Senate bill would make it easier to sue over alleged negative impacts of wind turbines
RENEW Policy Director, Michael Vickerman presented testimony today against SB 167, a bill which would allow persons living within 1.5 miles of a wind turbine to sue for damages to health and property values, purportedly due to the proximity of the turbine. Vickerman argued that such a bill would effectively end wind development in Wisconsin:
“No other state has adopted, or is considering the adoption of, a
policy that puts wind generators and host landowners at risk of being sued for
alleged damages. No other state has established, or is considering the
establishment of, such extreme setbacks in order to eradicate a legitimate
business activity that supports thousands of jobs in the United States,
including many here. This begs the question, how much business activity would
actually occur in Wisconsin if the Legislature granted state residents the
right, on the basis of an alleged hardship, to sue the owners of coal-fired
power plants, high-voltage transmission lines, metallic mines, non-metallic
mines, landfills, waste transfer stations, airports, railroads, truck stops,
metal fabrication plants, paper mills, food processing facilities, and confined
livestock operations so long as the offending facility is located within 1.5
miles of the complainant?”
Read Michael Vickerman’s entire testimony
See the 11/19/2013 Capital Times article on SB 167