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House panel approves wind-setback bill establishing height, setback and de-icing limits
Summary
Representative Katie Zolnikov sponsored HB 939 to set a 500-foot maximum turbine height, a 1,500-foot baseline setback from occupied residences and a 2,500-foot buffer/rotor-speed limitation tied to de-icing operations; supporters called it a workable compromise, while renewable developers and local-control advocates asked for refinements. The committee passed the bill 13–1.
Representative Katie Zolnikov introduced House Bill 939 to set statewide parameters for wind turbine siting and de-icing operations. Zolnikov said the measure is intended as a compromise between developers and landowners and described key provisions: a 500-foot maximum tower height (measured from natural ground to the tip of the rotor), a default 1,500-foot setback from an occupied residence for turbines meeting the height threshold (with a landowner consent exception), and a de-icing provision that would require a 2,500-foot buffer and limit rotor speed during de-icing to no more than 10% of the turbine’s maximum rotor speed.
Stakeholders offered mixed reactions. Bruce Spencer of Renewable Northwest thanked the sponsor for addressing community concerns but urged local control and questioned the empirical basis for the setback numbers, arguing developers and regulators should provide supporting analysis. Spencer also said the de-icing risk has not been documented in the U.S. record and that there are no known cases of the public being struck by ice from turbines. McKenna Sellers of the Montana Renewable Energy Association said the association is not opposed to setbacks if they are evidence-based; she asked for clarification about how the 10% rotor-speed cap would apply across different turbine models.
Sponsor Zolnikov acknowledged the bill was introduced late in the session and pledged to work with stakeholders in the Senate to clarify technical language (for example, how the rotor-speed cap should be specified by model). After committee debate and executive action, House Bill 939 passed out of committee on a roll-call vote of 13 ayes and 1 no and will move to the full House.
