Doubt over Rule 5

If the Bluff Point Wind Farm is built, who will be responsible for the soil erosion and sediment plans during construction?
That question came before Jay County Commissioners this morning, and the answer is not clear.
Bettie Jacobs of the Jay County Soil and Water Conservation District told commissioners she would check with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management to clarify responsibilities.
Any time a construction project disturbs one acre of land or more, a Rule 5 plan must be submitted to the district and reviewed. Then the project must be inspected to assure that it’s in compliance with the plans.
“That’s going to take a lot of time,” said Jacobs, noting that the question is under review. “Our board members have been discussing this.”
Though earlier comments by NextEra Energy had indicated construction could start as soon as April, commissioners said this morning that June is a more likely start date.
“They should be submitting (plans) very, very quickly if they want to meet a June build date,” Jacobs said.
She’ll contact IDEM this week for further information.
Jacobs also invited the commissioners to attend the district’s annual meeting Tuesday, Feb. 26 at 5:30 p.m. in the 4-H building at the Jay County Fairgrounds.
Speakers for the event will be Ken Brunswick, the east central region ecologist for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and Pastor Neil Ainslie, water quality manager for the Upper Wabash River Commission.
Brunswick will speak on the Loblolly Marsh Nature Preserve, and Ainslie will provide a synopsis of water sampling results from the Wabash River in Jay County.
In other business, the commissioners:
•Agreed to allow a staff member for Rep. Marlin Stutzman to use the auditorium in the courthouse to meet with constituents. Plans call for a member of Stutzman’s staff to be on hand from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. on the first and third Tuesdays of each month, beginning on March 5.
•Approved the purchase of a Ford pick-up truck from Moser Motors of Portland for $22,986. Courtesy Motors, Decatur, had the low quote with a Chevrolet at $22,004, but commissioners opted to purchase locally.
•Heard county treasurer Robin Alberson report that interest earned by the county’s general fund last year totaled $44,701.39. “It’s down from a year before,” Alberson said.
•Met as the county board of finance and elected Jim Zimmerman as president.[[In-content Ad]]