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Oliver County hearing draws hours of public comment on wind-energy ordinance amendments
Summary
Residents packed the Jan. 29 meeting to debate proposed wind-energy ordinance amendments that would cap turbines countywide (draft: 225) and increase setbacks and enforcement (road-use, water and weed controls). Industry representatives requested grandfathering options; the board did not vote and scheduled further hearings.
The Oliver County Planning & Zoning Board’s Jan. 29 meeting became a lengthy forum for residents, landowners and industry to debate proposed wind-energy ordinance amendments that would impose a countywide cap, larger setbacks for nonparticipating landowners and stricter road-use and enforcement measures.
The board member who introduced the draft said the cap calculation was a starting point: "with a wind energy density of 2,054 acres per turbine, that limits to 225 turbines," the member said, explaining the figure was based on county acreage and a desire to preserve Oliver County’s agricultural character. The draft also includes…
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