About a year ago, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) received applications from an unidentified party to permit the construction of 122 power wind turbines the area west of Francesville. It has since been confirmed the company is RES (Renewable Energy Systems) Americas, based in Colorado. The FAA does not appear to have undergone study or taken action on the application, to date. No building permits have yet been sought at the county level or in the Town of Francesville office.

RES is one of the top renewable energy companies in North America, according to company website information. It provides services in development, construction, engineering, and operations. The parent company, RES Ltd., is headquartered in the U.K. and was founded in 1982. The RES Group of companies has constructed more than 135 renewable energy projects with a total capacity of more than 8,000 megawatts (MW) around the world. RES Americas has been active in North America since 1997, and has a utility-scale wind and solar construction portfolio that exceeds 7,000 MW and over 65 projects.

In the last year, the residents of Fulton, Cass and Miami counties have also been debating proposed wind farms in their jurisdictions. The first wind turbines to be built in the area are located in White and Benton counties and were constructed about 10 years ago.

Locally, the proposed turbines would be 660-feet in height (from ground to tip of the blade at its peak; the mills in White County are nearly 400-feet). They would be built in western White Post and Salem townships in Pulaski County, and in Barkley, Gillam and Hanging Grove townships in Jasper County.

No timeline has been announced for the proposed project.

The prospect of the windmills is currently under discussion by the county commissioners, the economic development commission, the county planning commission and the Francesville Town Council. All the organizations are gathering information about the wind turbines and discussing options.

Several residents who own farmland in the proposed windmill area attended March 19 meeting of the Francesville Town Council to voice their concerns about the wind turbines. The majority oppose the construction. Residents have also appeared before the county commissioners to object to the windmills.

CDC executive director Nathan Origer told the county commissioners at their March 19 meeting that he plans to organize an informational meeting on the proposed wind farms. He hopes to invite elected officials and residents from areas that are now living with wind turbines, such as in White and Benton counties and obtain their feedback, both pro and con - rather than inviting wind company representatives and residents from other counties that are opposing windmills. The meeting will be open to the public, as well as to the elected and appointed officials who will ultimately make the decisions.

Origer added the county's ordinances regarding windmills will be reviewed on such matters as setbacks, road repair agreements, zoning permissions for locations, decommissioning agreements when a turbine is no longer operational.

County attorney Kevin Tankersley reported to the commissioners on a seminar he recently attended on wind turbines, noting the county commissioners will be the ultimate authority on whether to permit them or not. Tankersley said there are some counties that welcome the windmills because they produce revenue for the county, as well as the landowner. He indicated county officials and residents will have to determine their stance on the issue and then revisit the county's zoning ordinances to re-write them to be either more restrictive or more friendly to wind turbines.

Origer concurred, explaining that any wind turbine proposals within the county’s jurisdiction will have to go before the county’s board of zoning appeals or plan commission for a public hearing.

The Town of Francesville will also review its zoning ordinances regarding wind turbines, as about half of the proposed windmills are expected to be located within the town's jurisdiction.

However, almost half of the wind turbines proposed for Pulaski County are in the Town of Francesville’s jurisdiction. Origer doesn’t think the town’s zoning laws include guidelines for wind turbines, which makes the approval process unclear.

Origer will share the plan for an informational session to the Pulaski County Advisory Plan Commission when it meets at 7 p.m., Monday (March 26), at the Pulaski County Highway Garage in Winamac. The wind turbine issue is not on the advisory committee's agenda, however.

As the wind turbine issue moves forward, local officials and residents will be challenged to consider questions ranging from economics to aesthetics, and to sort fact from propaganda.

RES Americas has projects in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Nordics, Turkey, UK and Ireland, and the United States. To learn more about the company, visit http://www.res-group.com/en/