| Wind Watch is a registered educational charity, founded in 2005. |
Wind Power News: Kansas
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational effort to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
County review of wind farm regulations continues
It appears there will be changes made to zoning regulations of wind energy turbines, and those changes could come as soon as August. The Harvey County Commission will review some recommendations which came out of a meeting of the county planning and zoning board last week which was dedicated to reviewing current conditional use permit requirements for wind turbines. The County Commission will be presented with an overview of a comparison of Harvey County’s Commercial Renewable Energy Regulations to other . . . Complete story »
County zoning board to look at wind turbine permitting
Where wind turbines could be permitted as part of a wind farm project by NextEra Energy in Harvey County are limited – the county passed a resolution in 2019 setting limits for wind turbines. Those limits will be under review during a 7 p.m. July 12 meeting of the Harvey County Planning and Zoning advisory board and board of zoning appeals in the courthouse community room, 800 N. Main, Newton. The meeting is a work session for planning board to . . . Complete story »
County puts wind energy moratorium in place
The Brown County Commission met Thursday morning for the regular end-of-month meeting, and after much discussion, the group took a vote that brought the culmination of months of discussion regarding wind energy, agreeing to a Wind Energy Moratorium by a 2-1 vote, with Commissioners Larmar Shoemaker and Richard Lehmkuhl voting for the Resolution, and Commissioner William Pollock voting against. With the moratorium now passed, the commission will move on to selecting a company to help create their Comprehensive Plan, and . . . Complete story »
Wind farm challenged yet again
Four Florence men made a last-minute effort Monday to get county commissioners to halt development of a wind farm by claiming a predecessor owner of the project was involved in fraud. Sunflower Wind, now owned by the Danish company Orsted, will sponsor a ground breaking ceremony Thursday. Tom Britain, who was scheduled for 1:45 p.m. on Monday’s agenda to talk about corruption, did not come to the meeting at his scheduled time. He did appear half an hour later, saying . . . Complete story »
Differing opinions continue to stall wind energy moratorium
The Brown County Commission met on Monday morning, and with a decision expected to implement a moratorium against the development of commercial wind energy in the county was once again delayed as commissioners clashed on details of the proposed moratorium. At the County Commission meeting on June 6, County Attorney Kevin Hill presented a proposed moratorium on wind energy development, per the request of the commission. The proposed ordinance would impose a $1,000 per day fine for any company in . . . Complete story »
Commissioners discuss Wind Energy Development Moratorium
The Brown County Commission met Monday morning and heard more information about the Wind Energy Development Moratorium from County Attorney Kevin Hill. County Attorney Hill addressed the questions presented at the last meeting about the Wind Energy Development Moratorium. Hill stated that the $1,000 per day fine is fairly standard. Commissioner Pollock suggested raising the fine to create a larger deterrent to wind energy companies, to which Hill responded that the presented resolution is simply a draft, and that the . . . Complete story »
Moratorium on wind farms reviewed at county meeting
OSWEGO – Two members of the Labette County commission want to study justifications for a moratorium on construction of a wind development before possibly acting on it. County Counselor Brian Johnson on Monday shared with commissioners a resolution to impose a seven-month moratorium on wind development so the commission can study zoning. RWE Renewables is a German utility that is looking to develop a wind harvesting facility in western Labette County, from south of Big Hill Lake to north of Edna . . . Complete story »
Where could a wind farm go in Harvey County?
Brian Stucky of Goessel is not against green energy – he has had solar panels on his house for decades. He’s also not really against the construction of wind farms in Kansas, though he questions mightily why Harvey County would be a place considered. “Everybody is in favor of alternative energy, but where? I know the whole thing is NIMBY, not in my back yard thing,” Stucky said. “Well, yeah, not in my back yard because there is people who . . . Complete story »
Resident raises concerns about wind farm to county
Labette County commissioners Monday entertained the idea of putting into effect a moratorium on wind farm construction and development, but no formal action was taken. County resident Lindsey Wilson approached county commissioners about protective opportunities for the county with wind turbines. Wilson and her family live in what would be the footprint of the wind farm if the German utility company RWE moves forward with the development. She asked commissioners to complete research and read about wind farms. “And so . . . Complete story »
Liberty Utilities still trying to repair transformers for Neosho Ridge Wind
GALESBURG – The wind turbines remain idle in Neosho Ridge Wind more than two months after two transformers malfunctioned. The industrial wind complex has 139 turbines located mostly in and around Galesburg and Thayer. “We continue our efforts to restore operations at the Neosho Ridge Wind farm. The two transformers that failed are en route to the manufacturer for repairs,” said Kelli Price, Liberty Utilities senior manager of communications and marketing. “They weigh approximately 200,000 pounds each and are being transported . . . Complete story »
