What can we do?
1. Educate your friends and neighbors, immediately!
When you first learn of a proposed project, find out as many details as you can. It's vitally important to find out early, in the initial planning and leasing stage. Immediately contact all of your friends and neighbors and organize a group meeting to share the information you have. This group will form the core of your opposition efforts. Form an organization, elect some trusted and talented leaders, secure financial contributions, open a bank account and raise a modest war chest. How much are your property and your quality of life worth? Assess the resources and skills available within your group so that tasks and responsibilities can be appropriately distributed. You have a lot of work ahead of you.
Your best hope early on is to educate your neighbors and the landowners in your area about the true impacts of wind power and help them decide for themselves that they don't want to lease their property. It is their decision, and you must respectfully and courteously acknowledge this. Advise them that they will be giving up many of the rights they currently have as landowners and forgoing other development alternatives. Recommend that they seek competent legal counsel before signing any documents. If the wind developer cannot lease property, he cannot install turbines. This should be your first objective. The majority of Kansans have many misconceptions about wind energy, but they can still be educated about the truth. The truth is on your side.
Place a series of ads in the local newspapers exploding the myths about wind energy and detailing the truth. Be as factual as possible. Avoid exaggeration, or you will lose credibility. The facts and the truth are entirely on your side. Use the ads to invite more people to join your group. Consider renting a local venue to stage a free informational meeting for members of the larger community. Many people will assume the project will not affect them because they are far enough away. You must raise awareness of regional impacts on the larger community, the risks of phased project expansions, and the potential use of eminent domain for connecting power lines.
Reproduce and distribute copies of Jon Boone's DVD "Life Under a Windplant". Jon has given permission to reproduce this important documentary. More than 10,000 copies have been distributed by concerned individuals worldwide. There are also several rich repositories of information available online such as www.windaction.org and www.wind-watch.org that contain testimonials, technical documents, legal decisions, zoning ordinances and other useful resources for your cause.
Develop a list of critical, large landowners that would be important to any wind developer. Wind developers prefer large landowners with ridge-top or prairie-top, especially if they don't live on the land. Go and see these people, and ask them not to lease. Give them persuasive, factual literature and a copy of the DVD. Invite them to join your group.
Develop a mailing list of as many landowners as you can. Include local officials. Your list should include at least 150 to 250 landowners in the broad, targeted area. This is very important. Write an open letter to these landowners and mail it, along with a DVD copy of Jon Boone's "Life Under a Windplant".
Persistence Is essential. Most wind energy battles continue for more than a year or two. Continue to personally contact landowners. Continue to educate and spread the truth in your area about wind energy. Simple lawn signs depicting opposition to wind energy can be very effective. We have signs that we can provide free of charge for local printers to reproduce. Convince your supporters with property on well-traveled routes to display them.
2. Call your County Commissioners and city officials
Personally visit with your County Commissioners and mayors. Make sure they are on your mailing list and have received the letter, literature, and DVD. Personally and politely talk to them about the truth concerning wind energy. Ask them if they would pass a resolution opposing the placement of wind turbines in their jurisdiction, or failing that adopt an ordinance that regulates wind energy for the protection of the community. Ask them to oppose any requests for tax abatements.
It is critically important for members of your group to attend all meetings of local council, zoning board, and commissioners from now on. Get on the agenda and formally ask for their support in opposing the project, and opposing tax abatements. You must be prepared to publicly challenge many claims made by wind developers and their promoters, but do so with the utmost civility. Always be polite and respectful. "In-your-face" confrontation doesn't persuade anyone; it only creates ill-will, hard feelings, and anger towards you and your cause. You must positively and persuasively present your case.
3. Link up with other groups and network together
Opposition to destructive wind energy development is fragmented on a project-by-project basis. Up until now, Kansas communities under threat of industrial wind development have been fighting alone. We must now join together if we are to be effective in educating the public, legislators and our elected officials about the true motives behind wind energy development and the very real hazards It poses to our rural environment and quality of life.
The formation of Kansas Wind Alert is in response to this need.
Contact us at: kansaswindalert@cox.net or Wind Action Group
