Wind power can spark passionate reactions – at times dividing neighbors and communities – but unlike many other hot-button topics, how this one shakes out across Kansas may not follow political lines.
Maya Hodison/Lawrence Times
Candidates running for Douglas County Commission see the commission’s role in securing more affordable housing differently, they discussed during the Lawrence Board of Realtors forum Wednesday.
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
Douglas County commissioners voted Wednesday to approve revisions to local wind energy regulations.
As Douglas County commissioners will consider approving draft wind energy regulations on Wednesday, the local health department’s research shows the only “definite” public health impact of wind farms is annoyance.
Douglas County commissioners will hold a work session on Wednesday and a special Saturday meeting next month to discuss a permit for a massive solar farm north of Lawrence. The commission has also set dates to consider changes to wind energy regulations.
The Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission voted 6-3 early Tuesday morning to move forward with a new set of wind energy regulations at the end of a meeting that stretched six hours.
Planning commissioners asked many questions but opted not to take any final action on proposed wind regulations at 2:37 a.m. Tuesday after hearing from 80 people and one peregrine falcon.
A renewable energy pessimist urged a special legislative committee to build support for changing Kansas law to tip the scale in favor of property owners opposed to development of wind and solar generation projects and electricity transmission lines.
Members of a committee have completed a new draft of wind energy regulations for Lawrence and Douglas County, and now they’re seeking public feedback to help guide further revisions.
Kansas has nearly 4,000 turbines, many taller than the Statue of Liberty. People see blinking lights for miles, but now radars can help preserve the night skies.
