Kansas Sen. Mike Thompson invites 'fringe of the fringe' to push anti-wind energy bills

Wind industry experts say the bills would transform Kansas, one of the top producers of wind energy for two decades, into one of the most restrictive states in the nation.
A series of bills professing to protect rural residents from industrial wind claim to bring transparency, limit abuse and enact safety measures to protect against the supposed health hazards of turbines.

In reality, they would transform Kansas, one of the top producers of wind energy for two decades, into one of the most restrictive states in the nation, pro-wind experts say.

“This is punitive. This is not progressive,” said Kimberly Gencur Svaty, public policy director for the Kansas Advanced Power Alliance. “This is not laying out a path of economic development or growth for the state of Kansas.”