Wind turbine zoning rules debated in Burt County

OPPD, out-of-state contractors and people on every side of the issue have a stake in the game.

BURT COUNTY, Neb. — The Burt County Board of Supervisors is considering changing its wind turbine zoning rules.

To a courtroom packed with 70 people, OPPD makes their pitch, saying increased demand for power in eastern Nebraska will continue for decades.

"If we don't find ways to add generation across the state, we're going to have to potentially buy energy off an energy market, which basically has a variable rate. That's unstable. We understand that," said an OPPD representative.

In rolling fields of green, some folks are seeing green, saying wind turbine proposals by out-of-state companies could bring in $13 million to the county, each year.

"We are providing an additional tax revenue that can better support our schools, our roads, our economies as well as our county," Brooke Peterson who lives in rural Craig, said.

Others argue there's a money-making opportunity for farmers when the crop isn't profitable, like this year when corn is cheap.

"We all win. Burt County, farmers, everybody," Kevin Anderson, who lives in rural Craig, said.

Many detractors are concerned over the decibels emitted by wind turbines. The World Health Organization recommends humans are exposed to less than 45 decibels from one of these machines.

"We did 12 years traveling around in the Marine Corps and chose to move back here to Burt County because we know the effects of living next to vibrations, low-frequency sounds, EMFs, all of that by living on base for so many years," Savannah Smith, who lives in rural Oakland, said.

Burt County Supervisors tell KETV Newswatch 7 there is no guarantee that they'll approve wind turbines to be built. There will have to be more meetings and votes taken before that's a possibility.