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New legislation to govern wind development in Minnesota should be drawn up and presented to state politicians next year, it has been recommended. The state Environmental Quality Board (EQB) should sponsor legislation to oversee the wind industry in the 1995 legislative session, EQB members approved on July 21. The matter was one of five recommendations presented by a special wind task force. The EQB already oversees the power plan siting process that the utility Northern States Power is likely to use this autumn in developing another 100 MW of wind on Buffalo Ridge, says EQB representative Larry Hartman. An estimated 22 counties in the state have no planning and zoning boards to deal with wind development issues. "Some of those counties are prime spots for wind power," he said. The EQB will probably initiate legislation early this autumn.