TOPEKA — Kansas wind energy representatives and advocates guaranteed a senate panel Tuesday a bill currently under consideration would end industry investment and development in the state if approved.
Senate Bill 279 would establish state regulation of wind generation facilities, replacing county commission discretions on the establishment of these sites. State law would define turbine setbacks from business, homes and parks, among other areas, and set caps on sound and light emitted by turbines.
Proponents of the bill have urged legislators to give them leverage to block these projects, but opponents backed a decision-making process and zoning laws they said have worked well for years.
