DeKalb Times

In a Feb. 23 Facebook post, Sen. Andrew Chesney shared a statement about Public Act 11-1123, which restricts local control over siting of renewable energy projects.

“I stand with the county leaders across the 45th District that want to fight back against this terrible law,” he wrote on Facebook. “I voted against it when it was passed during the January Lame Duck and will continue to voice my disapproval of this loss of local control.”

Chesney posted a link to his official Senate website with a longer statement regarding the bill. 

“I stand with the counties that want to fight this new law. The new regulations would allow a wind tower to be built as close as 200 feet from a property line, which is outrageous," Chesney said. "Even for the larger blades, we’re talking an approximate setback distance of a football field. If it’s OK for these gigantic wind towers to be built this close to property lines, perhaps the Democrats who approved this law would like to have one right next to their own houses."

Chesney said the law was passed without concern for rural areas.

"This is yet another bad law passed by Democrats with zero Republican support," he said. "Without even a shred of concern for those living in rural parts of the state, they stripped counties of local control and pushed their agenda at the expense of people’s property values and quality of life."

House Bill 4412 specifies that siting of a commercial wind energy facility or solar energy facility must include at least one public hearing within 45 days of the filing of an application for those permits. It requires that counties with conflicting zoning ordinances change their zoning ordinances to comply with House Bill 4412, and sets setback requirements, restrictions on blade tip height, sound limitations, and other restrictions on and regulations for commercial wind energy facilities and commercial solar energy facilities. 

The bill limits a county's ability to regulate commercial wind energy facilities and commercial solar energy facilities..

Iroquois County officials are expressing concern over the act, and had passed a resolution opposing the Act, according to the Iroquois County Times. In a piece published Feb. 15, the publication quoted Iroquois County Board Chairman John Shure from the county board: “The act will take away the rights of the county to determine zoning in the rural areas,” he said, noting that there is also a mile and a half setback required from any town, city or village, which he says will prohibit future growth.