St. Joseph County earlier this year enacted an ordinance to deter solar farm developers. Now a German company is looking to develop what would be the county’s first wind farm.
Retired Madison Township farmer Millard Clauss says a German firm, UKA Group, recently contacted him, saying it's looking for people interested in leasing parts of their land for wind towers.
Clauss says it’s a hard no from him. He thinks solar and wind farms harm the environment more than they help it, from how their parts are made to how he says they damage farmland. And he also doesn’t want to look at them.
“I love the nature, the outdoors, and I don't want my view spoiled by a bunch of windmill towers when I'm sitting on my patio."
County commissioner Tony Hazen says UKA Group has filed no plans with the county, but he’s talked with them.
“We did tell them that they're going to have to get a special use permit," Hazen says. "We didn't think that the appetite was that good in St. Joe County for it, and it would be an uphill climb if they could even get it, but we didn't think they could. Just from when that letter got out, I probably got 40 emails from people against it right away."
The company did not reply to WVPE’s interview request Thursday.
