Speaker: Wind energy has hidden costs

HARTINGTON — Dick Hollman wants to clear the air about wind turbines and he got the chance to do that at the Cedar County commissioners meeting last week.

Hollman, of Hallam, about 30 miles south of Lincoln, is part of a group called Lancaster Wind Watchers. The group aims to ensure its county maintains safe, healthy and fair wind turbine regulations and zoning.

Hollman’s appearance at the commissioners meeting was arranged and requested by several Cedar County residents. Cedar County does not currently have any wind turbine farms, although most counties around Cedar County do have wind generation turbines.

Hollman talked to the commissioners for about an hour at its meeting with five from the public sitting in, as well as other county officials.

Wind may be free but other costs outweigh any benefits, Hollman said.

His talk detailed health hazards to humans and animals as a result of the wind turbines, the environmental impact, and reputation and misrepresentations made by wind turbine companies.

“I’m not against ‘go green.’ It is a good idea but you have to do it right,” Hollman said. “New technology should not harm anyone’s health. It should be safe for people and the environment. It should be cost effective. It should be more efficient than what we currently have and it should reduce the price of electricity. This does none of that.”

He urged county commissioners to review zoning and setback restrictions to make it more difficult for wind turbines to locate in the county.

“The county board is directed under law with protecting the county’s health, safety and welfare including through zoning and regulations,” Hollman said. “If you put wind turbines around people you are not doing your job.”

Zoning Administrator Tim Gobel said he appreciated Hollman’s perspectiv,e as the board has heard much from wind turbine proponents over the years.

“A lot of people even younger than me, everyone I’ve talked to, don’t want them here at all. Everyone I’ve talked to say ‘Keep them out.’ It makes some people money but the other point, which you say, you’ve got to worry about what it’s doing to your neighbor. That’s the point that I’ve never heard before and I can guarantee other people have never heard either,” he said.

The county’s wind turbine zoning is based on Knox County’s zoning, Gobel said. No formal action was taken at last week’s meeting on the topic.

In other county news, the county’s website may be revamped to become a .gov domain.

Emergency Manager Kevin Garvin told the commissioners the county is being urged by the Secretary of State’s Office to make the change in an effort to avoid duplication or hacking attempts.

“They said there have been some problems with other counties being hacked,” said Commissioner David McGregor. “Everybody’s hacking everything and they’re all asking for money.”

Criminals who hack into a computer system routinely hold the data for ransom. Some counties who have extensive backup systems have escaped without too much damage and did not have to pay the ransom. Other counties who have been hacked have not fared as well, Garvin said.

Applied Connective Technologies of Albion and Hartelco of Hartington will be providing recommendations for technology infrastructure upgrades related to the potential domain change.

No timeline or budget has been set yet.

The commissioners also discussed briefly how the 2020 U.S. Census impacted their districts. With new population counts, District 1 contains 2,216 residents; District 2, 3,656 residents; and District 3, 2,980. The district populations must be within 5 percent. Re-districting will need to occur to account for the shifts in population.

At its meeting last week, the commissioners also:

- Approved a resolution for the County Bridge Match program to apply for $200,000 reimbursement for a bridge northeast of Laurel.

- Heard an update about renovations planned for the south side of the courthouse. Work will get underway this week.

- Discussed signage needs at Cedar County Transport.

- Reviewed revisions to the county safety manual which includes a new section on airborne pathogens. The board plans to adopt it at its next meeting.

- Heard a report from Roads Superintendent Carla Schmidt. She said 3,600 notices about the county’s mowing statutes have been printed to include in tax statements to landowners.

- Heard a report from Gobel which included some issues with 2015 paperwork related to the Tall Oaks subdivision near Brooky Bottom.

- Discussed a wildfire protection plan and appointed Garvin as the representative for Nebraska Forest Service steering committee on the issue.