Number of wind hearings ‘beyond extreme’

The first was July 5. That was more than a month before Mitt Romney chose his vice presidential running mate. Since, Romney lost the election, and President Barack Obama started his new term.

So far, the Lee County Zoning Board of Appeals has logged 60 hours of hearings for the wind farm. By comparison, Nicholas Sheley’s Whiteside County murder trial last year took about 40 hours over more than a week.

Ireland-based Mainstream Renewable Power is asking for special-use permits for 53 turbines in Lee County’s southwestern corner. The turbines would be part of a three-county wind farm.

In August, Whiteside County approved nine turbines after 4 months of hearings. Bureau County held 21 hearings from March to November, but its zoning board rejected the proposal. The company plans to submit a new application.

For previous Lee County wind farms, hearings lasted just one night.

In recent years, however, opposition to wind farms has grown. Residents object to their noise, shadow flicker and appearance. They also worry that companies will abandon turbines eventually, doing nothing to take them down.

Under the county’s procedures, every resident has the right to cross-examine witnesses and give closing statements. The witnesses have included experts on noise and wind turbines’ impact on neighboring property values.

Next week, the zoning board will hold hearings 3 nights in a row, allowing residents to give closing statements. No one is sure whether that will be enough time for all residents to speak.

The zoning board’s hearings are run by retired Whiteside County Judge Tim Slavin. He operates under the board’s procedures, which allow residents much time to question witnesses and make their cases.

One industry expert says 24 hearings for one wind farm is unusually high.

“That’s way beyond extreme, in our experience,” said Harold Prior, executive director of the Iowa Wind Energy Association. “There must be some organized opposition [in Lee County]. I can’t cite a single instance in the last 3 to 5 years that was really contentious.”