The Windhaters got it handed to them today

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Looks like they are going to have a tough road ahead (Full DOC PR; REFER-WIND);

Faced with the heavy task of gathering more than 1,700 signatures from Lincoln County registered voters, supporters began circulating the referendum petition last week after the publication of the new setback ordinance. Supporters achieved their goal of having the requisite number of signatures far ahead of the statutory 20-day deadline. 

“Gathering nearly 2,100 signatures in a little more than a week is a true testament to the enthusiasm the voters of Lincoln County have for wind energy,” said Minish. “While circulating the petition it was a pleasure to hear thank you from the numerous voters who want to see clean, sustainable energy production become a reality in Lincoln County. From parents and grandparents looking at the funding this project would bring to schools, the county and townships to our ag producers, farmers and individuals who believe that landowners should be able to choose what they do on their family’s land, the support for Dakota Power Community Wind has really been overwhelming. We’re looking forward to the next phase of this process that will bring us one step closer to making wind energy in Lincoln County a reality.”

That many signatures, that fast, tells me that this will probably get the NO vote they are looking for on the setbacks. I predict at least a 70% in favor of eliminating the 1/2 mile setback. Get ready for more letters to the editor about how great and knowing the Lincoln County Commission is (LOL) and how evil the wind energy business is. What I find incredibly ironic about the opposition to wind energy is how we have no problem with two oil pipelines going through our state (with a 3rd one in progress) that provide us NO oil for energy, yet we fight green energy that will be used locally.

Shaking my head.

It also goes to show, once again, it takes the voters taking matters into their own hands with a petition to get things done. Just look at the amount of time and energy that County and Planning commission wasted on this. They should have just set up an election date to begin with and saved a lot of people, a lot of time. As I tell the city council quite often, ‘There are some things above your pay grade.’

The Windhaters are wrong. When will the Lincoln CC wake up

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Wind energy in the Midwest, what an amazing MODERN concept!

These poll numbers of course don’t surprise me;

On the question “Would you support or oppose a plan to build wind turbines to generate electricity in the southern part of Lincoln County?” surveyors found 41 percent strongly in favor, 26 percent somewhat supportive. Thirteen percent were somewhat opposed and 17 percent strongly opposed.

So will the county commissioners wake up?

The company released partial results from its poll in the run-up to a county commission vote on wind turbine setbacks that would doom the project if left unchanged. Commissioners could decide as quickly as Tuesday morning

It will be interesting to see what kind of excuses the county commissioners will cook up to vote for these stupid setbacks (especially Schmidt and King). It will probably go to a referendum anyway, so they might as well vote against the setbacks and let voters decide.

But you gotta love the windhaters and their continued opposition based on what they can pull from their butts;

“We’ll take all of that with a great amount of salt,” said Winnie Peterson, Director of We Care-SD. “Some people were very upset about the way the information was presented.”

We Care’s volunteers conducted door-to-door surveys in 2015, and Peterson said more than 80 percent of those surveyed within the area of the original 500-turbine project said they didn’t want to live within a quarter mile of a turbine.

I wonder if Winnie knows that it is a county wide election? Asking my neighbors what they think of a certain ballot proposal certainly isn’t scientific, but what would you expect from a group that depends on junk science to argue their points?

“As people from South Dakota, we don’t need to hire a fancy Washington polling agency to find out what our neighbors think,” Peterson said.

The poll from GOP strategist Glen Bolger’s Washington, D.C.-based agency is the first survey of Lincoln County voters specific to wind energy. National polls consistently show support for wind power and other forms of renewable energy.

The questions were asked of 300 registered voters, with 120 cell phone interviews by telephone March 23-26, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 5.66 percent.

Fancy or Not, it is scientific and way more accurate then the rag-tag group compiled of coffee drinkers from a Canton Café. I can’t wait to see them crushed at the polls, I’m sure commissioner King will blame the crack baby having liberals for swaying the vote.