Does renewable energy have a place in Kansas? Lessons from Crawford County
Story and photo by Steve Ford, AOK Board Representative from Sperry-Galligar Audubon Society
As one grump from the audience at the September 19 Crawford County Commission meeting elegantly stated, “We don’t need no windmills.” This was all he said, then sat down. Driving through the county it’s hard to miss the roadside signs that disparage the establishment of commercial wind and solar energy, yet as another party voiced, naysayers tend to be louder than those in favor of issues.
It’s hard to know what people in Crawford County want. Only 7.6% of adults returned a recent zoning issue survey, and many of those respondents didn’t answer all the questions. The results of the survey were first disclosed at this meeting. To the question, "Do you favor the development of commercial wind and solar energy?" the response was: No 55% Yes 35%, but again, the opposition is more likely to participate and be vocal.
There is currently a moratorium on building commercial wind and solar units in this southeast Kansas county. Considerably more conversation is forthcoming and perhaps more focused surveys.
Dr. Jackie Augustine, Executive Director of AOK, offered a brief and balanced testimonial regarding the issues alternative energy pose for wildlife, and distributed a fact sheet with ways to mitigate those issues to the commissioners and members of the audience. Her comments did not raise any discussion at the formal meeting, but several people wanted to talk with her outside the doors of the commission room and later outside of the courthouse itself. I got the impression she got people’s attention with environmental information about which they may not have been aware.
Zoning for industrial wind and solar energy development is far from settled in Crawford County. I know similar discussions are happening in County Commission
meetings throughout Kansas. I appreciate AOK’s science-informed perspective and willingness to testify all over Kansas on behalf of wildlife when these regulatory decisions are being made.
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