The Hays Daily News

Ellis County wind farm proposal

Wind farm company requests waiver

4/16/2008; By BRANDON WORFbworf@dailynews.netThe developer of a proposed Ellis County wind farm has re-initiated the process of building the wind-energy complex in the county.Hays Wind today filed a request to the county commission requesting a waiver of the one-yea ... Read Full Story

Meridian Way Wind Farm to border U.S. Highway 81

4/11/2008; By SARAH KESSINGER Harris News Service CONCORDIA -- Come next fall, 67 wind turbines spanning 90 meters each will twirl above the prairie south of this north-central Kansas community. The Meridian Way Wind Farm, now in the ground-breaking stage, is ... Read Full Story

Wind developer eyes two new locations

2/18/2008; By KALEY LYON Hays Daily News The much-contested proposed wind farm site southwest of Hays is not the only area being considered for a project location, County Commissioner Perry Henman said at Monday's meeting. Henman said Hays Wind project manager ... Read Full Story

Protest draws out wind talk

12/29/2007; By KALEY LYON Hays Daily News For the majority of 2007, a heated county-wide debate regarding a proposed wind generation project blew across Ellis County. After months of governmental deliberations by the Ellis County Planning and Zoning Commission ... Read Full Story

Denial of

permit sparks wind debate

11/23/2007; TOPEKA (AP) -- The state's denial of a permit to build two coal-fired power plants in western Kansas has sparked a statewide debate on how efforts to increase wind power might be affected. Last month, Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretar ... Read Full Story

Supporters: No coal, lines means doom

11/12/2007; WICHITA (AP) -- As many as 13 potential wind-farm projects in western Kansas could be in danger because of the state's decision to reject two coal-fired generating plants near Holcomb, proponents of the wind farms said. New transmission lines were to be ... Read Full Story

Iberdrola plans more towers

11/7/2007; By KALEY LYON Hays Daily News Iberdrola Renewable Energies USA has filed three new conditional-use permit applications with the Ellis County Environmental Office, requesting permission to install three meteorological towers. The towers would be loca ... Read Full Story

Missouri wind farm is windfall for rural community

10/29/2007; KING CITY, Mo. (AP) -- In operation for less than a year, the Bluegrass Ridge Farm with its giant turbines has become the face of this struggling northwest Missouri community. Missouri's first commercial wind farm has literally been a windfall for this ... Read Full Story

Kansas has wind potential, if it is willing to act on it

10/23/2007; By DUANE SCHRAG Salina Journal To understand Rep. Josh Svaty's excitement about wind energy, it helps to remember his Bohemian roots. "The predominance of people who settled Ellsworth County were either Czechs or Germans," Svaty, D-Ellsworth, said i ... Read Full Story

Wind talk becomes heated

10/2/2007; By KALEY LYON Hays Daily News Tensions were high Monday morning as a heated discussion regarding zoning issues and the request for a moratorium on wind energy development gusted into Ellis County Commission chambers. Keith Pfannenstiel, who lives on ... Read Full Story

Wind farm company considers paying neighbors

9/13/2007; By KALEY LYON Hays Daily News As earlier suggested by Iberdrola Renewable Energies USA representatives, landowners near the proposed wind project have been offered neighbor agreements. According to several neighbors, the agreements were received las ... Read Full Story

Reaction mixed on wind decision

9/6/2007; By KALEY LYON Hays Daily News Not surprisingly, the 2-1 decision to reject the conditional-use permit for the Ellis County wind farm made by county commissioners left the public with mixed feelings. Opposing neighbors, who believe the locat ... Read Full Story

Hammond: Wind will blow

9/5/2007; By KALEY LYON Hays Daily News While plans for an Ellis County wind farm are on hold after the Ellis County Commission's 2-1 vote Tuesday rejecting the application, Fort Hays State University plans to continue pursuing a small wind energy develop ... Read Full Story

Gone with the wind

9/4/2007; By KALEY LYON Hays Daily News In a 2-1 decision, the conditional-use permit application for the proposed wind farm was denied by the Ellis County Commission during today's meeting. Vernon Berens and Dennis Pfannenstiel voted in favor of the ... Read Full Story

Wind farm decision towering

8/31/2007; By KALEY LYON Hays Daily News On Tuesday morning, Vernon Berens, Dennis Pfannenstiel and Perry Henman will make arguably their biggest decision as Ellis County commissioners: wind farm or no wind farm. The much-anticipated vote regarding a condition ... Read Full Story

Wind farm decision Sept. 4

8/28/2007; By KALEY LYON Hays Daily News Talk of the proposed wind farm again breezed into Ellis County Commission chambers Monday morning. The final decision, however, has been postponed until early September. Dennis R. Davidson, county counselor for ... Read Full Story

CPV rep won't be at meeting 8/23/2007; By KALEY LYON Hays Daily News At Monday's Ellis County Commission meeting, it was suggested Iberdrola Project Manager Krista Gordon would appear on next week's agenda to answer questions regarding the proposed wind farm. But there's been a ... Read Full Story

Wind decision later this month ... maybe

8/15/2007; By KALEY LYON Hays Daily News Commissioners discussed progress toward a final decision regarding the proposed wind farm southwest of Hays at Monday's Ellis County Commission meeting. Keith Pfannenstiel, who resides on Mount Pleasant Road, a ... Read Full Story

Springview wind turbines to be retired

7/17/2007; COLUMBUS, Neb. (AP) -- After nearly ten years of operation, the two 750-kilowatt wind turbines at the Springview Wind Energy Facility will be retired and sold. The Nebraska Public Power District, and its utility partners in the project, have agreed t ... Read Full Story

Commissioners: Wind farm's fate will wait

7/16/2007; By KALEY LYON Hays Daily News The conditional-use permit application regarding the proposed Ellis County wind farm cannot be passed except by a unanimous vote of the Ellis County Commission, it was announced this morning. Ellis County Clerk Alberta ... Read Full Story

Legislature studies effects of wind farms on health

7/15/2007; By Kaley Lyon Hays Daily News The issue of wind farm development in Kansas isn't new to Hays resident and state Rep. Dan Johnson, R-Hays. "I've been (in the Legislature) for 11 years and have probably received more communication on wind far ... Read Full Story

Protest petitions to be discussed

7/15/2007; By KALEY LYON Hays Daily News At Monday's Ellis County Commission meeting, County Clerk Alberta Klaus is scheduled to present information regarding a protest petition filed in objection to the proposed Ellis County wind farm. While the Elli ... Read Full Story

Landowners may get offer from wind company

7/13/2007; By KALEY LYON Hays Daily News Plans are in the works for Iberdrola, the company heading the proposed Ellis County wind farm, to enter contract negotiations with landowners adjacent to the project area. Project manager Krista Gordon said the contract ... Read Full Story

Vandals deface wind signs

7/2/2007; By KALEY LYON Hays Daily News As public sentiment remains strong regarding the proposed Ellis County wind farm, signs expressing both opposition to and support for the project have sprouted up inside Hays city limits, along Interstate 70 and throughou ... Read Full Story

Another wind farm petition reaches county clerk's desk

6/28/2007; By KALEY LYON Hays Daily News Another petition regarding the proposed Ellis County wind farm was presented to the Ellis County clerk Thursday. This one requests a complete moratorium on the project and consists of 760 signatures. The document does n ... Read Full Story

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