09/14/2026
Peoria County’s wind farm siting hearing at the Grand Prairie Holiday Inn is underway. It opened with a crowd of interested parties — environmentalists, labor union folks, and opponents — along with plenty of press.
The hearing began with a litany of complaints about notification letters, failure to post everything online, missing studies, and more. The county did not act on the opponent’s motion to dismiss.
This motion pretty much set the stage for the opposition case — argumentative, fault-finding and hair-splitting. The first witness was a rural Peoria County farmer who was badgered about the specifics of his parcel holding, confidential details of his agreement to host wind turbines, and his knowledge of tax code as it pertains to wind farms and school districts. In his first encounter with the opponents’ attorney, he was told “you’re the enemy.” The opponents’ opening strategy was a distasteful round of bullying that thankfully the hearing officer shut down.
If you believe that clean energy matters, climate change is real, farming and clean energy production complement each other, and Central Illinois needs jobs and tax revenue, you need to be at this hearing.
Public comment from 3-3:30PM every day this week and again the week of October 28. Please come and show your support for a clean, renewable future. For full details see:
https://www.peoriacounty.gov/1377/Four-Creeks-Wind-Project
