AUBURN — An increase in setback distances for wind turbines won the endorsement of the DeKalb County Plan Commission in a meeting Wednesday night at the courthouse.
The commission voted 7-0 to recommend increasing the setback to 1,300 feet from a property line, up from the existing standard of 400 feet.
The favorable recommendation goes back to the DeKalb County Commissioners, who proposed the 1,300-foot rule and sent it to the Plan Commission for approval or rejection. County Commissioners get the final vote, which could come Monday at 9:30 a.m. in the courthouse.
But Plan Commission members said they would like to see even greater setback distances in some cases. By another 7-0 vote, they suggested the County Commissioners should establish the setback at 1,300 feet or a wind turbine manufacturer’s recommended safety distance, whichever is greater.
Plan Commission member Mike Kline said some manufacturer safety manuals suggest staying back 500 meters (1,640 feet) or more from a wind turbine in case of a fire or malfunction such as falling parts.
“I think the public should have the same protection that the companies give their employees and technicians,” Kline said.
“I’m not interested in protecting somebody that lives in Spain. I’m interested in protecting the people of DeKalb County,” Kline added later, referring to Spanish investors who had expressed interest in building a wind farm in DeKalb County.
Kline said if the county bases its setback distances on manufacturer safety manuals, “We have a reason for it. We’re not just picking things out of the air.” He added, “I’m an engineer. I want facts and I want figures. I don’t want somebody’s guesses.”
Zoning administrator Clint Knauer said he opposes the 1,300-foot setback because it is an arbitrary number. He said County Commissioners based the distance on a magazine article that said it is an industry standard.
Knauer said the county “better have a good reason why” it would adopt a 1,300-foot setback that makes wind farms virtually impossible in DeKalb County.
Knauer referred to a study that shows only three small sites in the Butler area where a wind turbine could be placed under a 1,300-foot setback rule.
An audience of about 20 people attended Wednesday’s meeting. During a period for public comment, only one person spoke.
Pat Hess, an attorney representing Concerned Citizens of DeKalb County Inc., said the group favors the 1,300-foot setback distance. The Concerned Citizens group opposes placing a wind farm in the county and sponsors a billboard on U.S. 6 with the message, “Just say no.”
“Your County Commissioners thought about this pretty hard. They seemed steadfast on the issue of public health and safety,” Hess said about the proposed setback increase.
The setback rule also applies to roads, railroad rights-of-way and power lines, in addition to property lines.
During discussion of the proposed setback, Knauer read a letter from DeKalb County Health officer Dr. Mark Souder. It said from its research, the DeKalb County Health Department has concluded “there continues to be no scientific evidence to positively link wind turbines with adverse health effects.”