January 24, 2019
Kansas, Missouri

Liberty Utilities/Empire District officials meet with residents to discuss proposed wind farm

By Jessica Schaer | Jan 23, 2019 | www.fourstateshomepage.com

Liberty Utilities – Empire District officials meet with Southwest Missouri and Southeast Kansas residents about how 3 proposed wind farms will impact their properties.

Two farms will be in Southwest Missouri – one near the area where Dade, Jasper and Lawrence counties meet. The other will be in Barton County just north of Nashville. The third farm is proposed for Neosho county in Southeast Kansas near K-47, between US 59 and US 169.

Benefits of the wind farms include a cleaner form of energy, plus it will bring hundreds of jobs to the area to build, operate, and maintain the wind turbines. Empire officials say the wind farms will also save customers about $170 million dollars over 20 years, and up to $300 million dollars over a 30 year time frame.

But not everyone is happy about the plan. Some residents say the turbines mean they can no longer live in their current homes.

“You know we have mom and pop farmers. Have 160 to 200 acres. They are barely making it. If they have a windmill on them there’s ten thousand or so income a year right off the top,” says Todd Umbager.

“We won’t be able to live in our house that I built. It will be so noisy and so much vibration that it will not be possible to live in that house,” says Joe Fisher.

Construction of the 3 farms is expected to start late this year and be done by the end of 2020.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2019/01/24/liberty-utilities-empire-district-officials-meet-with-residents-to-discuss-proposed-wind-farm/