From the Ludington Daily News:
Pentwater: No to wind farm
Village Council passes resolution opposing Scandia proposal
CINDY SHAFER – OCEANA CORRESPONDENT
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
PENTWATER — Pentwater village councilors made their voice known.
When it comes to the offshore wind turbines proposed by Scandia/Havgul Clean Energy 1.4 to 3.7 miles from the area’s shoreline, the answer is no.
The village council voted unanimously Monday to reject the wind farm project. The resolution, drawn up by Councilman Tom Sturr, voices the community’s concerns for the introduction of projects of similar scope and location in Lake Michigan waters, how it may affect migratory bird routes, fish populations and feeding grounds, and admitted lack of turbine construction foundation experience with Lake Michigan wave and ice floes.
The final paragraph of the resolution reads: “Therefore be it resolved that the Pentwater Village Board strongly indicates its objection to, and its rejection of the Wind Farm Project proposed by Scandia Wind LLC with Havgul Clean Energy.”
“I think it’s important to act on this as soon as possible so they know where we stand,” he said.
Scandia and Havgul are proposing construction of 100 to 200 wind turbines on 100 square miles of Lake Michigan bottomlands off the shore of southern Mason County and northern Oceana County. Company officials are seeking support for the plan from governments in that area, which includes Pentwater.
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Village President Juanita Pierman said the village has received about 70 letters from people concerned about the proposal.
“Fifteen came from property owners in the village, 45 were from non-property owners from Hart, Shelby, Ludington and other areas. Ten came via e-mail. Most were not in support of the wind farm project, though two were in favor of it.”
Scandia Wind’s Steve Warner was not surprised by the action. “It was not any sort of departure from what we might anticipate from them,” he told the Daily News this morning.
“We certainly acknowledge it, we respect it, but we will also try and sit down with them and discuss it, like we will with all the governmental entities in the footprint (of the proposal),” Warner said.
“We haven’t made a decision whether one defecting entity is going to derail our approach to it,” he said.
The companies will be looking at the municipalities’ actions “in the aggregate,” Warner said.
He’s hoping to schedule times to meet with municipal boards in the near future to talk about the size and shape of the proposed project as well as a community trust, a fund set up for a portion of the wind turbine project’s profits to benefit the area. The governmental units have had some time now to receive feedback from residents, Warner said.
“That’s been part of our thought process from the beginning,” Warner said. As the companies learn more about how much they may have to pay in royalties to the state if the project is approved, it is better able to negotiate “a fair community trust,” he said.
Warner also is available to meet formally with a group, such as Rotary clubs and Chambers of Commerce and informally “for coffee and conversation,” he said.
The Downtown Merchants Association of Pentwater also made its voice known recently, with the majority of those polled, 32 people, stating they are against the proposal, two undecided and one in favor of it. Eighteen people did not respond.
“For those of you who do not know us, we are the merchants in the C3 District (downtown commercial district) in Pentwater. Every merchant within the district is a member of our group, whether they care to participate or not is their own choice,” Mike Castor, association board chair, stated in an e-mail Monday. “We are the economic heart of the Village of Pentwater. We have spoken.”
Patti Klevorn contributed to this report.
Allegheny Treasures 
Are you kidding me????? The project was denied because it might ‘ruin’ the view?????? Would you rather have 100 acres of wind turbines producing clean energy or 100 MILES of uninhabitable coastline drenched in oil? How would 100s of fish and bird carcasses rotting on the beach smell as you took a leisurely walk around Lake Michigan? Talk about looking unsightly! I think if the same discussion was going on in the Gulf right now, the vote would be a landslide YES! Wake up humans… we are killing ourselves slowly and killing our mother Earth even faster. Don’t be afraid to be called a tree-hugger and stand up for clean energy… it’s OK to be considered ‘uncool’… but it’s NOT OK to be complacent, especially if you are raising children. If I had the money, I would buy a huge plot of land right here in Las Vegas and cover it with wind turbines. They are beautiful and powerful and they scream, “WE CARE ABOUT THIS WONDROUS BLUE PLANET!” (and you look a lot smarter when you realize the benefit of wind turbines! you look even smarter when you vote YES) We are at a crossroads right now, time has run out. If the human race can move forward with clean energy and refuse to deal with dirty oils and carbon based energy, we might have a chance. But I guarantee the choice will be made for us if we don’t act now. Your children wont be able to do anything about this when they grow up- it will be too late. This is OUR generation of change! It is up to us to save the planet….NOT talk B.S. about how you would ‘like to do your part’ so you recycle a few cans after a party. We don’t have that luxury anymore! Wind turbines and solar panels MUST be part of everyday life…STARTING NOW!!!! STARTING 10 YRS AGO!!!!
I HOPE THE TWO PEOPLE IN PENTWATER VILLAGE THAT WERE IN FAVOR OF THE TURBINES BECOME THE LEADERS IN YOUR COMMUNITY– THEY OBVIOUSLY HAVE THE MOST BRAINS. Village President Juanita Pierman needs to put a stop to all the negative propaganda circulating the Village regarding wind turbines.
** This is a message for the 18 people in the Merchants Assoc who didn’t care to even vote…… really? Wow, now that is laziness on a scale that I can’t even comprehend. Maybe you wanted to vote YES, but were ridiculed or strong-armed into not voting????? 18 votes COUNT! TAKE A STAND AND HAVE IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE THAT YOU LIVED AT ALL!
**I WILL NOT STAND ASIDE WHILE A HANDFUL OF SCARED UNINFORMED PEOPLE DECIDE THE FATE OF THIS PLANET! OR DECIDE THE FATE OF FUTURE GENERATIONS! I LOVE saying ‘ “I TOLD YOU SO!” when I am right…. but if I have to tell you “I TOLD YOU SO” this time, I will probably be in tears. What will you say to your kids when they ask”WHY?” ….will you tell them the truth and say “It ruined the view and it made a couple people dizzy when they looked up”, “besides, imitation fish tastes just like the real thing… and it doesn’t have that chemical taste!” (will you be able to tell your kids the truth with a straight face??)
*by the way vertigo happens when you look down too, like when you cross over Hoover Dam…. but opponents of the dam never stooped as low as an excuse like ‘vertigo’ to halt the construction of THAT clean energy power plant!