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Protesters rally against Champaign County wind turbines

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By Andrew McGinn, Staff Writer Updated 1:32 AM Sunday, December 6, 2009

URBANA — Marisue Schmidt bought six acres of Champaign County land in October to live the country life away from Springfield.

Larry Gordon was after the peace and quiet of his Mechanicsburg boyhood when he left Springfield eight years ago for 20 acres off Ohio 161.

Now they — and potentially dozens of others in Champaign County — might have to live in the shadow of 70 giant wind turbines.

They took to the sidewalks of downtown Urbana Saturday, Dec. 5, to protest the Buckeye Wind Project, a plan by the New York company Everpower to harness the county’s wind for electricity. If approved, it would be the first large-scale wind site in Ohio.

Holding signs that declared “No wind turbines,” a handful of concerned residents on Saturday had a number of reasons for their opposition.

“This is one of the most populated areas they want to put the windmills,” Schmidt said. “There’s other ways Ohio can find green energy.”

With a possible turbine on the land next to theirs, Schmidt is scared it will lower the value of their new home.

“It’s making us consider what kind of renovations we want to do with the house,” she said.

Gordon, who’s concerned about property rights, stands to have a turbine a half-mile from his house on his neighbor’s land.

“We wish the farmers would look at the contract,” he said, “and take it to a good lawyer.”

Protester Jim Cole said the turbines have “pitted people against each other. It’s neighbor vs. neighbor.”

He chose to brave a cold afternoon and mostly supportive honks from cars driving around Monument Square.

“For a long time,” Cole said, “people thought they could stay home and, with common sense, it could get resolved. It doesn’t seem to be that way anymore.”

See a photo gallery of the rally at SpringfieldNewsSun.com.

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