Sep. 27--PIGEON -- In the Champagne household, there are two opinions on the whirling wind turbines that surround the family's home of 35 years. Gene Champagne is bothered by the thumping, rumbling sound of the blades that loom like giants over the house. The noise disturbs his sleep and destroys his TV reception. Flickering shadows from sun on the blades run around rooms.

His wife, Betty, says she thinks the towers are fine. "They're majestic," she said. "But I'm bothered because it bothers him."

While turbines are good for the environment and for farmers who reap thousands of dollars a year from leasing their land to wind firms, some neighbors aren't happy. They say towers sound like jet engines overhead that never leave and they can feel the vibrations in their chests.

Opponents say tighter restrictions are needed. The wind industry says tougher rules will keep wind farms out of Michigan.

Neighbors object to noise, proximity and seek more limits

On a wind map of Michigan, Huron County is the bull's-eye.

The county hosts the state's two commercial wind farms. Besides good winds, it has wind-friendly policies and plenty of agricultural land. Farmers who lease acreage to wind companies are thrilled with the extra cash, which amounts to several thousand dollars a year and sometimes five figures.

County Zoning and Planning Director Russ Lundberg expects 700-1,000 turbines in the next few years, compared with 78 now. "We want them," he said.

State officials have bigger dreams: as many as 2,800 twirling towers in the Thumb and another 1,200 in west Michigan. Gov. Jennifer Granholm wants to make Michigan the nation's 14th windiest state, a big player in wind power to attract green jobs and investment.

But in Huron County and elsewhere in the state, residents who have turbines as neighbors are pushing back.

Wind farms have generated anger, tension and conflict, even in places that don't have any yet. The issues are height, how close turbines can be to homes, property values, flickering shadows from blades and noise.

Ten Huron County residents have filed formal complaints about turbine noise. They say the county's zoning allows towers too close to homes. Some have "No Wind" signs on their lawns.

Those complaints, and others across the country, are being watched closely by people in areas targeted for giant turbines.

In Lake Township at the tip of the Thumb, two commissioners were tossed off the local zoning board earlier this month for slander and misfeasance after they pushed an ordinance that would restrict turbines. A board member who voted to remove them has leased his land for a future DTE Energy wind farm.

"It's pitting neighbor against neighbor," said Valerie McCallum, clerk of Lake Township.

Some governments, like Centerville and Leelanau townships in Leelanau County, have or are working on zoning that wouldn't allow commercial-size turbines, which can be as high as a 30-story building. Others, like Ann Arbor Township and Paris Township in the Thumb, have moratoriums on turbines until they hammer out regulations.

Some see the state as the 800-pound gorilla in the debate. They say state wind zoning guidelines, developed by an informal working group with industry input in 2005, are too lax. The guidelines have no height restriction and allow turbines 300-400 feet from homes, a little more than the length of a football field. Even pro-wind Huron County requires more space -- 1,000 feet -- from homes.