PEKIN, Ill. – The Tazewell County Board is officially pumping the brakes on any more wind farms in the county, until county ordinances on the matter can be changed.
County Board members voted in favor Wednesday night of an up to six-month moratorium on new wind farm permits.
“Six months would be, if I calculate that right, around the first of February,” said member Greg Menold (R-District 2). “There’s hearings that are going to have to take place. I’m questioning whether that’s long enough for (Tazewell County Community Development Administrator) Jackie (Workman) and her people to get this done.”
Board member Russ Crawford (R-District 3) said the move was for “up to” six months, since a lot of work has been done already.
“I believe the Zoning Board of Appeals did a wonderful job in allowing all of the testimony from not just the wind farm folks, but all the Tazewell County citizens who had concerns about extending protections and property rights.”
Other board members expressed concerns about decommissioning wind farms, and any potential long-term costs of that.
While the board issued the moratorium on wind farms, the County Board also approved technical changes to the county’s solar farm ordinance.
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