Supreme Court considers controversial Champaign Co. wind farm

Ohio’s Supreme Court justices will hear oral arguments this morning in the latest legal fight over the proposed Buckeye Wind Farm in Champaign County.

Attorneys will argue whether a state agency followed proper procedures when granting an extension for the first phase of the project. The project, which was approved in two phases, would install a total of about 100 turbines across Champaign County if it moves forward.

RELATED: Wind farms stall, solar grows as energy debate continues in Ohio 

Opponents will argue that the state’s Ohio Power Siting Board didn’t follow proper procedures when granting an extension for construction of the project’s first phase.

Project developers and attorneys representing the siting board countered that the extension’s approval was appropriate. They have argued a more thorough process was unnecessary, in part because granting the extension doesn’t affect the proposed wind farm or the project’s location.

RELATED: Developers: Long-delayed Champaign County wind farm still in the works 

In addition to the fight over the extension, developers and opponents are also involved in a legal dispute over a federal permit granted to the wind farm, allowing it to kill a limited number of endangered Indiana bats. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued that permit in 2013 but opponents appealed.

That case is still pending.

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