While the proposed development of wind turbines in Lake Erie off Cleveland was declared dead to the cheers of boating, fishing and environmental groups, now a push to build an even larger wind farm in Lake Michigan off Chicago is taking center stage.
The move to make Illinois the first state to establish an offshore wind farm of more than 30 turbines — the Lake Erie proposal was six — off the Windy City would make it the first such freshwater installation in North America. Opponents believe that once any such development in the Great Lakes is allowed, turbines will be built everywhere in the lakes, with negative environmental impacts, higher consumer energy costs and questionable reliability.
Offshore wind farms are far more costly than similar land projects, sticking customers with the bill. Moreover, Great Lakes winds are said to be less of an energy source than winds in the Atlantic, where there are only two operating offshore wind farms in the U.S. — off Block Island, R.I., which has had operating issues and failed to deliver employment promises, and off Virginia Beach, Va..
In New York, the State Energy Research and Development Authority researched whether adding wind-generated renewable energy to its state waters of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario is worth the cost. Their study concluded that “Great Lakes Wind currently does not offer a unique, critical or cost-effective contribution toward the achievement of New York State’s Climate Act goals beyond what existing, more cost-competitive programs are currently expected to deliver.”
Michigan, the only state that borders four of the five Great Lakes, also was proposing a large-scale project on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. That project, which called for 100 to 200 turbines spanning 100 square miles relatively close to the shoreline, sparked strong opposition from local residents. Those plans were abandoned.
High costs notwithstanding, the Great Lakes proposals show an atrocious lack of environmental studies of the possible negative impacts of turbines in lakes that supply millions with drinking water, support a $7 billion annual fishery, attract millions of tourists, and provide jobs for hundreds of thousands of citizens. But there’s more.
There also are apprehensions over the precedent being set by the Illinois proposal that would privatize portions of Lake Michigan. “First, the Great Lakes should be off limits to development of any kind consistent with the Public Trust Doctrine,” says David McEllis, the Illinois legislative director for the Environmental Law and Policy Center. “The Public Trust protects the rights of citizens to use and enjoy the lake. The Public Trust is violated when the primary purpose of a legislative grant is to benefit private interest.”
McEllis also stressed that offshore wind power in the Great Lakes is unproven. There is no evidence that it would have any greater benefits than that of land projects. “The much smaller Ohio Lake Erie project was projected to cost $173 million, which is much more expensive per [megawatt] than the usual land-based project,” McEllis said.
So Illinois is now trying to become the first state to leverage wind power from the Great Lakes. Last year, legislation did pass in the Illinois house but went no further. It’s likely to come up again.
So boating, sporting, conservation and other groups that believe in protecting Lake Michigan from industrialization with wind turbines must remain alert and active, as the issue is still alive there.
