EUREKA - The expiration of a special use permit for the El Paso wind farm has left holders of tower leases in limbo and expressing mixed reaction to the project's uncertainty.

Larry Roth of Eureka, who has a tower on his property near El Paso, blamed the Woodford County Board for not granting an extension requested by Pattern Energy, which now owns the project initiated by Navitas Energy.

"There seems to be a lot of people who do not want the wind towers and that does not make sense economically," said Roth, adding the county should have taken a leadership role in developing wind farms to benefit schools and taxpayers.

The special use permit expired Tuesday without the owners applying for building permits that would have cost about $138,000.

Navitas Energy, of Minneapolis, had paid $40,000 for the application fee and had received approval a year ago for the special use permit after a lengthy and controversial hearing process. The proposal calls for a $160-million, 80-megawatt project that includes 34 towers.

A spokesman for Pattern Energy did not return calls Wednesday about the future of the project.

John Delaney of rural El Paso has expressed his dissatisfaction with wind farms in the past.

"I had to sign a confidentiality agreement about the value of the rental for the turbines but I think the number is probably common knowledge anyway," he said. "Since that time it seems that every other project around us has had a much higher rate."

The Woodford County Board last month rejected an extension request from Pattern Energy.

Earlier, Navitas paid a 63,000 application fee for the Minonk Wind LLC when the company decided to build taller towers for that $300-million project, which includes 75 towers in Woodford County and 25 in Livingston County.

The Woodford County Zoning Board of Appeals has approved special use permits for Minonk and Navitas' Roanoke Wind LLC, but the company is negotiating road agreements with township officials before they come to the full County Board.