August 30, 2015
Letters, Nebraska

Regulate wind farms

Lincoln Journal Star | journalstar.com

Kudos to the Lincoln Journal Star for addressing wind farms and county planning (“War over wind energy far from over,” Aug. 20). Every county in Nebraska should be developing regulations on how to deal with wind turbine farms now before it is too late. Our state needs to address the long-range permanent environmental damage that these wind farms will do to our landscapes. Some of these wind farms contain thousands of turbines covering miles and miles.

One of the stated reasons for the Nebraska Public Power District’s proposed 345 kV transmission line, which will run through the heart of the Sandhills, is to provide opportunities for renewable generation. We all agree that the Sandhills are a unique landscape, which is the largest remaining intact grassland left in North America. The Sandhills are one of the most beautiful, unspoiled landscapes in the world and are also home to thousands of migratory grassland birds. Industrial development, such as wind farms, fragments the fragile ecosystem and disrupts wildlife habitat. The question needs to be asked, “Does Nebraska want to protect areas of the Sandhills, which are environmentally sensitive, from these massive wind farms?”

Now is the time for our state to have a discussion as to the placement of wind energy in our state. County planning commissions along with legislators and our governor have a sacred responsibility regarding the environment to those who came before us and to those who will come after us. Let the conversation begin.

Mike Kelly, North Platte


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2015/08/30/regulate-wind-farms/