New statewide wind siting rules — stuck in the Public Service Commission for a year — are now law, after the Legislature gaveled out of session Thursday without passing a replacement.

Under the new guidelines, wind turbines must have a setback from the nearest property line of 1.1 times the height of the turbine, or roughly 450 feet for an average windmill. Turbines also must be at least 1,250 feet away from the nearest residence.

The new law was originally supposed to go into effect last March, but was suspended when critics attempted to replace the measure with a more restrictive set of rules. Though that effort failed, critics were able to send the new rules to the PSC, where officials tried unsuccessfully to broker a compromise between supporters and critics.

The protracted process has kept opponents and supporters at odds and left the wind industry in limbo. On Thursday, wind industry supporters expressed relief for what they see as regulatory certainty.

"This is great for wind in Wisconsin," said Dan Rustowicz, of Minnesota's Redwind Consulting, a company building a large wind farm in Buffalo County. "It good news for the state, and for the industry. We needed stability. I think you will now see more projects going forward."