The future of wind farms in Wisconsin: Left blowing in the breeze

Ryan Schryver

Despite the overwhelming support for wind energy in Wisconsin and the urgent need to address global warming, the State Legislature failed to pass legislation this session that would remove several major barriers to building more wind power in the state.

Clean Wisconsin was proud to help lead a diverse coalition of businesses, labor organizations, farming and agricultural advocates, local governments, consumer protection organizations, public utilities and environmental groups to support legislation that would reform the current system for siting and permitting smaller wind developments in Wisconsin.

The proposed legislation, (SB 544) Wisconsin's Sensible Wind Siting Reform Bill, would have helped to simplify the complicated patchwork of local ordinances that wind developers are currently forced to navigate when trying to receive permits for smaller wind farms. The bill would have created a stakeholder group to develop statewide standards for local units of government to use when considering proposals for wind developments in their jurisdiction.

Opponents to wind energy developments have tied the hands of wind developers by successfully changing local laws to ensure wind turbines can not be built in their area. This system of overly restrictive local ordinances has brought the construction of wind farms in Wisconsin to a screeching halt.

Currently Wisconsin's law requires that public utilities provide 10% of their power from renewable resources by 2015. If we are to meet that target, we have to fully utilize clean, safe and affordable renewable energy sources like wind power. The current standards for siting and permitting wind farms are part of a broken system. Without the Sensible Wind Siting Reform Bill we may not be able to meet our current renewable energy goals.

As part of our efforts to move Wisconsin towards a clean energy future, Clean Wisconsin will make passing the Sensible Wind Siting Reform Bill a top priority for the next legislative session, but we'll need your help to keep the heat on our legislators and ensure the bills speedy approval.