HarveyCounty Commissioners have voted to temporarily ban wind energy projects in the county, following intense backlash from rural residents. Commissioners previously approved plans to allow Nextera Energy to develop a wind farm in western Harvey County. Now, they’ve implemented the ban for six months as the county government prepares to conduct a citizen’s advisory vote on the issue. Residents in the area of the proposed wind farm are very concerned about the impact on bald eagles who roost there. Many brought pictures of the eagles to the meeting to show how wide their range is in Harvey County.
A subsidiary of Nextera was ordered to pay $8 million in fines and restitution after at least 150 eagles were killed by its turbines in eight other states. In 2019, Reno County Commissioners voted to deny a Nextera project after backlash there. Similar rejections to Nextera have come from Anderson, Linn, Osage and, most recently, Franklin County.
