Riga wind energy ordinance finalized
In a special meeting last Wednesday night at the Blissfield American Legion, the Riga Township board finalized language on a zoning ordinance amendment regulating the development of industrial wind energy in Riga Township. There were cheers and applause from many in the audience when the board approved the ordinance proposed by the Riga planning commission with an additional restriction.
The hot-button issues were sound level and setback, or the minimum distance between an industrial wind turbine and a residence. The ordinance calls for sound levels no higher than 45 decibels at the property line of a nonparticipating parcel.
With regards to setback, the ordinance requires that wind turbines be sited a distance at least four times their total height from the property line of a resident who has not signed an easement agreement with the developer. The Vestas V100 turbines that partners Exelon Wind and Great Lakes Wind hope to install in Riga Township would require a setback of about 1,970 feet – a significantly greater distance than the 1,320-foot setback proposed by developers, as well as the state guideline of 1.5 times the total height of a wind turbine.
The ordinance also requires that developers submit conditional use permits before erecting wind turbines, along with information regarding the equipment, the property to be developed, and the construction process. Developers must also provide equipment emergency response plans; analyses of the impact of sound produced by wind turbines and “shadow flicker,” or the strobe-like effect that sometimes occurs when rotating turbine blades pass between the viewer and the sun; details on the potential impact to the environment and signal reception; and other information.
The stated purpose of the ordinance is to “obtain an appropriate balance between the need for clean, renewable energy resources and the need to protect the public health, safety, and welfare of the community.”
Representatives of Exelon Wind and developer Juwi, however, say the ordinance would entirely prevent the development of industrial wind energy facilities in Riga.
Members of the Interstate Informed Citizens Coalition saw the ordinance’s approval as a victory for the people of Riga and their well-being.
For James McClenathen's full story on this report, please see the July 13, 2011, edition of The Advance. This report is copyrighted by The Advance and may not be used in part or in total.
As predicted and reported the Interstate Informed Citizens Coalition Inc. members chantings and booing were to intimidate and control the meeting. Riga Supervisor Jefferee Simon has warned in past meetings and again warned the crowd that such behavior would not be tolerated. Handouts at the door of the meetings schedule also warned of zero tolerance of bad behavior. Participation from pro wind residents has dwindled as angry IICC members have intimidated local residents. IICC members gave misleading information; one example regarding IICC comments of polling of Riga residents when no such official complete poll was done or results revealed. Today I asked several of my neighbors if IICC were polling the area, none were approached. Supervisor Jefferee Simon at one point responded to irrelevant hecklers with his justification as to why he proposed amending the zoning to match recommendations from Lenawee county Commissioners. He said his mail was full of residents who support less restrictive zoning to more closely follow eight other counties. Again the meeting was far from representative of Riga residents.
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To call the citizens intimidating. Uh if I am not mistaken it was an out of town lawyer of a wind developer who attempted to intimidate the Township board with legal action if they did not change their ordinance! Geez, if not for my neighbors and others in the citizens group we would all sold down the river to corporate greed- day and night a never ending industrial rumble throughout miles and miles of otherwise peaceful countryside. Say goodbye to your idyllic peaceful country life. Oh and that house you have been paying on for so long, only a few years to go on the mortgage, well forget about your hard work and all the equity you have built, big corporate america wants to take it all from you. You will be lucky to give your house away a thousand feet from a 500 foot tower with whirring blades. What is so disturbing is how this all came about, all sneaky with closed lip land deals, no one talking to their neighbors about it first. This has created a breakdown of trust in this community, we need to heal and stop being blinded by greed, it is poisoning everything, and will only get much worse if allowed to continue.