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Gevo wind turbine permits move forward

By
Brenda Winter

Rock County Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to approve conditional use permits for the construction of two wind towers west of Luverne over the objections of neighboring property owners.
John and Cathy Jarchow live northwest from the proposed wind towers in Luverne Township.
They were represented at the county board meeting by attorney Carol Ann Overland of Red Wing.
According to her website, Overland represents individuals “seeking zoning changes, ordinance updates and challenges to proposed projects.”
The Jarchows argued that the wind towers would diminish enjoyment of their property and negatively impact its resale value.
Overland said she also has procedural concerns with the permitting process and suggested the planning and zoning commission did not have the information required by county ordinances to make their affirmative recommendation to the commissioners. 
Assistant County Attorney Don Klosterbuer said he believes the proper information and documents were provided to recommend approving a conditional use. He said a construction permit would not be issued until additional conditions have been met.
The planning and zoning commission attached eight conditional use conditions to the permits after the commission’s Aug. 26 public hearing. The Jarchows were unable to attend the commission meeting.
Commissioners tabled voting on the permit at their Sept. 3 public hearing when John Jarchow raised concerns about wind turbines’ locations in his neighborhood.
The turbines are part of a planned Rock County Wind Fuel project. Gevo Inc. and Juhl Energy Development are partnering to lower Gevo’s reliance on coal-generated electricity by erecting two 2.4-megawatt wind turbines 2 1/2 miles west of the existing Gevo production plant in the city of Luverne.
Setback requirements from the airport and Interstate 90 forced project organizers to locate the turbines in sections 17 and 19 in Luverne Township.
The Jarchows recently purchased an acreage in section 18. The turbine located southeast of the Jarchow home in section 19 is the closest at 3,800 feet.
Wind turbine construction is planned for this fall, once conditions are met for the permits.
“I want to thank the city of Luverne, the commissioners and the people of Rock County for this next step in the process,” said Gevo CEO Patrick Gruber in a written statement. “Our long-term vision calls for us to invest and build out our Agri-Energy site for producing renewable jet fuel and isooctane. Eliminating our carbon footprint is the right thing to do and this approved conditional use permit is a great step forward.”

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