Way to screw things up Brownback

[unruhj]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/default/article/Expanded-protection-area-stifles-wind-farm-plans-1380732.php

Way to screw up Brownback!  I cant believe he would expand the off limits area farther south....

[Sarah]

Does this affect the one that was supposed to go up west of Howard?

[Sarah]

I saw a map of the project.  It looks like the one west of  Howard has already been purchased and won't affect it.  Can't say I'm all that upset that he won't allow any more expansion.  Sort of ruins the look of the flint hills to have them littered with wind turbines.  Not that looking at all the pretty red lights at Christmas time over on the hill at night isn't relaxing or anything, but seeing one wind farm is enough for me. 

[flintauqua]

It doesn't affect the Caney River Wind Project, the one under construction on Eagle Head, except that it will not be allowed to expand in the future.  The Elk River Project south of Beaumont will not be allowed to expand into Elk County as had been planned.

From today's Wichita Eagle:

County plans

Elk River Wind Facility, which has been in Beaumont in southeastern Butler County since 2005, is the only one of the state's eight existing wind farms that operates within the area. It will remain, but won't follow through on plans to expand by building 25 more turbines in nearby Elk County.

The Caney River Wind Project in Elk County won't begin operation until next year. It can continue because it's the only proposed facility that has an agreement with a utility to purchase power.

The revised protected area appears to affect only two or three proposed plants.

A second wind farm in Elk County, just east of Howard, won't happen. Developer Gamesa Energy had paid for leases up through this summer, a county official said.

Marion County isn't sure what's going to happen with its early plans for a wind farm. Marion businessman Rex Savage obtained a conditional-use permit for the project from the county earlier this year. The site appears to be outside the west border, U.S. 77, but Savage said he would need more time to verify that.

Read more: http://www.kansas.com/2011/05/15/1849731/expansion-of-protected-area-kills.html#ixzz1MTXMsaCP

Also, keep in mind that this designation of "The Tallgrass Heartland" is completely voluntary: 

The plan is voluntary for wind companies and isn't enforceable by the state, the companies and state officials agree. It took effect the day it was announced, needing no further approval from the Legislature or a state agency.

Existing wind farms and proposed ones that have an agreement to sell power to a utility are allowed to continue in the area. They won't be allowed to expand, although existing transmission lines can be upgraded.

Read more: http://www.kansas.com/2011/05/15/1849731/expansion-of-protected-area-kills.html#ixzz1MTYTf9oD

But I kind of doubt any wind development company is going to push the envelope in the future.

As for local input, I'm sure at least one prominent Elk County land owner had the Governor's ear on this one - a certain Mr. Tom Devlin.

[Sarah]

Is Tom Devlin against the wind farms or something?   I do know for a fact that that wind farm by Beaumont was fought hot and heavy by Dave Murfin who owns land right there near it. 

[Wilma]

I would like to know, where in Elk County is the tall grass?  I am pretty well acquainted with the northwest corner of Elk County and I have yet to see anything that could be called tall grass.  Why is Elk County included in this ban and why didn't the governour consult with the counties that he added to the ban?  It seems to me that the people affected were not considered.

As I understand it and I think it was posted here on the Forum somewhere that Tom Devlin was at some meeting about the Caney Valley project, handing out information about what the project could possibly do to the environment.

Where's the Tall Grass?

[W. Gray]

Here is a map of the Flint Hills.

At the web site for Geo Kansas, increasing the size of the picture shows just a tiny bit of yellow in NW Elk County.

[Wilma]

Does the yellow indicate the presence of Tall Grass? or what is actually the Flint Hills.  Only a tiny portion of the northwest corner of Elk County is yellow and Chautauqua County shows none at all, yet they are included in the ban.

It seems to me that the governour has effectively stopped economic development in Elk County and pushed it to western Kansas.  I wonder why.

[W. Gray]

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/04/tallgrass-prairie/klinkenborg-text

National Geographic says the Flint Hills are the nation's last great expanse of tall grass.

[Sarah]

That link isn't current.  Here is a link to the site with a PDF download of the whole Tallgrass project.  From what I've seen on the KDWP site, they've been taking names to save the Tallgrass project since 2008, I think it was?  Anyway, here's the site:  http://www2.ljworld.com/documents/2011/may/06/tallgrass-heartland/

I don't think the government has to "ask" counties to protect what they consider something that needs to be protected.  Kind of dirty I agree, but then when has government ever been honest?