Opinions
Put limits on wind development
Land use regulation almost always triggers property-rights objection. In this case, a vocal minority of the eight landowners that have signed with the promoter assert that their "private property rights" should let them force industrial development into the Northern Laramie Range. This is nonsense.
The U.S. Supreme Court settled the issue nearly a century ago: Reasonable restriction on land use, established through appropriate public process, is not a "taking" of private property.
August 1, 2010
by Bret Frye and Sharon Rodeman
in Casper Star-Tribune
No one seriously has suggested shutting down the wind energy industry in Converse County. More than three-quarters of the county's 4,265 square miles are in the high plains, thinly settled and away from both population centers and the mountains. Landowners in these areas of the county can partner with wind energy firms without materially diminishing the quality of life of the community, or undermining the potential of that quality of life to attract a diverse array of businesses offering the high-paying jobs that keep young people in the community.
While the contribution of industrial wind facilities to the overall economy isn't... [continue via Web link]
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