Wisconsin Public Service Commissioners Commit a Boo-Boo

Dear Editor,

On Thursday, September 25, 2025, three Wisconsin Public Service commissioners (WPSC) made a grave error by rubber stamping the Whitetail and Badger Hollow industrial wind turbine (IWT) projects, which will be built in the beautiful Driftless region in southwest Wisconsin.  Any electricity produced by the turbines in these projects will be purchased by electric utilities supplying the customers in the big cities of Madison, Milwaukee, and Green Bay.  Not one electron of the unreliable, intermittent power produced by the 650-foot IWTs will be used by residents in the project area. It will be carried by high-power transmission lines up to hundreds of miles away so that big-city folks can feel good about using taxpayer-subsidized, green electricity that supports the distorted thinking that they are helping to stop climate change.

The WPSC should correct its mistake and instead approve a project to install the mammoth wind turbines in lakes Wingra and Monona, parks around Madison, in Lake Michigan, and parks in Milwaukee and Green Bay. Placing the turbines next to the people who will actually use any power they produce has many advantages.

For starters, no power will be lost in transmission, as it would be consumed right at the point of generation. About 10% of electricity is lost/ wasted for every 100 miles of transmission. 

Second, relocating the IWT project to the cities would ensure that the water in the Driftless area aquifers will remain uncontaminated. The water in the large cities is already contaminated by PFAFs, microplastics, and assorted toxic organic chemicals.

Next, when these city folks get sick or suffer any negative health effects from the IWT subsonic infrasound, there are many great hospitals and medical specialists close at hand to treat them.

Fourth, fire and rescue located in the cities will be able to respond very quickly when damage is done by ice or blade throws, fires, and hydraulic oil leaks, minimizing loss of life or property damage.

Fifth, even though the 650-foot turbines will dwarf the tall buildings in the cities, they will not be as noticeable as they would be in the productive farmland in rural southwest Wisconsin. 

Sixth, decreased tax revenue resulting from property value loss can be better absorbed by the budgets of the large cities. 

Seventh, the flashing red lights at night on the IWTs, which are a serious nuisance in rural areas, will not be as noticeable because cities are already lit up at night. 

Eighth, building IWTs in the cities will not be as disruptive to Med Flight helicopters, communications, and farming operations as it would be in the Driftless Area. 

Ninth, old worn-out or damaged turbine blades can be disposed of close by in the cities’ local dumps.

Finally, city folks would be able to see the wind turbines right in their backyards and not have to waste fossil fuels for a drive out to the countryside to see how “cool” they look. 

The three unelected, politically appointed Public Service commissioners have no knowledge or experience in siting IWTs. They ignored advice from intervenors who knew about these problems and opposed the project in Iowa and Grant counties. In addition, the WPSC refused to do an Environmental Impact Statement, which would have exposed these problems.  

Because of the many obvious advantages to installing the wind turbines in and around these Wisconsin cities, I encourage the WPSC to move these planned IWTs from the remote, pristine, low-residential areas of the Driftless area and into the large, much safer, urban areas where they will be needed and appreciated the most.

George A. Schwarzmann Jr.        

Belmont Township, WI