To the Editor:
A recent article in the Farm Forum magazine (Feb. 20, 2020) about wind parks revealed how landowners are treated with respect when the landowner doesn’t have a wind tower but live close to one. He receives a “good neighbor payment” of several thousand dollars per year. This is taking place in Kansas and Michigan.
North of Avon, there are several landowners who live close to the neighbor’s tower but don’t receive any money.
When promoters (investors) talked landowners into signing easements most trusted that they would be treated in a fair and respectful manner. The strategy of big wind is to have local people who most people trust to get landowners to sign an easement which is impossible to void. And now we find those investors had one goal; to get the park built so they would get their investment back at the expense of local land owners. Very disappointing.
If you go to the intersection of Hwy 46-37 and look northwest you will see a large area that doesn’t have any wind towers, this is a 12 square mile federal Waterfowl Production Area. At the west end is an eagle nest which has a two mile setback for a wind tower. The Federal Government cares about ducks, geese and eagles, but not people.
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Our County Commissioners approved a 1,000 foot setback from a neighbor’s house. Very disappointing.
These types of actions are why I will be running for county commission.
Ed Van Gerpen
Avon
