A few years back controversy was 'a brewin as some Bates county residents had signed land leases for a proposed wind energy farm that was to be located in an area generally east of Passaic.
But it all fell through and is gone with the wind, so to speak. It turned out that federal funding for wind programs in Missouri dried up, among other issues, which put a stop to it all- for the time being.
Now, additional solar panel farms such as the one located in northwest Butler, are being proposed and some residents have ruffled feathers, while a few others plan to collect regular paychecks from leasing land for such.
And for those collecting the checks, there's nothing to stop them.
As Bates county has no zoning to prevent wind and solar farms, several land leases have already been signed with plans to bring them to fruition by 2028 or so. Two in particular are located near Amsterdam, as the area is convenient for connection to the grid that now is used by the LaCygne Evergy power plant.
Yes, there appears to be a few other solar farms on the radar in Bates county and it's all beginning to get unwanted attention, as was addressed by Northern Commissioner John Gray yesterday.
Mid America Live was contacted by Presiding Commissioner Jim Wheatley today regarding the matter and was informed that "The commission is planning to hold several public forums" to further address the issue and get additional public feedback. He went on to add that county owned property will not be leased for such purposes.
Some counties in Missouri have taken action including Madison County which banned certain types of wind and solar installations. In Kansas, the counties of Butler, Harvey, Franklin, Osage, and Reno have restrictions or outright bans in place.
As all this is reminiscent of the hog farm debate a few years back, more about solar farms in Bates county is bound to be a conversation topper for some in coming days.