The Devils River Conservancy has won the opening battle in Val Verde County over wind farm encroachment. E.ON, a European holding Co. based in Westphalia, Germany, has abandoned plans for thousands of acres of land for wind farm development in the Devils River Basin. The war is far from over, the stake holders to include USAF, Homeland Security, Nature Conservancy, TPWD, landowners and Val Verde County officials are united in the effort to stop the development. The Chinese company, Brazos Highlands Properties, owned by the 5th richest man on the planet, will probably continue in its efforts to develop wind energy in the county. E.ON abandoning their plans hopefully will discourage other companies from leasing Brazos Highlands Properties land.

The Devils River Conservancy's "Don't Blow it" campaign and a very good article in the Texas Tribune Trib Talk (https://you.tu.be/tEARBpwwFWA) are very good infomercials for those interested. Save Wild Texas!

so you guys pulled a successful Ted Kennedy NIMBY

Private property rights

So what exactly happened here? Did they break a law? Apparently got too close to X? Let's hear more about the content of the case.

tlh3842 said:

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So what exactly happened here? Did they break a law? Apparently got too close to X? Let's hear more about the content of the case.

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Dudes bought some land with the intent of putting up a windfarm. NIMBY in the Devil's River area are against it because they don't want to see windmills ("million dollar views" and all that jazz) and are lobbying to prevent it from happening.

Ironic that one of the posters above posted about "private property rights" but doesn't see the hypocrisy in his post.

More power to them, if they can lobby to not have it happen, good for them I guess. Same basic premise as the pipeline thread. Both sides are understandable.

Look at the TexasTribune article and video and the Web site of the Devils River Conservacy " Don.t Blow It' campaign prior to liberalese comments. Traveling and will respond more with the history of the issue on Saturday

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The Cape Cod Commission in Massachusetts Thursday denied Cape Wind's application to bury electric cables needed to connect its proposed 420-megawatt offshore wind farm in the Nantucket Sound to the state power grid.

Sen. Ted Kennedy and many residents who own coastal property from where they could see the wind turbines on a clear day oppose the project

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What's hypocritical?

I say put up the wind turbines. Screw the neighbors and their views. They don't care about the eyesore of their McMansions and cedar thickets by not maintaining their land.

Capt. Augustus McCrae said:

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What's hypocritical?

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That you are cheering for private property rights.....all the while a group of people is demanding how another private property owner can or cannot use their land.

Surely you see the irony in this.

I was not cheering the group. I was cheering the landowner being able to do what they want with their own land.

Capt. Augustus McCrae said:

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I was not cheering the group. I was cheering the landowner being able to do what they want with their own land.

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I completely read that wrong then, my apologies.

Sorry but this is my stance

Were these wind farms going to be on someone else's private property? I don't see how the landowner was able to do what they want with their own land if they prevented someone else from doing something on their own land.

PorkEatingCrusader said:

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Sorry but this is my stance

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And on land you own, that is just fine. But you have no right to tell your neighbors whether they can have them on their land or not.

How close was this land to Pumpville,Tx?

considering they have idled so many of them across the state as it is, I see no need for them.

So.....why are people so against wind turbines?

I'm against them because the only reason wind farms get built is because they are heavily subsidized by taxpayers. That said, given the choice, I would choose nothing at all. Given the false dilemma, I would choose wind farms over a gas fired/coal/nuke plant.

But I don't know that I would be willing to put the amount of work/money/lobbying into fighting a wind farm that I can see but is not on my property. Also keep in mind that this city boy's two cents on this thread are probably worth something closer to 2 Venezuelan centimos.

I can see the Endeavor from my back porch now. Where do I sign up to make them go away or pay me something?

I actually heard this statement at an open house for a solar project:

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• It is unfair that property owners can think they can do whatever they want on their own land, people should lawyer up to prevent this

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And just how do you think the neighbors wind farm project moves the electricity to market???

Tree Hugger said:

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I actually heard this statement at an open house for a solar project:

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• It is unfair that property owners can think they can do whatever they want on their own land, people should lawyer up to prevent this

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To some degree, that is accurate.

Who wants a landfill next door? Who wants a pig farm to move in upwind of you? Who wants a used motor oil facility next door?

It is a hard line to dance, being for private property rights and also understanding that even private property rights should have some limitations - especially if the actions on your property can negatively effect a neighbors. It is a 100% gray area that people get pissed about.

Tree Hugger said:

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I actually heard this statement at an open house for a solar project:

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• It is unfair that property owners can think they can do whatever they want on their own land, people should lawyer up to prevent this

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Van Zandt county?

near there

Mas89 said:

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And just how do you think the neighbors wind farm project moves the electricity to market???

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So you're saying that will require the non-participating landowner (that refused turbines) to have some form of linear/transmission development on their land? That's not really how that works.

BigPuma said:

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considering they have idled so many of them across the state as it is, I see no need for them.

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Seems like a pretty broad statement. You mean idled some when there was some congestion? And idling "so many" is pretty vague too.

If they would just build wind farms in gullies instead of on top of ridges, they wouldn't be an eyesore....

How in the hell do you think they move electricity from down there to a market without putting miles of transmission lines thru many other people's property?? And all those landowners from then to eternity get nothing more than the initial right of way money. Except a perpetual PITA.

Tree Hugger said:

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near there

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Gotcha. Reason I asked is because there's a big stink going on right now about a solar project there. I've been encouraged to join the anti fray...can't make myself do it due to my view on property rights.

blindey said:

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So.....why are people so against wind turbines?

I'm against them because the only reason wind farms get built is because they are heavily subsidized by taxpayers. That said, given the choice, I would choose nothing at all. Given the false dilemma, I would choose wind farms over a gas fired/coal/nuke plant.

But I don't know that I would be willing to put the amount of work/money/lobbying into fighting a wind farm that I can see but is not on my property. Also keep in mind that this city boy's two cents on this thread are probably worth something closer to 2 Venezuelan centimos.

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Wind farms are welcomed with open arms around here.

While I was at a local farm supply store yesterday afternoon, one of my neighbors who has been trying to attract a wind farm for years said that he is less enthusiastic than he was.

The closest wind farm, about six miles away, was taken down in the last couple of years. From what I've been told, it was because of the crappy nature of the equipment that couldn't be repaired in a cost effective manner.

In the second nearest wind farm, about seven miles away in another direction, a number of the turbines have blown over and have been lying on the ground for some time. Consequently, the royalties on the electricity generated are less.

In another wind farm, maybe twelve miles away as the crow flies or about twenty miles away on the highway, the wind turbines are falling apart. The blades on several of them are broken off and at least one had a fire completely destroying the generator and its housing.

schmellba99 said:

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Who wants a pig farm to move in upwind of you?

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I definitely prefer a wind farm over a pig farm.

tlh3842 said:

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Mas89 said:

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And just how do you think the neighbors wind farm project moves the electricity to market???

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So you're saying that will require the non-participating landowner (that refused turbines) to have some form of linear/transmission development on their land? That's not really how that works.

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There was an agreement to put a wind farm in the community (see a couple of posts back) but it fell through when the company pulled out. Even though they weren't going to build turbines on my younger brother's property, they were going to pay him a pretty good amount to run a power line across one end of a field.

eric76 said:

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In the second nearest wind farm, about seven miles away in another direction, a number of the turbines have blown over and have been lying on the ground for some time. Consequently, the royalties on the electricity generated are less.

In another wind farm, maybe twelve miles away as the crow flies or about twenty miles away on the highway, the wind turbines are falling apart. The blades on several of them are broken off and at least one had a fire completely destroying the generator and its housing.

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1) First bold: I knew it was windy in the panhandle but holy carp..
2) Second bold: Blades broke off? Jeebus I would hate to be near when one of those 100' blades separates while the blades are spinning.

IDAGG said:

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If they would just wind farms in gullies instead of on top of ridges, they wouldn't be an eyesore....

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I just wish they would paint the turbines in a wide variety of colors and paint schemes. Have every one of them different. It's pretty boring when they are all just painted white.

Threads about wind, solar, pipelines, and high speed rail are the most entertaining thing on the OB