LANSING - The Michigan Aeronautics Commission approved to change the Tall Structure Act at a special meeting on Feb. 18.

The changes require meteorological evaluation towers to be registered with Michigan Transportation Department and that they should be marked in visible colors.

The meteorological evaluation towers are built to evaluate locations for wind turbines. There are an increasing number of such towers as people's interest in wind power generation has grown in recent years.

The original act requires registration of structures that are over 200 feet tall, and it requires disclosure of such information to the public. So pilots would not be surprised by a new tower.

The evaluation towers, however, are mostly shorter than 200 feet. Commission aAvisor Rick Hammond said there are some potential risks with this situation.

"They (meteorological evaluation towers) go up quickly, are generally unmarked and unreported. And they are generally in the vicinity where agricultural aviation operators , ag pilots are. and they have caused a number of safety issues including three deaths across the country," he said.

Currently, the Transportation Department only received 110 voluntary reports of those towers. The main concerns of the meeting attendees is that they want to make sure the new requirement won't cost the industry too much while addressing aviation safety.

The approved changes will go to the legislature in the next stage.