October 4, 2018
Kansas

Some concerns over proposed wind farm

By Chris Warner, Reporter | KOAM TV 7 | October 3, 2018 | www.koamtv.com

A proposed wind farm in Neosho County, Kansas is met with some opposition from area residents.

A meeting was held by the residents to share their concerns.

Concerns over what is called the “Neosho Ridge” wind project.

The plan is to bring enough wind turbines to Neosho County to power more than 75,000 homes at full capacity.

But some residents, feel, their concerns, are going unanswered.

Dustie Elsworth, Meeting Organizer: “There was times I would ask a question and with all the lingo that they brought in and how they presented it at the end, you’re sitting there going ‘ok, what was my question?’ and ‘did I really get an answer to it?'”

Elsworth organized the meeting in Erie to help explain some of that lingo and express their concerns over safety and noise.

Bryan Coover shared his concerns with the group.

Coover says the turbines would be too close to homes, a distance of 1,400 hundred feet from the foundation, and could cause noise disturbances, and potentially serious injury if the turbines were to fail.

Bryan Coover, Galesburg Resident: “I don’t have a strong feeling about wind turbines either way, but I do have a strong feeling about being quiet in my house. That’s why we live in the country, we live out there because it’s quiet and peaceful.”

Apex Clean Energy released this statement to us saying “In every community we work in, we know that there will be questions about the wind project and we work to provide multiple educational opportunities for folks to ask questions and get to know us. A couple weeks ago, we conducted a phone survey of Neosho County residents to see what their knowledge of the wind project was. The results showed that Neosho County overwhelmingly supports the wind project 4 to 1.”

Apex officials tell us there are still more meetings and town halls planned as the project moves forward.

Apex is planning on providing a bus tour to a wind farm in Waverly on October 20th.

They’ll be sending information out on how to RSVP for that opportunity.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2018/10/04/some-concerns-over-proposed-wind-farm/