Wind farm regulation a positive step

From an editorial in the Manitowoc Herald Tribune Reporter:

Regulating small wind farms in Wisconsin often is akin to holding a jury trial without a judge.

Wind farm developers and municipalities argue their respective cases without anyone to referee the inevitable disputes that arise. That soon could change.

Gov. Jim Doyle Wednesday signed a Democratic-authored bill that calls for the state Public Service Commission to set restrictions on wind farms that produce less than 100 megawatts of electricity.

Developers, including one here in Manitowoc County, complain that a patchwork of local ordinances has made it nearly impossible to build small wind farms in the state. Wednesday's bill signing will clear the way for the PSC to develop the uniform regulations advocates of the legislation say are long overdue.

They claim it will bring more wind energy projects and help Wisconsin reach a goal of meeting 10 percent of its energy needs from sources other than coal- or gas-fired power plants by 2015.

Opponents say the economic impact of wind farms is overestimated and that the state doesn't need more windmills dotting the landscape.

Wind power is one of the waves of the energy future, however, and uniform rules to govern the industry are welcome.