From a letter to the editor of the Dun County News by Carol Johnson, Forest:
As a resident of the State of Wisconsin, I’m extremely disappointed to hear that Governor Walker is proposing ridiculously restrictive setbacks for wind turbines that will make it virtually impossible to build a wind farm anywhere in the state. I understand he is doing this as a “payback” to campaign contributors — Realtors.
As someone who lives in a farming community, I have known Wisconsin government to be “farmer friendly.” Apparently, that is a thing of the past. I guess Walker would like our state to be known as “realtor friendly.”
Wind farms help the farming community remain a farming community; housing developments destroy farming communities. People should know that our representatives worked very diligently to develop reasonable wind turbine siting guidelines for the state.
The governor’s proposal is an attempt to derail those siting guidelines, even though they were prepared with the involvement of many stakeholders, including the general public in public hearings.
Our energy future in this country has been referred to as one of the most important elements of homeland security. The State of Wisconsin has an opportunity to be part of an energy future that includes one of the most viable forms of green energy — wind.