A push from Milwaukee-based wind farm developer Half Moon Power for the opportunity to increase the number of wind turbines at a proposed wind farm in the Eastern Upper Peninsula is prompting Rudyard Township to consider changes to its wind turbine ordinance. The most common concerns residents have with a potential wind farm development in the area are turbine setbacks, noise levels, and shadow flicker. Many residents are concerned that these problems will be too much of an inconvenience and, in some cases, be detrimental to public health, while others argue that if adequate guidelines are in place, those concerns will take care of themselves.

The Rudyard Township Planning Commission took comments from residents about the issue at a public hearing Tuesday, October 27, at the township community center. About 75 people attended the hearing, 25 of whom addressed the commission, 12 in favor of the development and 13 against. The planning commission is discussing potential changes to setbacks to adjacent properties, turbine noise level, and shadow flicker from rotating turbine blades. The definitions of participating and non-participating property owners with, or adjacent to, properties with turbines is also being considered.

Half Moon Power is proposing to build 20 to 40 turbines in the first phase to generate between 40 and 80 megawatts of power each. Company CEO Mike Hastings said about 80 parcels, each 80 to 100 acres, are being eyed for turbine development and that the project could become as large as 20,000 acres. The wind developer is eyeing properties southeast of town on both sides of I-75 between 18-Mile Road and 24-mile Road.

Rudyard planning commissioners will take into consideration and discuss comments made at the public hearing during its next regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday, February 23, 2010. The commission will then recommend to the Rudyard Township Board of Trustees any changes it wants to see made to the ordinance, enacted in 2008.

Said Commissioner Bruce Berkompas: "I'm in favor of the setbacks to protect the participating owners. As long as we can regulate them, I don't have any problem with them coming in."

Linda English, who owns property on M-48 in the proposed wind corridor, said people living near wind turbines are known to have headaches, earaches, become dizzy, lightheaded, disoriented, and lose concentration. She suffers from an inner-ear condition called Meniere's disease, which often causes intense headaches, and said the constant shadow flicker and noise from a nearby turbine would likely make those headaches more frequent.

"With all the research I have done on the inner ear and how it will be affected by windmills, I know that my odds are not good for staying in my home if one is close by," she said. "I moved here with my husband in 1987 and told him that my next move would be six feet under. I don't want to have to eat those words, but it depends on how things are voted on. . . . One's health has to come first."

Mike Kowalski, who is hoping to lease some of his land on Hantz Road for wind farm development, said he's willing to make setback concessions to keep his neighbors happy.

"We have to protect our neighbors. If we need setbacks further to protect our neighbors, then maybe we're going to have to do that," he said. "I'm not trying to make anybody sick."

Perry Ross, who lives on Mackinac Trail, said that if current turbine setbacks are increased, shadow flicker and noise complaints will not exist. The current ordinance states that turbine setbacks be at least one-and-a-half times the total turbine height from property lines of participating properties, public roads, and power lines. Turbines are also to be at least 1,000 feet away from nonparticipating properties, unless that property owner grants an easement for a lesser setback.

Proposed changes to the ordinance would eliminate setback requirements for adjacent participating properties and reduce setbacks to public roads and power lines to 1.1-times the turbine total height, with the goal of allowing wind farm developers to erect as many turbines on a parcel as possible.

"Setbacks, noise, and flicker are my biggest concerns. If the setbacks are right, we won't have noise problems and we won't have flicker problems," Mr. Ross said. "If we're going to amend [the ordinance], let's amend it right."

Participating properties are defined in the ordinance as those with turbines adjacent to other properties in the same wind farm development, while non-participating properties are defined as those having turbines in a different wind farm development or having no turbines at all. The proposed change to the ordinance would make all properties with turbines participating properties, regardless of which company leases the land for turbine development, again with the goal of erecting more turbines.

The ordinance also states turbines cannot generate more than 55 decibels of sound at the closest property line, unless neighboring property owners give their consent. The proposed change is to extend that distance to the nearest dwelling for participating properties.

Meta Welcher, who lives on Meadow Lane, opposes the change. She said people move to Rudyard for its small-town atmosphere and that noise produced by wind turbines will deter people from moving to town.

"Quietness is an important part of the community character, which led people to build and live in rural areas. I don't know anybody that has moved up here from the big city to find some noise. They're usually trying to get peace and quiet," she said.

Mark Howland, who lives on Howland Row, has traveled to areas that have wind turbines and said they are very quiet.

"Normal conversation is 60" decibels, he said. "My experience with turbines and standing underneath these big ones, I really didn't hear any noise."

The turbine developer is about halfway through a two-year feasibility study.

Mr. Hastings said hundreds of jobs would be created to construct the wind farm, with about 10% to 40% being local workers. A permanent maintenance facility would also be constructed near the site, creating five to 15 permanent jobs.