Renewable energy debate ramps up in western Kentucky

MCLEAN COUNTY, Ky.  — McLean County officials announced plans to form a moratorium to research the possibility of windmills in the county, right on the heels of a wind energy public hearing in Henderson. 

The topic of green energy has many people divided. Some say it’s the energy of the future, while others argue it could be harmful to people and the environment.

“Right now, wind farms are the hot topic of discussion, but time has shown us that we will adapt,” says McLean County Judge Executive Curtis Dame. “They’ll be new technologies.”

Last week, the McLean County Fiscal Court voted to send a moratorium ordinance on windmills to the McLean County Planning & Zoning Commission. Judge Executive Curtis Dame says the moratorium will give the county a data-driven, numbers-based approach.

“I’m not personally in favor of the windmills, but that doesn’t mean that someone else might not be, or maybe, so we want to make sure that we’re comprehensive in the opinions of what our voters and citizens want,” says Dame.

Dame says he is watching how neighboring counties like Henderson deal with wind and solar discussions. Dame says he’s watching how neighboring counties, like Henderson, are handling wind and solar discussions. 

Henderson residents raise concerns about wind turbine plans

In Henderson County, last night marked the first of several upcoming public meetings on wind energy. One major concern from residents was the lack of transparency about the project. 

Vice president of development with Cordelio Power, Tim Vought, says the company has publicly shared its plans.

“We’ve been publicly stating for the last four years that we are proposing a project here that would contain wind, solar and battery energy storage,” says Vought. “We’re calling it the Rock Bluff Energy Park, and we’ve got a website, called rockbluffenergypark.com. That has a lot of information about what we’re proposing.”

Vought says that although many people at last night’s meeting opposed the windmills coming to the county, there are also residents in favor.

“We have a number of people that have voiced their opposition to the proposed facility, but there are also a number of people that are supportive of the facility,” says Vought. “We do know that there are people that are making phone calls to the people that are on the planet commission supporting their opinion.”

Residents in Henderson County are speaking out about the possibility of windmills, with some supporting the clean energy project.

“I feel that there’s no way to fight the future,” says Henderson resident Bunni Lynn.

“We use sustainable energy from some other source besides fossil fuels,” says Henderson resident Tim Lynn.

“Hopefully the birds are smart enough not to smack into a windmill; I see it just maybe saving people money, hopefully in the long run, having an alternative way of getting energy versus coal,” says Henderson resident Anthony Kladis.

Some county residents approached about leasing their land are pushing back against the windmills, raising concerns about the impact of the turbines.

“When they first approached us, they told us that we might get one turbine, we might get the substation, you might get the road that goes in between so you know they don’t tell you what you’re going to get,” says Henderson County resident Ladonna Shreve.

“There’s a lot of variables as far as what happens with these signs when the contractors are up and who’s left to take care of them, and are they responsible to take them down and move that part out, or is that something to be left on you? Just a lot of unanswered questions, I think,” said Henderson County resident Philip Shreve.

McLean County officials say they will continue to monitor the project in Henderson and take it from there. As for Henderson County, their next public meeting is set for May, and the discussions will continue into early next year.

Here are all the scheduled meetings and topics on the windmills:

May 20: Noise, vibration, and shadow flicker
July 15: Environmental and ecological impacts
September 16: Health and annoyance impact review
October 18: Safety, engineering, and infrastructure
January 1, 2027: Regulatory and administrative framework