The Heartbreak of the Horicon

In the spring of 2008 along Wisconsin's Horicon Marsh, 86 industrial wind turbines went on line. The turbines just two miles from the marsh, which is considered to be a wetland of global importance. If not for the efforts of concerned citizens, the wind developers would have put the turbines much closer. Wind developers downplay the effect of industrial scale turbines on wildlife, saying that wind energy's role in the reduction of green house gases is a fair trade for bird and bat deaths. But because wind turbines rely on fossil-fuel burning power plants in order to function, the National Academy of Sciences determined that that wind energy's impact on the reduction of CO2 emissions is negligible. Danish studies show the same conclusion. Wind energy is the only renewable resource that keeps us tied to fossil fuel and transmission lines. In the 2009 legislative session there will be a push for wind turbine siting reform. This will take away the power of our local governments to have any say about where wind turbines can be located in our communities and had this power to the PSC. There is no provision for the protection of wildlife in the Wisconsin draft model wind ordinance which the PSC supports. Visit hmsadvocates.org to find out how you can help. Visit betterplan.squarespace.com to learn more about wind turbine siting in Wisconsin.