Whitman County wind farm concerns скачать в хорошем качестве

Whitman County wind farm concerns

WHITMAN COUNTY, Wash. — The hills of the Palouse are like a scene printed on a postcard, but that could be changing if 45 wind turbines over 500 feet tall are placed on the hills soon. An Oregon-based company is proposing a wind farm in Whitman County, leaving many neighbors upset. The passion neighbors in the area have against the project is evident, with many placing signs in their front yard showing their obvious opposition to the proposed wind farm. The proposed wind farm is advertised to bring clean energy to power 90,000 homes and over 200 construction jobs. The development manager says there are many other benefits as well. "We see ourselves as community partners to the Whitman County community from everyone from our landowners to people who are not participating in our project," Shane Roche, the development manager, said. "We're estimating up to $70 million of tax revenue." The wind turbines will be placed around the west end of Kamiak Butte to Highway 272. Neighbors say they are concerned that the land there will be ruined, with some neighbors even expressing safety concerns about the proposed wind farm. Many locals don't want their hills to look like the wind farm near Rosalia. They enjoy the beautiful scenery the hills of the Palouse offer them every day. One neighbor says a test tower was put into the area within the last year. Another neighbor, named Dan Lenssen, says the land owners on both sides of his property have leased out their land to allow windmills there, which directly impacts him directly. "Sound, killing wildlife, birds, potential fire risk increase...either lightning strikes, or they do fail quite often and start on fire, and nobody is equipped to fight a fire that's 400 feet in the air?" Lenssen said. "So, that fire could burn for however long it has fuel." While an official with the wind project says windmills catching fire is extremely rare, other neighbors share the same concern. One says he isn't against wind farms, but he is against the irresponsible placement of them. "They need to place them in a location that is the least impactful to the rest of you know, to the community," Rick McNannay, a man who lives in the area said. "So it's not just, not in my backyard. It's not in anybody's backyard." The project is still in the developmental phase, but developers hope to begin construction in 2026. Lessen started a Facebook group to push against the project, which has over 1,000 members now. The Whitman County planner says the county is not involved just yet, since permits have not been submitted. For more resources, check out the Harvest Hills Wind Project Info web page. COPYRIGHT 2024 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED. ►Subscribe:    / 4newsnow   ►Website: http://www.kxly.com ►Twitter:   / kxly4news   ►Facebook:   / kxly4news