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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowOfficials in a central Indiana county have decided they won't take immediate action to block a proposed wind farm.
Delaware County commissioners decided Monday that it would be premature to impose a moratorium on wind turbines since the county plan commission hasn't acted on a proposed zoning change to allow the project on 15,000 acres northeast of Muncie, The Star Press reported.
E.ON Climate and Renewables of Chicago is seeking permission to build the electricity-generating turbines in current agricultural areas. The plan commission last week delayed taking action on that request until its June 6 meeting.
James Rybarczyk, who lives near the proposed wind farm site, asked county commissioners to adopt an ordinance that would prevent the turbines from being built.
Rybarczyk said the project was "accelerating so rapidly."
But Larry Bledsoe, president of the Board of Commissioners, said the next action should come from the plan commission.
"I believe in that process," Bledsoe said. "To do a moratorium now would be premature."
The company is looking to build about 30 turbines standing perhaps 500 feet tall in Delaware County, according to commissioners.
E.ON Climate and Renewables is building the Wildcat Wind Farm in counties neighboring to the west.
Construction finished late last year on 125 turbines are in eastern Tipton County and northern Madison County, in the area about 40 miles north of Indianapolis. Nearly 200 more turbines are planned in neighboring Howard and Grant counties in later phases.
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