April 30, 2012
Wyoming

Natrona County Commission reconsiders wind tower height regulation

By TOM MORTON Star-Tribune staff writer, trib.com 30 April 2012

The Natrona County Commission at its regular meeting at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday will hold a public hearing and reconsider whether to adopt a proposed amendment to the zoning regulations that would allow an increase in the height of domestic wind turbines.

Last month, commissioners tabled the amendment to let tower heights to rise 15 feet above the current 45-foot maximum as a permitted use in certain zoning districts.

Commissioner Bill McDowell expressed concerns about permitting the use of the taller towers because they would require larger buffered areas, or “setbacks,” so not to affect neighbors in suburban residential districts.

The amendment under consideration Tuesday alters the earlier language. It would require property owners in most zoning districts to obtain conditional use permits for 60-foot towers.

In other business, commissioners are scheduled to approve an agreement with Denbury Resources’ Greencore Pipeline Co. project to allow it to use 2.5 acres of county land near Hell’s Half Acre for temporary work space during construction of a CO2 pipeline from the Lost Cabin gas plant in Fremont County to the Bell Creek oil field in Montana.

They also are scheduled to approve an agreement with Wyoming’s guardian ad litem program – the legal program that represents children in domestic disputes – in which the county will contribute $1 for every $4 contributed by the state for two years beginning July 1.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/04/30/natrona-county-commission-reconsiders-wind-tower-height-regulation/