The wind-energy industry says Ohio has essentially placed a moratorium on new wind farm projects because of trestrictions on where turbines can be placed. But some lawmakers maintain those tougher parameters protect the rights of landowners.
So-called wind setbacks decide how far a turbine must be placed from a property owner who wants nothing to do with a project.
Republican Rep. Craig Riedel represents a portion of northwest Ohio, home to the state’s biggest wind farms. He says he’s all for wind energy but believes new setbacks are needed, hoping to strike a balance between the current constraints and the much smaller setbacks proposed in the Senate.
"Then set that as the minimum and then allow each individual township to decide for themselves whether or not they want to leave that as their setback for their township or extend it further.”
The debate could be rolled into the larger issue of renewable-energy mandates. A bill to eliminate those mandates sits in the Senate.
