Dear Editor,
Clinton County’s current draft ordinance has been thoroughly considered and recommended by the Planning and Zoning Commission. Certain protective setbacks have been recently targeted by wind proponents from outside the County and of course, a certain wind company’s legal representation. In 2019, Republic Wind attempted to bully their way into Seneca and Sandusky Counties, Ohio with 590 ft tall turbines and ultimately, the Ohio Power Siting Board denied the application. The board’s decision was based on several factors, including significant public opposition from local residents and governments, as well as concerns about the potential impact of the project on underground karst rock formations and their potential effects on groundwater. In the public documentation, there are unredacted pages from the Safety Manual for Nordex, a wind turbine manufacturer, where it states that during a thunderstorm, “A WT (wind turbine) is at high risk from lightning strikes…. Leave the wind farm. Wait in a vehicle at a safe distance from the WT – approx. 1 km – until the thunderstorm has passed.” 1 kilometer = 3,280 feet. Clinton County landowners do not have the luxury of leaving their homes, their land, and their livelihood behind every thunderstorm that blows through. The safety setbacks determined by a wind turbine manufacturer should be the setback distance from a nonparticipating landowner’s property because they have already considered the risks and are protective. Clinton County has a weaker setback currently in place, so please consider contacting the Supervisors to strengthen it as we are supposed to be updating this ordinance. Finally, in a public work session, a representative of the wind developer NextEra Energy admitted that they prefer to work with each county’s setbacks required in their zoning ordinances, rather than adhering to their own manufacturer’s safety guidelines. When asked to provide this information, they stonewalled the County leadership and said they couldn’t provide this due to intellectual property rights issues. Well, when you buy a lawn mower, they always send you home with the manual.
Jenn Kutsch (The Don Quixote Society) Delmar, IA
