SENECA COUNTY, OH (WTOL) - Outspoken opponents of a large scale wind farm proposed in Seneca and Sandusky County have made their concerns heard.
Now residents who would like to actually see that wind farm get built are speaking up.
Tuesday at Baldoser Farms, south of Clyde, multiple property owners held a round table discussion on why they each support the proposed Republic Wind Farm.
All who were there agreed the 80 wind turbine project that would generate not only 200 megawatts of electricity, but also millions of dollars for local land owners, school districts and townships is a win-win.
"Anything that we can put into our schools that makes a lessened burden for the average person to have to pay is always a benefit to the community," said Barbara Baldosser
As a former electrician, Curt Swartzmill said while electricity use is trending up, there has to be an additional local source of power especially with the potential closure of the Davis-Besse nuclear power plant.
"If we don't keep that generation close to the load, it's going to be that or ultra high voltage power lines coming through to supply this area. And personally I would rather have a wind turbine than I would a high voltage," said Swartzmill.
As elected officials listened in, the land owners wanted to remind everyone that this project has been in the works in some capacity for 11 years, and these land owner who want to opt in could have walked away at any time.
"If we thought that this was detrimental to our health, our welfare, our lifestyle, our happiness; we would definitely be opposed to all of this," said Tom Yingling of Woodside Farm Inc.
And while this proposed wind farm continues to be debated locally, at the state level lawmakers are expected to vote on the proposed change to the wind turbine setback law at some point this summer.
