Details emerge over protest petition

By Duane Schrag

Special to the Rural Messenger

 

The owners of nearly one-third of the parcels in the footprint of a proposed Pretty Prairie Wind Farm have signed protest petitions objecting to the project. NextEra Energy, based in Florida, wants to build a 220 megawatt wind farm in far southeast Reno County.

The Reno County Commission is expected to meet June 13 to decide whether to issue a conditional use permit to allow the project to go forward.

County staff have not yet said whether there are enough protest petitions to require a unanimous commission vote to issue the permit.

Under state law, a protest is sufficient if the owners of at least 20 percent of the land within 1,000 feet of participating zoned parcels object. A zoned parcel is said to be participating if the owner signs a lease or contract with the developer, such as for a turbine to be placed on a parcel in the zoned part of the county.

If petitions meet the 20 percent threshold, the decision to issue a conditional use permit must be unanimous.

The group submitted protest petitions for 184 of the 607 parcels that make up the 47,000-acre wind farm footprint. Petitions by the owners of dozens of  parcels outside the footprint were also submitted. Only land within 1,000 feet of zoned participating parcels will be counted.

In the accompanying map, the wind farm footprint is pale yellow, the land within the footprint owned by protesters is blue, the Cheney wildlife protection area is green, and the area with diagonal lines is zoned.

About 30 percent of the footprint is unzoned; 42 percent of the proposed turbine locations – 39 of 92 – are in the unzoned area.

Proposed turbine locations are either round dots or triangles. The 20 triangles show proposed turbine locations that are within three miles of the Cheney wildlife protection area.

The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism position on wind power is that “turbines not be sited within three miles of a KDWPT-managed property.” In a letter to NextEra earlier this year, KDWPT expressed concern about the placement of nine turbines within the three-mile buffer area.

Ron Kaufman, director of information services for the department, said Friday that due to a mapping error, KDWPT thought that the number of turbines within the three-mile buffer was nine, rather than 20.

In April, KDWPT sent a letter to Reno County stating that it planned to meet with NextEra to discuss “flexibility in changing the siting of some turbines within the 3-mile buffer.”

Kaufman said Friday that KDWPT has not changed its recommendation that no turbines be built in the buffer.

NextEra did not respond to an email asking whether any turbines proposed for the buffer area had been relocated or removed.

Here is a list of the owners of property within the footprint for which a protest petition was submitted:  

Achilles, Kevin R & Teresa K

Adkins, Douglass S & Shawna K

Agrarian Concepts, Inc

Bartholomew, Jeff Ray & Ann

Bauman, Fam Trust & Beltz, Robert D

Bauman, Janice K & Beltz,

Robert D Bauman Fam Trust Bays,

David L & Victoria F Beltz,

Janet L Beltz,

Robert D Bender,

Lawrence H Bergkamp,

Byron & Dorothy Trust Blocker,

Nellie M Rev Trust & Harold W Res Trust BMJ Farm of Haven Bogner,

Blaine & Emily Bogner,

David J & Marsha G Bogner,

Donald L Rev Trust Bogner,

Donald L Rev Trust & David J & Duane J Rev Trust Bogner,

Donald L Rev Trust & Duane J Rev Trust Bogner,

Donald L Rev Trust & Duane J Rev Trust & David J & Marsha G Bogner,

Gerald & Michelle G Bogner, James & Renner,

Whitney Bogner,

Marcella A Rev Trust Bogner,

Matthew F Rev Trust Bogner,

Paul J Revoc Trust Bontrager,

Vernon H Trust & Arlene K Trust Bontrager,

Wendell A & E Marie Brauer,

Milton E &  C Janice Rev Trust Brown,

Michael L & Vicki Brown,

Ted L & Amy M Brungardt,

Marcia K &  Bogner,

Andrew G Jr Bullinger,

Blake Randal & Carly Cauble,

Trudy L Clark,

Jane Ann Clupny,

Alan E & Evelyn A Liv Trust Cokeley Trust Coleman,

Gary Trust &  Sandra Trust Cranmer Holdings LLC Denicola,

John & Debra S Doles, Donald Wayne & Ilene Egli,

Nicholas E & Esther D Egli,

Nick Fishburn,

Phillip A & Carolyn R Foster,

Daniel & Brynn L Giefer,

Justin F & Jenna R GLR Farm Trust Gorges,

Duane J & Wendy M Gorges,

Jennifer L & David Hageman,

Mary Lou R & Clarence W & Ewertz,

Kathy Headings Weldon & Anna J Helmer,

Charles W Hermes, Peggy A & Johnny B Hesket,

Daniel Earl & Vallie S Howard,

Alan & Joyce Huffman,

Marvin V & Carolyn Y Huston,

Don R Trust &  Huston,

Jessie M Trust JDJ Farms,

Inc Johnson,

Garth Q & Sherri K KDKS Focus,

LLC Keller,

Jeffrey D & Patricia F Krell,

June Lea Lanning,

Roy D & Lois I Rev Trust Laughlin,

Nichole M Long,

Troy D Macarthur,

Buell A & Julie K Mace,

Lloyd & Georjean A Moore,

Michael K & Dorn C Moore,

Myrna F & Edgington,

Glenda Ruth Oehlert,

Gary H & Cherry K Orange Acres LLC Otto,

Paul W & Kristina M Paney,

Sylvester C Liv Trust Paney,

Delores C Popp,

Laura Ratzlaff,

Elizabeth Mary  & Austin Joe Reichenberger,

Gary L & Judy K Rettig,

Howard Wayne & Sue Ann Roeder,

John F Jr & Yvonne M Royer,

William L Trust & Leta L Trust Scheele Farm LLC Schlickau,

Lucille B Schmidt,

Jeffrey J Schmidt,

Jeffrey J & Rachel J Schmidt,

John G Trust Schmidt,

Lloyd H Liv Trust & Rosalie M Liv Trust Schmidt,

Mark A Schmidt, Mary L Rev Trust Schmutz,

Robert & Angel Schoenhals,

Kevin J & Nikki J Liv Trust Scobee,

Willis G & Mary E Seiler,

Neal & Stephanie Seiwert,

Ken Liv Trust &  Seiwert,

Betty Liv Trust Simon,

Theodore J & Sandra C Smith,

Lyn R Trust Spencer,

Wade Randall Thalmann Land Company,

LLC Thalmann,

Lynn & Stephanie Liv Trust Thetford,

Jacob & Adrienne Tolin,

Jane A Trust & Krell,

June Lea Rev Trust Tolin,

Ricky L & Jane A Tonn,

Allison Rheann & Amanda Rochelle & Andrew Braden & Randall M Estate Tonn,

Lavera M Liv Trust Tonn,

Randall M Valdois,

Michael D & Denise L Wagner,

Charles G Liv Trust & Jackie Liv Trust Walsten,

Richard J & Gary D Wary, Mary Jean Bogner & Achillies,

Teresa K & Kevin R & Bogner, David J etal Weber,

Katelyn B & Rick J Westfahl,

Margaret L Trust Westfahl,

Marie Liv Trust Weve,

Robert A & Evie J Weve,

Sharon L Whitney,

Mary E Williams,

Daryl L & Patricia E Worster,

Kelsey Mears Yutzy,

James C & Linda K Yutzy,

Nathan Yutzy.