In light of yesterday’s announcement that the University of Illinois has chosen not to construct a proposed 1.5 megawatt wind turbine on the South Farms, university students are marching from the Swanland Administrative Building (located at Sixth and John in Champaign) to the Main Quad beginning at 11:30 a.m. today.
The $4.6 million project was to utilize a GE wind turbine for which the university received a contract last week. It was considered a major step for GE to come on board with the project, as they do not normally build turbines this large for a single installation (not as part of a farm). Citing the university’s “deteriorating fiscal condition,” Chancellor Richard Herman announced yesterday that the project would not be going forward.
According to the press release announcing the protest, “By claiming to be supportive of this project until after classes have ended, students are concerned that the Chancellor intentionally withheld this decision to limit the ability of the students who support this project to respond.”