Commission Delays Action on Conditional Use Permit For Prairie Breeze II

The Antelope County Planning Commission voted unanimously to table any action on a conditional use permit until September 9 so they can receive further legal advice. A number of issues were raised by citizens at a public hearing which lasted for more than two hours.
The September meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the courthouse in Neligh.
Commission Chairman Mark Smith summed up the meeting in a few simple words towards the end of the hearing, saying if the commission cannot increase the distance between homes and wind turbines from the current setback of 1,000 feet, “then it will be very hard for the application to move forward.” In addition, he told Invenergy officials that the commission needs to know earlier on where the placement of towers will be.
Speaking for Invenergy, James Williams said prior to the commencement of construction a map is provided to Zoning Administrator Char Carpenter showing all wind turbines meeting setback regulations. The meeting room was full of county residents and more stood in the hallway during a hearing which featured proponents and opponents of wind farms voicing their opinions.
Each side was given an opportunity to state their opinions.

For the complete story, see the print edition of The Elgin Review