The Floyd County Board of Supervisors will reconvene Feb. 14 to continue deliberating whether to keep industrial windmills out or permit them under tough regulations to protect residents and the environment.

Wind farm concerns aired in Floyd County There were no clear winners after more than 30 speakers talked property rights and natural beauty. By Jeff Sturgeon 381-1661 Photos by Sam Dean | The Roanoke Times Floyd County resident Dan Vest addresses the county's board of supervisors during Tuesday night's public meeting on the issue of an ordinance aimed at barring wind turbines from county ridgelines. Members of the Floyd County Board of Supervisors listen to a speaker during Tuesday night's meeting about wind turbine regulations. As reported by the Roanoke Times: More than 30 speakers debated Tuesday night whether wind farms belong in Floyd County. But after two hours, there was no clear winner or direction. Supervisors have proposed prohibiting all equipment more than 40 feet tall on ridge tops except electricity, telecommunications and TV gear, which would appear to leave no room for windmills that normally extend hundreds of feet into the sky. The measure arose from a citizen petition against wind energy after several wind-generation companies began scouting Floyd County for possible sites. On Tuesday at Floyd County High School, citizens had their say. Others in Floyd want a law against windmills to safeguard the region's natural beauty, resources and rural tranquility. "Supervisors also heard from wind-energy skeptics who advised that the industry can't be trusted and from others who said renewable energy must be embraced for the good of Floyd and beyond. No one from a wind-generation company spoke. Jonathan Miles, who directs the Virginia Center for Wind Energy at James Madison University, offered to help supervisors craft a better ordinance. The center has state and federal resources to help communities deploy wind energy across the state, he said. Wind energy is "technology that really is ready for prime time," Miles said. "They're safe, and they're not very noisy."