Logan County adopts amended wind turbine regulations

After nearly two years and numerous delays and amendments, Logan County finally has regulations governing the installation, maintenance and decommissioning of wind turbines.

By a 3-0 vote, the Board of County Commissioners Tuesday adopted the amended, 13-page document after nearly an hour of public comment.

The commissioners were tweaking the language of the regs right up until the 9 a.m. start time for their work session. Later, during the business meeting, the board adopted nine individual amendments before adopting the regulations as a whole.

The regulations have been in the works for nearly two years, ever since residents of the areas around Fleming began objecting to wind turbines being installed in the Niyol Wind Farm. The commissioners tasked the Logan County Planning Commission with writing regulations in August 2021, and that board recommended adoption of the draft regs in March this year. Meanwhile, the County Commissioners imposed a moratorium on all further wind and solar energy development in rural Logan County in February 2022.

Regulations for solar power development still are in the works by the Planning Commission and may be ready for adoption later this year.