09/01/11 A local group has decided to step into the battle over the wind in Marshall County.

NextEra Corporation’s proposed “wind farm” project in Marshall and Fulton Counties has brought a storm of controversy from property owners opposed to wind turbines in the county, especially around Lake Maxinkuckee. While the opposition to the wind projects have made their position clear another group of residents has their own take on the controversy.

“Long before any of this ever happened there has been a group of people that have been meeting on a regular basis to talk about ways to help our community be more resistant to the affect of diminishing fossil fuels,” said Mike Good, one of the members of the group. “They call them ‘transition communities’ and renewable energy sources have always been a big interest of what we’re doing.”

Good’s group has put together a blog — http://marshallcountywindfarm.blogspot.com/ — to present more information for those in the county as the topic continues to be debated.

“There was a lot of wrong information out there about just where the project is proposed to go,” said Good. “The Lake Maxinkuckee Environmental folks were concerned about the wind turbines on the horizon but really where this project is supposed to go has more affect on Argos than Culver. It’s important that people know exactly where the project is going to be located.”
Good’s group also wants residents to be aware of the economic impact of the projects on the county.

“You’re looking at close to $180 million invested in the county in the 20 year life span of these turbines,” he said. “It’s another cash crop for the farmers whose land they place turbines on. Anywhere from $8,000 to $12,000 a year per turbine in lease arrangements. They project that they will hire at least eight new employees at salaries between $40,000 and $50,000. NextEra will be paying property taxes on all their facilities.”
And of course the bottom line is the environment.

“We’ll be directly displacing coal with the energy produced by the wind facility here,” said Good. “That’s less toxins in the air.”

The blog will be updated on a regular basis as the debate goes on.

“We just want to be sure that people have accurate information, especially about the site of the project as this goes forward,” said Good.

Provided by our news partners at the Pilot