Wind farm opposition expected at upcoming Cherry County Commission meeting

VALENTINE, Neb. - Opponents of a proposed wind farm near Kilgore plan to attend Tuesday’s Cherry County Board of Commissioners meeting, raising concerns over the project’s permit status and regulatory compliance. Sandhills Energy Senior Vice President of Operations Michael Knapp said in October that the farm, BSH Kilgore, will have 14 wind turbines and planned to soon start construction.

However, opponents argue that the project’s conditional use permit expired last year.  During the October meeting, County Attorney Eric Scott said that because the company was involved in litigation for a couple of years, that may have paused the clock on the permit, allowing for more time. Still, at least two of the three commissioners noted that while that’s a possibility, county regulations specifically state that the company can’t have a permit exceeding five years.

In addition to the expired permit, Carolyn Semin, who opposes the project, says that the project doesn’t have the needed commissioner approval and US Fish and Wildlife permit. She also says that several conditions set by the previous commissioners have not been met, including Nebraska Public Power District approval and an irrevocable letter of credit from a board-approved financial institution.

Semin is urging concerned residents to attend the commissioner meeting on Tuesday, May 13, at 10:00 a.m. CT.