Baraga County Wind Energy Forum

On April 18, 2018, the Baraga County Board of Commissioners hosted a public forum on wind energy development with a presentation by MSU Extension. The forum was held in the L’Anse Area Public Schools cafetorium. The purpose of the forum was to provide an opportunity for residents to hear about the latest peer-reviewed, published research on wind energy development and experiences from other Michigan communities. The presentation covered:

1. Wind Resource & State Policy
2. Acceptance Factors
3. Anticipated Effects:
   1. Noise, Annoyance, and Perceived Health Impacts
   2. Bird and Bat Impacts
   3. Shadow Flicker
   4. Property Value Impacts
   5. Economic Impact
4. Fairness of the Development
5. Values and Beliefs
6. Additional Resources

Due to the large number of people in attendance, participants were provided with notecards to write questions. Notecards were collected by MSU Extension and some questions were answered by MSU Extension on-site. Other questions were intended for the wind project developer - Renewable Energy Systems (RES) - and those questions were later sent to RES to answer in writing. Both the MSU Extension presentation and written answers to the questions during the forum are provided below:

• MSU Extension - Research Related to Utility-Scale Wind Energy Systems
• Baraga County Wind Energy Forum - Questions and Answers

Information is for educational purposes only. Michigan State University (MSU) Extension does not endorse or oppose utility-scale wind energy development in a particular community.