The Platte Mound — more popularly known as the “Platteville Mound” or just the “Mound” — is one of the most recognizable sights in Southwest Wisconsin.
The Mound and the world’s largest M painted on it (see page 1B) is a symbol of the mining heritage of UW–Platteville, the property’s owner, and the topography of the DriftlessArea of the Midwest, which was not flattened by ancient glaciers.
The Mound may be ringed by wind turbines if the developer of a proposed wind farm in Lafayette County gets approval for a new or expanded wind farm.
Pattern Energy is proposing to install up to three turbines just west of the Mound, two more wind turbines north of the Mound, and a substation building southeast of the Mound. Pattern also proposes multiple wind turbines east of the Mound and in an area bracketed by the Grant–Lafayette county line, U.S. 151 and Wisconsin 81 and on either side of Wisconsin 126, according to a state Public Service Commission preapplication document distributed by opponents of area wind farm projects.
The developer of the proposed project denies it plans to put wind turbines in the area project opponents are claiming.
“This is a preliminary map and does not reflect what will be the final design of the project,” said Matt Dallas of Pattern Energy Tuesday. “We will not place any turbines or project infrastructure in state parks or certain sensitive areas like the Platteville Mound.”
”Most of the residents are not for them,” said Town of Belmont chair Pete Bonin. “There are a few for them. It seems the only ones that are for them are investing in them somehow by land acquisition or easements.
“The board is not against them and not for them either. They are definitely a change to our local agricultural landscape.”
Bonin said his township, which has village powers, was working on a health and safety ordinance “to control windmill placement” that might get voted on in the next 30 to 45 days.
The Pattern preapplication includes connections to its proposed Uplands Wind project in northwestern Lafayette and southwestern Iowa counties.
Wind farm opponents cite several downsides, including health effects from “infrasound” created when wind turbine blades pass over the wind tower. Opponents claim that the 10 to 15 percent of the population that are “the most sensitive” suffer health effects including insomnia.
Opponents also cite blade flicker from sunlight hitting turbine blades, the sound of an operating wind turbine, and the blinking red lights mounted on top of turbines.
Allete Energy of Duluth, Minn., which built one wind farm and proposes another, states on its website that based on more than 80 worldwide studies “credible, scientific peer-reviewed literature does not support evidence of adverse health effects resulting from wind turbine exposure.”
Wind turbine opponents also claim reduced property values near wind turbines and negative aesthetic effects in an agricultural and tourism area.
Attorney Martin Machlan, who created the group Farmland First to oppose wind projects, says the easement contracts with landowners are difficult for non-lawyers to understand and are heavily slanted in favor of the wind farm developers.
The Town of Belmont does have village powers, which allow the township to exert more authority over wind farm projects under health and safety regulations. The Town of Clifton approved village powers in a special town meeting in early July and then passed a six-month moratorium to slow down the proposed Whitetail Wind project, most of which is in Ciifton.
State regulations set wind turbine setback at 1,250 from a residence and 1.1 times the height of the turbine from the residence’s property line.
Pattern Energy, based in San Francisco, proposes, according to project opponents, 140 to 180 wind turbines up to 700 feet tall in the Uplands Wind project.
Pattern Energy representatives have said they have not determined the number or size of wind turbines in its proposed project.
Pattern Energy describes Uplands Wind as two 300-megawatt projects in Grant, Lafayette and Iowa counties, with the western border of the project west of one wind farm and one proposed wind farm.
Allete Energy, which built the 28-turbine Red Barn Wind Farm west of Wisconsin 80 between Livingston and Montfort, proposes to build the 21-turbine Whitetail Wind project mostly in the Town of Clifton, with some facilities in Livingston and the Town of Wingville.
The Grant County Conservation, Sanitation and Zoning Committee approved a conditional use permit for Whitetail Wind in early July. The committee’s Board of Adjustment affirmed the approval in early October.
Invenergy LLC of Chicago proposes to build the 137-megawatt Badger Hollow Wind Farm north and west of the Badger Hollow Solar Farm. The wind farm would be north of the proposed Uplands Wind project.
