Kansas property owners lash out at wind farms in support of proposed restrictions

Amy Brown held her two young sons to her side Tuesday as she fought back tears and lashed out at the company that plans to surround her home south of Hutchinson with massive wind turbines.

She was in the Statehouse for a hearing on a bill that would impose heavy restrictions on new wind energy developments across the state. The law would require a 1.5-mile cushion between residential homes and wind turbines.

Echoing the concerns of those who testified in support of the restrictions, Brown said she fears health problems linked by studies to low-frequency sounds produced by wind generators. If Reno County officials approve a deal with NextEra Energy, she said, her family’s nine-acre property will be in the middle of an industrial wind facility of more than 80 turbines.

“The impact to my children’s overall health is significant enough that our family has talked about living in a camper on the lake to recoup if we can,” Brown said. “We worked very hard to have paid for our home so we can give these children a life that’s better than what we even had, and it’s sincerely being taken from us.”