Possibly growing weary of weekly Thursday night meetings and months of discussion, supporters have started calling for decisions to be made soon on the proposed Neosho Ridge Wind energy project.
At least one concerned southern Neosho County resident, however, told county commissioners they still haven’t received enough information from Apex Clean Energy to make any decisions on the project.
“There’s so much information that you’ve asked for, but you’re not getting it, and they’re not even apologizing for not getting it,” Bryan Coover said.
Coover’s comments came during the commission’s regular meeting, which followed a special session earlier in the day during which commissioners spoke with Wichita attorney Patricia Blankenship. It was the second consecutive week the commission consulted with Blankenship about setbacks and other requirements that could be included in agreements with Apex for the Neosho Ridge project. The meeting with Blankenship called for attorney-client privilege for a total of three hours and 15 minutes.
During the regular meeting, Coover said the county needs engineering reports for the project so that an outside expert can read and interpret them before the commission can make important decisions.
That information should include sound maps, Coover said. He doubts Apex’s comparison of the sound of one of the 600-foot turbines to the sound of a refrigerator.
“Nobody really believes a wind turbine really makes the same noise as a refrigerator,” Coover said. “I want to be able to sleep in my house at night and not have to move. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.”
(Read more: The Chanute Tribune)