In just a few days we’ve collected 1563 signatures on our petition – thank you for your support! Please continue to share the petition on social media as much as possible to gather more signatures.
Xcel is supposed to submit the solar farm/transmission line application to the WI Public Service Commission (“WIPSC”) and the WIDNR in January. In 2025, there will eventually be a public comment portion of the application review and during that time we will deliver our petition and hopefully all supporters will show up to respectfully and professionally voice our opposition.
Until the WIPSC public comment period mentioned above, all impacted towns/villages and St. Croix County should be having board and planning meetings in December. Once those meetings are scheduled, please plan to show up to professionally and respectfully voice your opposition to the solar farm. Please also consider emailing your town board/planning commission members and St. Croix County officials (see email list below) to professionally and respectfully voice your concerns.
Please note that Wisconsin currently has TERRIBLE laws that take nearly all the control out of the hands of local towns/villages and counties to regulate solar farms and give nearly all the control to the WIPSC and WIDNR. Local municipalities can generally only regulate solar farms if such regulation serves to preserve or protect public health or safety (see §66.0401 below).
This means that supports should focus on the health and safety impacts of the solar farm when communicating with town/village/county officials. We want to stop the entire solar farm project and if that’s not possible, we want to move the solar farm out and far away from residential housing developments and individual houses. Common health and safety concerns with solar farms can include things like stray voltage, exposure to electromagnetic fields, exposure to low frequency noise, water well pollution, run off pollution of lakes/rivers/streams, excessive sun glare, exposure to constant machine/vegetation cutting noise, exposure to caustic chemicals (used to kill vegetation), etc.
§66.0401
(1m) Authority to restrict systems limited. No political subdivision may place any restriction, either directly or in effect, on the installation or use of a wind energy system that is more restrictive than the rules promulgated by the commission under s. 196.378 (4g) (b). No political subdivision may place any restriction, either directly or in effect, on the installation or use of a solar energy system, as defined in s. 13.48 (2) (h) 1. g., or a wind energy system, unless the restriction satisfies one of the following conditions:
(a) Serves to preserve or protect the public health or safety.
(b) Does not significantly increase the cost of the system or significantly decrease its efficiency.
(c) Allows for an alternative system of comparable cost and efficiency.
LIST OF LOCAL AND ST. CROIX COUNTY DEPARTMENTS AND COMMITTEES & BUSINESS CONTACT INFORMATION
St. Croix County Community Development Committee
o Chair – Shawn Anderson
Email: shawn.anderson@sccwi.gov
o Vice Chair-Scott Counter
Email: scott.counter@sccwi.gov
o Supervisor-Jerry VanSomeren
Email: jerry.vansomeren@sccwi.gov
o Supervisor-Kerry Reis
Email: kerry.reis@sccwi.gov
o Supervisor-Ryan Sherley
Email: ryan.sherley@sccwi.gov
o Dick Hesselink
Email: dick.hesselink@sccwi.gov
St. Croix County Community Development (Operates under supervision from the Community Development Committee)
o General Email: cdd@sccwi.gov
o General Phone Number: 715-386-4680
Jason Kjeseth Director of Community Development
Jason.kjeseth@sccwi.gov
--Business Phone Number: 715-386-4673
St. Croix County Supervisors Assigned to some of the Impacted Areas
o Mike Barcalow - Hammond Township & Village of Hammond
Email: mike.barcalow@sccwi.gov
o Bob Long - Town of Richmond
Email: bob.long@sccwi.gov
o Tim Ramberg – Baldwin
Email: tim.ramberg@sccwi.gov
o Greg Tellijohn -Erin Prairie
Email: greg.tellijohn@sccwi.gov
o Bob Swanepoel – Emerald
Email: bob.swanepoel@sccwi.go