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Wind turbine hearing postponed

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Marshall Gorby/About 50 area residents toured a small wind farm in Bowling Green on Wednesday, Oct. 21. The tour was organized for the Champaign County Farm Bureau.

By Matt Sanctis, Staff Writer Updated 12:41 PM Thursday, October 22, 2009

URBANA — A hearing for a proposed turbine project in Champaign County has been rescheduled for next month, according to documents filed with the Ohio Power Siting Board this week.

The adjudicatory hearing for the Buckeye Wind Project was initially scheduled for Oct. 27. It is now scheduled for on Monday, Nov. 9. The hearing will allow parties involved in the project to present testimony to members of the OPSB.

The Buckeye Wind Project, proposed by Everpower Renewables, includes a proposal to build about 70 wind turbines in six townships in Champaign County.

A separate local public hearing is still scheduled for Oct. 28 at Triad High School, 8099 Brush Lake Road in North Lewisburg.

Meanwhile, about 50 area residents traveled to Bowling Green Wednesday, Oct. 21., in order to tour a small, four-turbine wind farm.

The project is a joint venture between Bowling Green Public Utilities, American Municipal Power and the Green Energy Corporation.

The tour was organized through the Champaign County Farm Bureau, and allowed residents to stand underneath the turbines. Including the blade, the turbines are about 390 feet tall. While a specific model has not been chosen, the turbines in Champaign County would likely be about 100 feet taller, said Mike Pullins, an employee for Everpower who helped organize the tour.

Like many residents on the tour, Mary Lou Hildreth, of Urbana, said she has heard both positive and negative comments about the turbines, and wanted to see for herself.

“You’ve got to go to the horse’s mouth,” she said.

Hildreth said she still had some concerns about the Champaign County project, including the project’s impact on Grimes Field. However, she said her initial reaction after the Bowling Green tour was positive.

“I just feel strongly that we are going to have to do more to get away from fossil fuels,” she said.

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0355 or msanctis@coxohio.com.

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