IN has done this to municipalities over fossil fuel production. It only takes one more step to keep that local power from having a say on wind.
What was truly dissapointing, was that none of our state and federal elected officeholders would lift a finger to help us stop them. “Local Issue”, they all said.
Problem was, Big Blow rolls into town and steamrolls the rubes with big promises, “helping” the locals write the wind ordinances.
In our case, one of the commissioners was to directly benefit from leases on his family farm. He’s the only pro-wind elected official now left in the county. His term comes up next year. The rest got primaried out of a job.
Oh...BTW....they were all Republicans. But despite the families torn apart over the battle, many friends and allies were made across the political aisle in opposition to irresponsible local government.
One can only wish that those who think that wind is a good idea look at jurisdictions like yours to see what the history is... the jobs that were promised that turned out to be virtually nothing, the way that complete neighbourhoods are torn apart and people never speak to each other again, the politicians who benefit from leases, the destruction of property values.... and on and on it goes. There are some fabulous anti-wind documentaries out there that should be mandatory viewing for the people of every municipalities where wind is a threat just so they know the ride to hell they are in for. For example, your experience just sounds exactly like this.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHMIX_3EqFs This is the trailer for a documentary called Windfall by Laura Israel ….. the experience of a small town in upstate New York.
In Ontario, some folks deep in the heart of the mess in southwestern part of the province produced this and the entire documentary can be seen online http://www.dliproductions.ca/films/big-wind/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1tM-I6XKKQ Note the commonalities to the experience in New York….IWTs are a disaster wherever they are located but at least the New York experience showed some democracy in action. Not so in Ontario… it’s rammed down your throat with two choices… accept and put up with them or move and take a huge hit on your property values.