Setbacks, removal bond for turbines on county agenda

A planned wind farm near Green Forest has been the dominant topic of discussion at the Carroll County Quorum Court’s monthly meetings since the spring of 2023, and will remain so at the court’s next meeting.

Two proposed ordinances related to the project are on the agenda for consideration at the court’s January meeting, scheduled for 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 16, in the courtroom of the Eastern District Courthouse in Berryville.

In addition, three of the four sponsored speakers on the meeting agenda are expected to discuss the planned wind farm. Sponsored speakers are allotted 10 minutes apiece.

Scout Clean Energy, based in Boulder, Colo., plans for the project to expand over approximately 9,000 acres — about 14 square miles — in Carroll County, much of it along County Road 905 southeast of Green Forest. Scout says the project could generate up to 180 megawatts of electricity at peak demand — enough to power almost 30,000 homes. Scout says it has signed lease agreements with more than 50 landowners to place wind turbines on their property. The company estimates that the 30-year project will generate more than $14 million in lease payments and $25 million in tax revenue for the county.

The planned project has drawn vigorous opposition from opponents who say it will be harmful to wildlife, have adverse health effects and pose a potential safety risk for humans and potentially cause significant damage to county roads, along with disturbing the natural beauty of the area. Opponents of the project also say Scout’s ownership can be traced to Chinese interests.

In August 2023, the quorum court voted 6-5 to reject a proposed ordinance that would have established setback regulations and other criteria for towers like those that Scout plans to use in the project. That ordinance was sponsored by District 1 Justice of the Peace Jack Deaton.

Deaton is sponsoring another proposed ordinance establishing setbacks that is on the agenda for a first reading at the Jan. 16 meeting. The new proposal would prohibit towers from being constructed closer than 1.5 times the height of the tower from any non-participating landowner’s property line or closer than two times the height of the tower from any residential structure or commercial business structure of any non-participating landowner’s property.

In addition to Deaton’s proposal, District 11 JP John Howerton is sponsoring a proposed ordinance, also scheduled for a first reading at the Jan. 16 meeting, that would impose setback distances different than those outlined in Deaton’s proposal.

Under Howerton’s proposal, turbines involved in the Nimbus project would have to be placed at least 1,300 feet from currently occupied non-participating residents and 730 feet from non-participating parcels. Setback distances with respect to property lines would not apply to turbines located within the wind farm where the property lines nearest to any turbine define and separate properties belonging to two or more participating landowners.

Howerton’s proposed ordinance also would require Scout to obtain a removal bond naming both landowners and the county within seven years of the wind farm becoming operation. A Scout official had told the quorum court at its November meeting that the company would be willing to name the county on the bond.