Edgar Co. (ECWd) –

A petition to the Edgar County Board has been created and is being circulated regarding the potential Wind Farm operations in Edgar County.  During a past board meeting, the board amended the WECS ordinance regarding setbacks to 3,250 feet.

We understand at least one board member is wanting to greatly reduce the setback figure from what was adopted before.

One of the most important matters for a County to consider in a WECS ordinance is property values.  We have yet to find a single location where wind farms were installed and property values were not impacted negatively.  It’s a well-established fact, the closer wind farms are to residents the greater the negative impact of one’s property value.

While we understand some are for and others are against, no matter what type of setback is established, the landowner retains the right to waive the setbacks if they want a wind farm in their backyard.  That fact supports establishing minimum setbacks of 3,250 feet.  That distance has been identified as a minimum distance to prevent the known and documented health issues created from wind turbine operations.  Considering ensuring public safety is yet another major obligation of the County Board, it appears the petition is well focused on the primary concerns of citizens living in these affected areas of the County, property values and health & safety.

For those interested in circulating the petition, a copy can be downloaded at this link. It is requested the completed petitions be mailed to:

Edgar County Wind Farm Committee
P.O. Box 33
Brocton, IL  61917

We urge the completed petitions be mailed no later than June 5, 2021, due to rumblings the County Board is rushing the WECS ordinance through for a possible vote on June 9th, 2021.

5.24.21 Wind Farm Petition (002)