Sedgwick County commissioners have approved a six-month moratorium on applications for wind and solar power projects.
Commission chairman David Dennis called for the moratorium after attending a Reno County meeting last year that resulted in approval for a wind farm project. He said he left that meeting with more questions than answers, and he said Sedgwick County does not have a set of rules for any kind of alternative energy projects. He said a moratorium will give county staff time to prepare zoning regulations that would apply to wind and solar developments. Dennis stressed that the county is not taking a position for or against alternative energy with this moratorium.
Assistant county counselor Justin Waggoner said there are no applications with Sedgwick County for wind and solar projects, but there are leases on properties in the western part of the county that could have applications at a later time. Waggoner said the moratorium will not apply to small projects such as a home solar panel, but it will apply to large commercial developments.
County staff could have proposed regulations ready for the commission as soon as May.
