(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — There could be an offshore wind farm in Lake Michigan after new legislation passed the Illinois House with bipartisan support.
The bill, which would OK the creation of up to 20 windmills located miles from the Chicago lakefront, passed the Illinois House on an 85-21 vote.
State Rep. Jeff Keitcher (R-Sycamore) spoke about the benefits of offshore wind turbines on the house floor.
“We are jamming, siting down everybody’s throat in rural Illinois, which is unfair,” he said. “When we should be doing what this bill is seeking to do: exploring the opportunities where this has the least impact on our state and our people that reside not only in cities, but in the country.”
Keitcher said similar wind farms have been constructed in Norway, the United Kingdom, Ireland and off the east coast of the United States.
The legislation would create what’s being called the Illinois Rust Belt to Green Belt Fund, which would seek funding from the federal government and other sources.
The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity would take the lead in the development of a utility-scale, offshore wind project.
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