Wind Farm Moratorium Extended

By Gordon HopkinsAfter a hearing that lasted more than four hours, attended by over 200 members of the public, Jefferson County Commissioners voted to extend a moratorium on wind farm applications for 30 days.The meeting was held on Tuesday, March 1, 2022, to allow for public input on proposed changes to wind farm regulations. Over 70 citizens spoke, due to the number of people who wished to speak, time was limited to three minutes for each.“We, as commissioners, have been contact by literally hundreds of people in the last week,” said Jefferson County Commission Chairman Mark Schoenrock at the start of the hearing. “There are strong feelings on both sides of this issue and whatever we, the board, decide today, we would ask that we don't let this divide our community.”Schoenrock also said, “None of use has any personal, financial interest, in any decision we make. None of us has any land that would be considered for wind energy and we don't have any personal financial interest in this.”Last year, commissioners voted unanimously to institute a six-month moratorium on wind farm applications, feeling it was necessary to review and possibly revise the policies that govern the placing of wind turbines within the county, due in large part to changing technology. Commissioners have expressed that, while the new regulations should protect non-participating landowners, they should not be so restrictive as to make new wind turbines prohibitive for those who do wish to participate.The Jefferson County Planning and Zoning Committee held a series of meetings in January of this year to discuss a variety of concerns, including noise levels, shadow flicker, setbacks and decommissioning. At the end of each meeting, new rules recommended were voted on and approved by the committee.Unlike the hearing, those meetings were sparsely attended by the public. Many said they only learned about the issue in the last week, despite much advertising by the county and several stories in FJN.The final decision is now in the hands of commissioners. Jefferson County Attorney Joseph Casson advised commissioners they have three options: to accept the changes as recommended by the Planning and Zoning Committee, to modify the recommended changes or to discard the recommendations altogether and leave the regulations as they are.A more detailed account of the hearing will be in next Wednesday's edition of FJN.

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