SOUTH HUTCHINSON, Kan. — With the Reno County Planning Commission preparing to set a public hearing date on new regulations for wind farms in the county, the Reno County Citizens for Quality of Life has responded with a letter stating the proposed regulations are not enough.
In the letter provided to Hutch Post and Eagle Radio by the County Planning Department, the group states, “While we appreciate your efforts in improving current WECS regulations, there are some oversights that need to be addressed before a final draft is approved.”
The group says its primary concern throughout the process has consistently been protecting the property rights of both participating and non-participating property owners.
“Reno County must have clearly defined setbacks. It is irresponsible of the county to expect a developer to be the only protector of landowner rights. These regulations will provide guidelines for developers that need to be met prior to submitting a project proposal. However, the primary objective of the county should be to protect the county. This kind of ambiguity leaves the county vulnerable to legal action from both developers and private citizens,” according to the letter.
The group also states that there is a lack of verbiage differentiating between participating and non-participating landowner rights and setbacks.
The Planning Commission will take action on setting a public hearing date on the regulations during a meeting Thursday at 4:30 p.m. at the Public Works offices in South Hutchinson. No public comment will be taken during the meeting.