Blazing Star Wind NOISE!
February 1st, 2021

Turns out a landowner couple have been complaining about noise since March 9, 2020, and this Thursday it is coming up before the Public Utilities Commission. I read through some filings and got OH-SO-PISSED-OFF! Better pissed off than pissed on… and filed this:
THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION WAS WARNED! THEY HAD ACTUAL AND CONSTRUCTIVE NOTICE THAT NOISE IS A PROBLEM, AND ACCEPTED GI/GO “MODELING” AND PERMITTED THE PROJECT.
Here’s a letter summarizing the landowners complaint:
This above complaint was dated September 25, 2020, but was not filed in the PUC’s eDockets until January 12, 2021.
They made their first complaint March 9, 2020, and there were other complaints March 17 and 24, and April 2 and 14, 2020, regarding turbines 11, 28, 31, 41, 42, 43, 45, 83, 84, 85 and 86.
Complaints made were reported in the monthly permit-required “Complaint” compliance filing as “pending,” with repeated complaints not disclosed. Thursday’s agenda item deals only with the Weverka noise complaint and turbine 90, and does not address the multiple complaints of March 17 and 24, and April 2 and 14, 2020, regarding turbines 11, 28, 31, 41, 42, 43, 45, 83, 84, 85 and 86.
The time-frame of Weverka noise complaints and actions by Xcel are listed here — pay particular attention to the dates, and note it’s XCEL hiring the consultants for the noise monitoring, not Commerce as occurred for the Bent Tree noise complaints:
DoC-EERA notes that:

… and Commission staff repeats this statement in the Staff Briefing Papers (p. 6):
… to which I can only say, DOH!
Doc-EERA recommends this be addressed regarding Turbine 90 only, when a more logical response would be to look at the entire project and compare monitoring results with the pre-construction noise modeling DONE AT THE IMPROPER 0.7 GROUND FACTOR! DOH! and DOUBLE DOH!
Post-construction noise modeling of the project “was completed during the summer of 2020,” but it’s not been filed yet, as of January 14, 2021. WHAT?!?! How long does it take to print out the results, write up a summary, and file it?
And what’s this Xcel July 9, 2020 noise report that was filed on 11/13/2021?
And this November 23, 2020 “Xcel Response to Noise Complaint” that also was not filed until 1/13/2021:
Here’s the initial Noise Modeling from the Application, Appendix A:
Here’s an “updated” Noise Modeling – REDACTED, dated December 2016, filed June 2020:
I really don’t have the time to dig into this, but it’s clear they’re hiding info, that the complaints are legitimate, that there are noise exceedences, and that the Commission knew the noise modeling was off, garbage in, garbage out. The Commission also knew that the setbacks were not adequate, because setbacks at Bent Tree, with smaller turbines, less noise turbines, were not adequate, and there were noise exceedences at 1,150 feet at Hagen’s home and 1,525 at Langrud’s home. They’re “resolving” this in secret, with back and forths between Xcel and Commerce-EERA without involvement of the landowners. THE LANDOWNERS ARE NOT EVEN ON THE SERVICE LIST!
THERE IS NO EXCUSE, NO EXCUSE FOR THIS!
PUC denies Reconsideration re: Wind Rulemaking
December 6th, 2018
We know who you are, and we saw what you did… and didn’t!
No surprise. Today the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission rejected Goodhue Wind Truth’s Petition for Reconsideration of the Commission’s denial of our Petition for Rulemaking. Rules, who needs rules… about 2,500 MW of wind has been sited in Minnesota WITHOUT LARGE WIND SPECIFIC SITING RULES AND/OR STANDARDS! Really! And the Commission doesn’t seem to regard that as a problem. Large wind is sited using SMALL WIND/COUNTY SITING STANDARDS, not intended for large wind. And the Commission doesn’t seem to regard that as a problem. Large wind is sited using MPCA’s industrial noise standards which were admittedly NOT designed with wind in mind. And the Commission doesn’t seem to regard that as a problem. Large wind is sited using a Commerce boilerplate site permit with 1,000 foot setbacks and staff has no idea where that 1,000 foot setback came from (it’s contrary to even the small wind standards, and there’s no rule or standard of 1,000 ft!). And the Commission doesn’t seem to regard that as a problem.
Here’s the rest of the background information:
GWT Rulemaking Reconsideration is 12/6
November 21st, 2018
Wind Rulemaking — Petition for Reconsideration
October 16th, 2018
Today’s Wind Rulemaking Comments
August 24th, 2018
Notice – PUC wants wind rulemaking comments!
August 2nd, 2018
Just filed – Petition for Wind Siting Rulemaking
July 30th, 2018
Bent Tree – it’s the “dawn chorus”
October 14th, 2017
Wisconsin Power and Light, owner/operator of the Bent Tree Wind project is under the Alliant Energy corporate umbrella. Recently, Wisconsin Power & Light filed a response to the noise study for its Bent Tree wind project:
In this response, well, it’s not wind turbine noise, it’s the birds! It’s the rustling leaves!
Here’s the noise study, in case you missed it:
Landowner comments on Freeborn Wind Project
July 14th, 2017
Here are Comments filed on behalf of Association of Freeborn County Landowners:
Association of Freeborn CountyLandowners_Petition & Initial Comments – Filed July 6, 2017
Association of Freeborn County Landowners — Add to Service List
Process Issue – Timing of Request for Contested Case
Reply CommentsCompleteness – Association of Freeborn County Landowners
New Black Oak/Getty wind project maps
February 18th, 2016
More interesting filings today, these from the Black Oak Getty wind project, the construction plans, and a new noise report. There are also “Environmental Supplements” and other new filings. You can find them all at the PUC’s site — go to SEARCH and search for eDockets 10-1240 or 11-831.
Here are the filings of the Construction Plans:
I’ve separated out the noise report to make it easier to send around:
And for reference, here are the Minnesota Noise Rules, found in Minn. R. Ch. 7030 — we’re long overdue for a rulemaking for Noise Rules specifically regulating wind noise:
7030.0010 | INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE. |
7030.0020 | DEFINITIONS. |
7030.0030 | NOISE CONTROL REQUIREMENT. |
7030.0040 | NOISE STANDARDS. |
7030.0050 | NOISE AREA CLASSIFICATION. |
7030.0060 | MEASUREMENT METHODOLOGY. |
7030.0070 | SOUND ATTENUATION MEASUREMENT METHODOLOGY. |
7030.0080 | VARIANCE. |