must be issued and a county roads agreement must be approved.
