My name is Richard Larsen and i am a land owner in Fortier town-ship, writing again in support of the wind energy project in our area. I recently read an article in the Canby News about the declining population in Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota and I get excited about the opportunity for Canby,including my children/grand-kids/future generations, who can count on the economic activity and tax revenue spurred by the Bitter Root project. While I honor the concerns of the Lake Cohrane opponents , I feel a 3 mile set-back is greatly excessive and should not be granted.I did not have a voice in the Deuel County, South Dakota process. The wind project area being proposed in Fortier town-ship is in a "Rural Preservation Area", giving us, land-owners and farmers, the right to make a living as we feel we need to, and ask our neighbors to honor that right. Thank you for reading my comments!

please do not issue this certificate of need nor a site permit for this project. it would destroy our community and our landscape. I currently reside at Lake Cochrane and own a business in Canby MN. please if you do issue this permit at least grant us the 3 mile setback from lake Cochrane that we so eagerly fought for

I recommend not issuing the certificate. There is plenty of land in Yellow Medicine County MN that could be utilized for this purpose. Constructing the towers closer than a 3 mile setback will ruin our landscape at Lake Cochrane. Residents at Lake Cochrane enjoy the natural beauty of the area and windmills so close would be a disaster. Remember that the distance to the grocery store etc to shop from Lake Cochrane is almost equal distance to Canby or Clear Lake. One lined with potential wind mills - one with open prairie. Not a tough choice for me to make.

I would not recommend issuing this certificate to RES, from England. My husband and I are both from Minnesota and this is the area we have spent the majority of 50 plus years. After completing education at the UMN and working toward retirement, we chose to make this area our final retirement home because of it's natural beauty, tranquil quiet and gorgeous prairie landscape. This area is a pristine and I cannot imagine putting industrial size wind turbines in such a peaceful, populated area. We are very concerned about the long term impact these turbines will have on the environment, the high level of noise they generate, and the health of those who live next to them. Please consider the majority of people who live here and love this land, not just those few, who will profit from it.

I would not recommend issuing a certificate for the wind towers in Yellow Medicine County. These wind towers are larger than Crazy Horse Monument.....TALLER than CRAZY HORSE....these are not the small wind towers that are in Brookings County or over by Toronto. One of the heads from Mount Rushmore will fit in the eye of Crazy Horse. These towers are too tall, too loud and too destructive to the views of this area. I can not imagine the amount of noise they will produce over the water. You can hear someone talking from across the lake so I can only imagine the sound these wind towers will produce....I believe it will be unbearable. Also it is not only the noise you hear but the vibrations in your inner ear that cause many people to get ill from vertigo, migraine headaches, nausea and sleepless nights from the noise. I don't believe a lot of people realize how bad these will be until they are up and it is too late. It's not like you can change your mind and take them down. I don't want to sell my home and loose a lot of the value due to the wind turbines. At a minimal, please give Lake Cochrane a 3 mile set back. Thank you for your consideration.

I am a life long resident of Minnesota and have had a cabin on Lake Cochrane for over 40 years. Building industrial wind turbines within 3 miles of Lake Cochrane will have a negative impact on the environment and economics of Lake Cochrane. Over the last 25 years Lake Cochrane has become a very popular recreational area. Lake residents have worked together successfully in the past on a number of issues which could have negatively impacted the lake. The Lake board continues to work on lake issues In order to ensure the lake remains a healthy, environmentally sound recreational area. When considering the Biter Root project The state needs to take into account the overall impact this project will have not just on the state but on its surrounding neighbor South Dakota. The Lake Cochrane board believes that keeping industrial wind turbines 3 miles from the lake will have minimal impact on Lake Cochrane and the over 13,000 people who visit the lake each year while still allowing the project to be built. I support the Lake board and keeping the wind turbines 3 miles from the lake as do all of the lake residents I know.

As a MN resident living in an area surrounded by wind farms and power transmission towers I am presenting the following request. Due to the locality of the wind turbines to the wetlands on the border of MN and South Dakota as well as to Lake Cochrane and Lake Oliver I am requesting the commission to not issue the necessary permits and certificate of need. Once wind turbines are set in place there is no coming back for correction of their impact as well as the impact that will come with the erection of huge transmission towers and the power substations have on all persons and wildlife. I am a weekend visitor of Canby and Lake Cochrane as I have a small cabin on the lake. The land and the lifestyle of ALL residents in the surrounding area will be forever changed by the placement of these wind turbines. The full scope of realization will not hit until they are being resurrected

We have been seasonal residents of Lake Cochrane since 1976 and have spent many summers enjoying the wonderful natural beauty and tranquility of this area. My kids say it is the "Best thing you could of done for us" now my grans & great grans say the same ! The lifestyle and area will be forever changed by the placement of these wind turbines !!! The Lake Cochrane Improvement Association believes keeping the turbines 3 miles from the Lake will have a minimal impact on the Lake as do many of the residents who enjoy the Lake. Our family supports the Boards decision in the matter. PLease consider the residents and LCIA opinions in the matter and give us a 3 mile setback for the turbines ! Thank you for your consideration in this matter. John & Char Bauer.

I am currently a South Dakota resident but spent 85% of my life as a Minnesota resident. I graduated from college in Marshall MN and worked and raised my family in Marshall. I have owned a cabin on Lake Cochrane for 25 years. The area selected for this Wind Farm is NOT like the rest of southern MN. As stated in a letter from Kevin Mixon to RES, "this project area contains a significant amount of habitat within and adjacent to the project area. Native prairie, lakes, wetlands (including calcareous fens), streams, grassland, and pasture are prevalent throughout the project area. As such the MNDNR believes this site poses a high risk to wildlife, especially bats." The MNDNR number one recommendation (which I have not seen in any other projects in this area) is: !) Consider developing a LWECS at a more appropriate location that does not contain as much habitat for birds and bats. I understand that each tower location is analyzed so the least amount of harm or impact will occur.. That's fine if the farm was one tower. However when it contains 44 in a high risk area, it's the cumulative effect that destroys the whole area. What MN is giving up is not replaceable and will be negatively changed forever.

As for the need, if the Developer is unable to find a stable secured buyer, how can anyone defend that there is a need?

As has been illustrated at the Public Hearings, this is a highly contested and unpopular proposal. There is a tremendous amount of opposition and very little local support.

Given the large number of options for other more responsible Wind Farm sites, I would respectfully ask that the Flying Cow project NOT be issued a Site Permit. Thank you for your consideration.

Normally, I am a strong advocate for green energy but I do believe there are places where these wind towers should not be built. To build these wind towers closer than three miles of a recreational lake & state park is too close. We need to preserve the natural beauty of the lake and protect our migrating birds that come in the spring & summer. Another consideration is that while those erecting wind turbines on their property stand to make money, nearby neighbors stand to lose quality of life. The impact of where these wind towers are going up by Lake Cochrane is detrimental to property values, the natural beauty of the area and the migration of birds in the fall & spring. Many people purchase lake property to get away from noise & city lights to relax and enjoy the outdoors. Same with those who camp in the State Park. These wind turbines so close to our lake will change our landscape forever. Wind farms being built often depend completely on government subsidies to have the illusion of being profitable. If and when these subsidies expire, so will the viability of wind energy. Wind turbines are not efficient. When the wind doesn’t blow, they don’t produce energy. They cost mega bucks to build, erect and maintain and without the government subsidies and tax credits, they would never produce enough electricity to pay for the initial cost and upkeep. What happens when these government subsidies end or are cut back? What happens when they become too costly to repair or the technology becomes obsolete? This company is not from the United States. How confident are we that they will take care of them long term? Will they dismantle them or will they be left for the farmers to take care of? The cost of dismantling them is not cheap.
Our small but spring fed lake is one of the premier locations in this area. Why would we want to risk changing that when there are so many other areas that these wind towers can be built that would be way less intrusive? We need to pause, take a deep breath and really think about the long term ramifications of this decision. omment...

Good information here for decision making!

Elkland Twp (near Cass City, MI--Tuscola County--in the THUMB part of Michigan) the PC sent WIND ordinance recommendations to regular Board tonight. (all regulations below are for non-participating land owners.)

--4X wind turbine ht with blades at highest vertical point or 2000 ft whichever is greater --75 ft ground clearance for blades at lowest point --Infrastructure wiring 5 ft below grade and be deeper than drain tile --Each wind turbine insured for $2,000,000 --NO shadow flicker on property --Maximum tip height 500 ft --A complaint resolution process shall be established by the township. (not by the wind energy company) --Applicant shall be required to fund an escrow account for investigation of complaints in the amount of $15000 replenished by Applicant when balance dips below $5000. --45 dba Lmax daytime-----------39 dba Lmax night time