May 29, 2016
Nebraska

Nebraska wind farm project on hold over local opposition, legal review

By Paul Hammel / World-Herald Bureau | May 29, 2016 | www.omaha.com

LINCOLN – A second Nebraska wind farm has been put on hold, in part because of local opposition to the project.

Last week the Cherry County Planning Commission put off consideration of a 50-megawatt farm planned in the Sand Hills near Kilgore pending a review of public notice requirements.

The commission held a public hearing on the project Tuesday but decided to delay a vote on a conditional use permit until it could be determined whether the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, which operates the nearby Cowboy Trail, should have been informed of the meeting. That legal review could take a few weeks, officials said.

The wind farm, to be developed by Bluestem Sandhills LLC, is projected to generate nearly $400,000 a year in additional property taxes and create three or four full-time jobs. But some local landowners object to the project.

Also last week, consideration of a 350-megawatt wind farm near Brunswick, Nebraska, was postponed by the Antelope County Board until its June 7 meeting in order to allow more consideration of testimony for and against the project.

About 300 people attended a seven-hour public hearing on the Invenergy project in Neligh on Tuesday.

This report contains material from the Associated Press.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2016/05/29/nebraska-wind-farm-project-on-hold-over-local-opposition-legal-review/