Save Wisconsin from Predatory Corporate Wind
The Issue
Renewable energy is the future but not in the footprint of the wasteful and profit driven corporate energy industry. The “Uplands” wind project by the foreign-owned multinational energy corporation Pattern Energy wants to construct 172 wind turbines in rural Southwest Wisconsin due to Wisconsin’s lax corporate energy regulations (the neglectful regulations has attracted a lawsuit against the state by the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA)). The energy generated by “Uplands” will be transmitted hundreds of miles to large regional energy grids for a corporate profit while locals in Wisconsin pay the price. Not only will the 650 foot tall turbines (that’s twice the size of the Statue of Liberty) exporting energy dominate our farmlands in Iowa and Lafayette counties, we will have no input as a community to their individual locations. This turbine project will negatively affect property values, tourism, wildlife, and aesthetics over 250 square miles and will be visible from Madison to the bluffs of the Mississippi River.
Sign this petition to show your opposition to this project. The petition will be presented to the Iowa County Board, Lafayette County Board, PSC, and Governor Evers.
Wind Energy is great! Are you sure?
Although renewable energy is an important step in a harmonious evolution with nature, large scale projects run by giant corporations are not the appropriate means to achieve reduced CO2 emissions. There are less expensive and less obtrusive solutions available today without destroying our communities in the process.
Our state and federal governments are paying our tax dollars to these corporations to set up wind turbines in the form of renewable energy tax credits. Taking cost out of the equation, they can afford to build where the wind otherwise does not make sense; Wisconsin is not windy in comparison to other regions and long winter months can influence the efficiency of the system. These projects serve one objective: keep us dependent on large energy infrastructure, which in turn keeps corporate electricity rich. How well did large corporate energy infrastructure serve Texas this winter? Don’t we want to transition away from large energy infrastructure, with its network and weather vulnerabilities, as we make the transition to renewables?
According to the WindExchange website, facilitated by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, it is more economically beneficial to support community-based small sized wind projects (with local investors, locally transmitted energy) than corporate multinational wind projects. Please see the table in the header for comparing large wind projects with local renewable incentives. What will you gain from a large wind project?
Lives and Wealth of Neighbors Ruined Forever!
According to Michael McCann’s literature review of multiple real estate surveys, real estate values including land, residential, and business, fall 15-45% in the vicinity of wind turbines. The closer a property is to the turbines, the more drastic the decrease in property value. For our community, the “Uplands” wind project will devalue properties in a 250 square mile area. Economic downturn of Iowa and Lafayette counties is inevitable under this project. Who wants to live next to 172 wind turbines, each 650 feet tall?
Health Concerns are Legitimate!
The wind turbine blades produce subsonic air concussions, audible to humans and animals. Light flickering from the blades turning in sunlight creates strobe-like flashes. Nausea, dizziness, headaches, and sleep disturbance are commonly reported symptoms from people living near large turbines.
The audible vibrations will affect cattle and wildlife. Deer, wolves, turkeys may flee the area, as well as smaller creatures. No more hunting season for Iowa and Lafayette counties?
Who gives permission?
The Public Service Commission (PSC) of Wisconsin is a board of three non-elected members who decides if a large power project like “Uplands” can be implemented in our state. Currently the PSC has wind ordinances for “small wind” but no ordinances for “large wind” (defined as over 100 kilowatts per turbine, or above 300 kilowatts of total installed capacity).
The Pattern “Uplands” wind project is automatically going beyond all laws, as it is a large project with 3 megawatts (3000 kilowatts) per turbine. As the PSC has no ordinances for this large-scale project, Pattern will have to apply under the Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (Wis. Stat. 196.491). Ironically, this statute does not require a wholesale merchant, like Pattern, to “satisfy the reasonable needs of the public for an adequate supply of electric energy.” (Wis. Stat. 196.491(3)(d)2.) Factors like this allow the ‘Green Energy’ consortiums to sidestep even the current lax system of checks and balances protecting the public at large.
Secrecy Behind the Project:
Pattern Energy Group is not legally required to inform or discuss with the local community about their project, and have not yet done so. The secrecy in their method of gaining signed contracts with a few farmers is predatory: going quietly door to door, chatting with landowners individually, and signing contracts over kitchen tables. Many farmers and landowners have not had to consider the effects of their signature on their uncompensated neighbors’ interests. The 60 page contracts are written in a way that once signed the electric company has free reign of turbine placement and necessary easements for the next 40 years. Landowners give up the right to determine where turbines, wide access roads, and electrical lines will be located on their property. Neighbors will not be informed of pending hardships, and they will not be compensated for the adverse affects the large turbines will impose on them.
Local Politicians Surrendered Already?
Iowa and Lafayette counties do not have adequate wind ordinances that protect its residents from these large-scale projects. Iowa county currently does not have ordinances that address health protections, public information meetings, analysis of the economic impact these projects will have on our community, or secured bonds to cover decommissioning of the turbines if the company goes bankrupt (company not required to take them down or remove the massive concrete foundation). We are the perfect target for large corporations to take advantage.
County boards have a zoning committee which authorizes where you can put your driveways or build a garage, but somehow these large international energy corporations (that are NOT part of the public utility) are above the laws that apply to the rest of us. Our local regulators currently have limited power to regulate corporate energy. But even more disappointing is what power they do have, they have repeatedly decided not to use. Why don’t our regulators want to update wind ordinances that would meet the minimum standards of the PSC 128 regulation on small wind projects? Currently we are not even protected to the full extent of Wisconsin law in Iowa County leaving us vulnerable to lose our self-determination, our land value, tourism, landscape and future generation’s prospects.
Since the general knowledge of the “Uplands” project from August 2020, the Iowa county board has delayed the update of its wind ordinances, nor have they scheduled public sustainability discussion sessions for what we want as a community. Despite public comments at county board meetings asking board members to update the ordinances, the board has not yet put it on the agenda. If Pattern Energy submits its application to the PSC with our current ordinance in place we will not have the opportunity to update our ordinance with respect to their project.
What do we want?
We want the Iowa County Board and State Legislators to create regulations that will stop predatory corporations and vulture capitalists taking advantage of our rural community.
We want the “Uplands” Wind Project and those like it to stop preying on local farmers and local landowners in the name of corporate profits; individually approaching them across their kitchen tables to sign contracts before a project is publicly announced allows it to take form without public discourse, taking advantage of a process that intentionally keeps communities ignorant. We are a vulnerable target because at a county and state level there is absence of large wind regulation protecting the local community’s interests. The way the laws are currently written, the communities affected by corporate energy projects have no recourse even if the project is not providing local energy nor in their best interest. Our local zoning regulations don’t apply to these giant corporations and their 650 foot towers! We feel this is wrong and need your signature to show Wisconsin politicians that you are not okay with putting corporate energy interests above those of Wisconsinites.
We want the Iowa County Board to engage in public sustainability discussion sessions with the residents of Iowa County. We want to discuss alternative energy options that are community based, that will actually serve and benefit our community.
Please Help
Please sign this petition, which will be presented to the Iowa, Lafayette county boards, PSC and Governor Evers. This petition will help show how many people in the area are against this large corporate project.
Please call on your local representatives, PSC and Wisconsin Governor to update the old ordinances that do not adequately protect our community.
Join county board meetings virtually to show your interest and demand community involvement.
If you like wind energy, please support community owned small-scale projects and not multinational corporations.
Who are We?
We are your concerned friends and neighbors who care deeply about our community. This is not sponsored by any entity looking to capitalize on the lax oversight by our local and state governments.
The Issue
Renewable energy is the future but not in the footprint of the wasteful and profit driven corporate energy industry. The “Uplands” wind project by the foreign-owned multinational energy corporation Pattern Energy wants to construct 172 wind turbines in rural Southwest Wisconsin due to Wisconsin’s lax corporate energy regulations (the neglectful regulations has attracted a lawsuit against the state by the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA)). The energy generated by “Uplands” will be transmitted hundreds of miles to large regional energy grids for a corporate profit while locals in Wisconsin pay the price. Not only will the 650 foot tall turbines (that’s twice the size of the Statue of Liberty) exporting energy dominate our farmlands in Iowa and Lafayette counties, we will have no input as a community to their individual locations. This turbine project will negatively affect property values, tourism, wildlife, and aesthetics over 250 square miles and will be visible from Madison to the bluffs of the Mississippi River.
Sign this petition to show your opposition to this project. The petition will be presented to the Iowa County Board, Lafayette County Board, PSC, and Governor Evers.
Wind Energy is great! Are you sure?
Although renewable energy is an important step in a harmonious evolution with nature, large scale projects run by giant corporations are not the appropriate means to achieve reduced CO2 emissions. There are less expensive and less obtrusive solutions available today without destroying our communities in the process.
Our state and federal governments are paying our tax dollars to these corporations to set up wind turbines in the form of renewable energy tax credits. Taking cost out of the equation, they can afford to build where the wind otherwise does not make sense; Wisconsin is not windy in comparison to other regions and long winter months can influence the efficiency of the system. These projects serve one objective: keep us dependent on large energy infrastructure, which in turn keeps corporate electricity rich. How well did large corporate energy infrastructure serve Texas this winter? Don’t we want to transition away from large energy infrastructure, with its network and weather vulnerabilities, as we make the transition to renewables?
According to the WindExchange website, facilitated by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, it is more economically beneficial to support community-based small sized wind projects (with local investors, locally transmitted energy) than corporate multinational wind projects. Please see the table in the header for comparing large wind projects with local renewable incentives. What will you gain from a large wind project?
Lives and Wealth of Neighbors Ruined Forever!
According to Michael McCann’s literature review of multiple real estate surveys, real estate values including land, residential, and business, fall 15-45% in the vicinity of wind turbines. The closer a property is to the turbines, the more drastic the decrease in property value. For our community, the “Uplands” wind project will devalue properties in a 250 square mile area. Economic downturn of Iowa and Lafayette counties is inevitable under this project. Who wants to live next to 172 wind turbines, each 650 feet tall?
Health Concerns are Legitimate!
The wind turbine blades produce subsonic air concussions, audible to humans and animals. Light flickering from the blades turning in sunlight creates strobe-like flashes. Nausea, dizziness, headaches, and sleep disturbance are commonly reported symptoms from people living near large turbines.
The audible vibrations will affect cattle and wildlife. Deer, wolves, turkeys may flee the area, as well as smaller creatures. No more hunting season for Iowa and Lafayette counties?
Who gives permission?
The Public Service Commission (PSC) of Wisconsin is a board of three non-elected members who decides if a large power project like “Uplands” can be implemented in our state. Currently the PSC has wind ordinances for “small wind” but no ordinances for “large wind” (defined as over 100 kilowatts per turbine, or above 300 kilowatts of total installed capacity).
The Pattern “Uplands” wind project is automatically going beyond all laws, as it is a large project with 3 megawatts (3000 kilowatts) per turbine. As the PSC has no ordinances for this large-scale project, Pattern will have to apply under the Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (Wis. Stat. 196.491). Ironically, this statute does not require a wholesale merchant, like Pattern, to “satisfy the reasonable needs of the public for an adequate supply of electric energy.” (Wis. Stat. 196.491(3)(d)2.) Factors like this allow the ‘Green Energy’ consortiums to sidestep even the current lax system of checks and balances protecting the public at large.
Secrecy Behind the Project:
Pattern Energy Group is not legally required to inform or discuss with the local community about their project, and have not yet done so. The secrecy in their method of gaining signed contracts with a few farmers is predatory: going quietly door to door, chatting with landowners individually, and signing contracts over kitchen tables. Many farmers and landowners have not had to consider the effects of their signature on their uncompensated neighbors’ interests. The 60 page contracts are written in a way that once signed the electric company has free reign of turbine placement and necessary easements for the next 40 years. Landowners give up the right to determine where turbines, wide access roads, and electrical lines will be located on their property. Neighbors will not be informed of pending hardships, and they will not be compensated for the adverse affects the large turbines will impose on them.
Local Politicians Surrendered Already?
Iowa and Lafayette counties do not have adequate wind ordinances that protect its residents from these large-scale projects. Iowa county currently does not have ordinances that address health protections, public information meetings, analysis of the economic impact these projects will have on our community, or secured bonds to cover decommissioning of the turbines if the company goes bankrupt (company not required to take them down or remove the massive concrete foundation). We are the perfect target for large corporations to take advantage.
County boards have a zoning committee which authorizes where you can put your driveways or build a garage, but somehow these large international energy corporations (that are NOT part of the public utility) are above the laws that apply to the rest of us. Our local regulators currently have limited power to regulate corporate energy. But even more disappointing is what power they do have, they have repeatedly decided not to use. Why don’t our regulators want to update wind ordinances that would meet the minimum standards of the PSC 128 regulation on small wind projects? Currently we are not even protected to the full extent of Wisconsin law in Iowa County leaving us vulnerable to lose our self-determination, our land value, tourism, landscape and future generation’s prospects.
Since the general knowledge of the “Uplands” project from August 2020, the Iowa county board has delayed the update of its wind ordinances, nor have they scheduled public sustainability discussion sessions for what we want as a community. Despite public comments at county board meetings asking board members to update the ordinances, the board has not yet put it on the agenda. If Pattern Energy submits its application to the PSC with our current ordinance in place we will not have the opportunity to update our ordinance with respect to their project.
What do we want?
We want the Iowa County Board and State Legislators to create regulations that will stop predatory corporations and vulture capitalists taking advantage of our rural community.
We want the “Uplands” Wind Project and those like it to stop preying on local farmers and local landowners in the name of corporate profits; individually approaching them across their kitchen tables to sign contracts before a project is publicly announced allows it to take form without public discourse, taking advantage of a process that intentionally keeps communities ignorant. We are a vulnerable target because at a county and state level there is absence of large wind regulation protecting the local community’s interests. The way the laws are currently written, the communities affected by corporate energy projects have no recourse even if the project is not providing local energy nor in their best interest. Our local zoning regulations don’t apply to these giant corporations and their 650 foot towers! We feel this is wrong and need your signature to show Wisconsin politicians that you are not okay with putting corporate energy interests above those of Wisconsinites.
We want the Iowa County Board to engage in public sustainability discussion sessions with the residents of Iowa County. We want to discuss alternative energy options that are community based, that will actually serve and benefit our community.
Please Help
Please sign this petition, which will be presented to the Iowa, Lafayette county boards, PSC and Governor Evers. This petition will help show how many people in the area are against this large corporate project.
Please call on your local representatives, PSC and Wisconsin Governor to update the old ordinances that do not adequately protect our community.
Join county board meetings virtually to show your interest and demand community involvement.
If you like wind energy, please support community owned small-scale projects and not multinational corporations.
Who are We?
We are your concerned friends and neighbors who care deeply about our community. This is not sponsored by any entity looking to capitalize on the lax oversight by our local and state governments.
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on 2 March 2021