October 16, 2019
Nebraska

Cherry County Board of Commissioners revise permit zoning regulations

By Beatriz Reyna | KNOP-TV | Oct 15, 2019 | www.knopnews2.com

Cherry County Commissioners moved forward with their plans to build a 19 wind turbine project near Kilgore. The project is proposed by BSH Kilgore LLC and Bluestem Sandhills LLC.

Tuesday’s vote comes after commissioners revised five of the twelve conditions in the application, which include, a satisfactory road agreement, a satisfactory decommissioning agreement, development of a fire suppression control plan, in conjunction with local fire departments, ten percent cash of the $4.1 million in net decommissioning costs will be deposited in a secured letter of credit at the bank of their choice, and all requirements outlined in the application must be completed and approved prior to the start of construction.

The project has brought strong opinions from both sides for more than three years.

“In a way, I think it’s a gimmick to get subsidized money from the government,” said Cherry County Resident Dennis Hall. “Like I said, I am not for it, I am not against it, I’m for just government.”

Members with Preserve the Sandhills filed a lawsuit this past summer that states Commissioners Martin DeNayer and Tanya Storer stand to financially gain from the project.

“Like I said, they should have recused themselves,” said Hall. “We need some new commissioners.”

Opponents of the project call Tuesday’s action a small victory for commissioners, however, they plan to continue fighting.

“What we saw today, I think, was a rush to get this approved; it’s exactly what we expected,” said Preserve the Sandhills Communications Director Craig Andresen. “I don’t know what they expected our reaction to be, but our reaction will be through legal documents.”

Andresen says aside from the appeal, a lawsuit that challenges two of the commissioners abuse of power will be heard in Cherry County Court on Friday.

The board plans to approve the revised regulations for the conditional use permit at their next meeting on October 29th.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2019/10/16/cherry-county-board-of-commissioners-revise-permit-zoning-regulations/