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Wind Power News: Missouri
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.
An Ameren wind farm isn’t running at night, to save bats. Should customers pay for that?
Three years ago, the largest electric utility in the state, Ameren Corp., pitched a brand new wind farm with hundreds of turbines in the hills of northern Missouri. But the area, just north of Kirksville, was also home to eagle nests and endangered bat colonies, the state said. Scientists warned Ameren the turbines would kill some. Now Ameren is before state regulators hoping to raise electricity rates across Missouri, and it’s run into a sticking point: The turbines at its . . . Complete story »
Missouri’s largest wind farm shut off at night to protect bats
ST. LOUIS– For the last few months, Missouri’s largest wind farm has been idle at night to avoid killing endangered bats. The Ameren-owned wind far, the High Prarie Renewable Energy Center, is in northeastern Missouri. The shutdown comes as Ameren Missouri looks to increase customer rates to cover billions of dollars recently invested in electric grid upgrades and its new wind generation facilities. Some consumer advocates argue customers shouldn’t have to pay more if Ameren isn’t producing at its full . . . Complete story »
Missouri’s largest wind farm isn’t running at night for fear of killing endangered animals
Every night for months, turbines at Missouri’s largest wind farm sit idle to avoid killing endangered and threatened bats. And now, as the wind farm’s owner, Ameren Missouri, seeks permission to increase customers’ rates, consumer advocates are sounding the alarm. They argue customers shouldn’t have to pay the full costs of the wind farm on their bills if it’s not fully functional. And at least one fears the company won’t meet state standards for renewable energy. The St. Louis electric . . . Complete story »
MoDOT promises to fix Schuyler county roads damaged by wind farm by end of the year
SCHUYLER COUNTY, Mo. – Roads in Schuyler County are in need of maintenance – and now the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is starting to make those repairs. MoDOT plans to work on routes U, D, O and Y, announcing pavement and maintenance work for this week. Routes E and J will also have pavement and maintenance work done, which is scheduled for July 19 through July 22. This comes after several residents in the area have voiced their concerns over the . . . Complete story »
Missouri Governor Parson signs four bills into law
Today, Governor Mike Parson signed four bills into law. SB 5 – Relating to Taxation: Extends the sunset for the Advanced Industrial Manufacturing (AIM) zones program from August 28, 2023 to August 28, 2030. SB 44 – Relating to Public Utilities: Prohibits local governments from banning certain types and sources of energy, modifies provisions relating to service territories of retail electric service providers, increases the competitive bidding process threshold from 10 to 20 percent of external expenditures for certain water . . . Complete story »
Wind farm regulations approved unanimously by Boone County Planning & Zoning
A final draft of proposed zoning rules for wind farms won the unanimous approval of the Boone County Planning & Zoning Commission on Thursday and will now go to the Boone County Commission for another public hearing and vote. The commission voted to adopt the rules, which come as the alternative energy company RWE is acquiring leases from Boone County landowners near Harrisburg to erect wind turbines on their property. RWE hopes to establish a large-scale wind farm in northwest . . . Complete story »
Final draft of wind farm rules scheduled for Thursday vote
The final drafts of wind farm and wind turbine regulations for Boone County have been published ahead of a scheduled Planning and Zoning Commission discussion and vote Thursday night. The commission has made some tweaks to its proposed rules for wind energy conversion overlay districts and for conditional use permits that would allow wind turbines in the county. Those changes came after a series of three public hearings when residents offered their feedback on an initial draft of rules that . . . Complete story »
As Kansas, Missouri keep building wind, some communities look to regulate
FRANKFORT – Austin Cline is the third generation to farm his family’s land in Marshall County. His home, added onto many times over, sits at the edge of 1,000 acres where he raises cattle and bales hay. From his driveway, he has a more than 180-degree view of neighbors’ land and native prairie grass. But by next year, he expects the horizon to be dominated by commercial wind turbines, some as close as 4,000 feet. He and his neighbors will be . . . Complete story »
For power line opponents, hope hasn’t dimmed
Joe Kalin has fond memories of growing up in the Buchanan County countryside. His father came from Switzerland and turned 87 acres near Faucett, Missouri, into a successful dairy farm, where Kalin lived and worked with four brothers and a sister. Before passing it to the next generation, Kalin’s father instilled a deep appreciation for the land and its productive capacity. “My parents both come from the old country,” said Kalin, now 84. “My father, he loved to farm. It . . . Complete story »
Power line sets dangerous precedent
On a recent afternoon in mid-April, hundreds of Missourians rallied at the Missouri State Capitol to urge the legislature to protect their property rights. The rally was sparked by an egregious abuse of eminent domain in northern Missouri. Several years ago, a group of investors announced plans to build a high-voltage wind energy transmission line from western Kansas to Indiana. They named this proposed “merchant transmission line” the Grain Belt Express. Then the project changed hands. Like the first proprietors, . . . Complete story »
