GARDNER, Kansas − At the Johnson County Commission hearing on June 6, 2022, Donna Knoche, 93, made her way up to the podium, expressing her concerns about protecting her family’s land rights. Many people lined up behind her, some advocating for the West Gardner plan, a large solar panel project, while others were passionately opposed to it. This fight reflects a larger trend across the country, where opposition movements have risen up against new solar and wind farms as the U.S. transitions to carbon-free energy. A USA TODAY analysis found that 15% of counties had banned or blocked new wind or solar installations as of December. This widespread opposition poses a challenge to meeting climate pledges.
The Knoche family’s land is part of a statewide battle in Kansas, which has abundant wind and solar resources, accounting for 47.13% of its electricity from wind and 0.33% from solar. However, 14 counties in Kansas ban wind turbines and 12 ban solar farms. This includes restrictions and moratoriums on solar applications and wind projects.
The fight played out in front of one small county commission but represents a nationwide struggle. The Knoches wanted to lease their land for a solar farm to simplify its care, allow for farming after the lease ends, and pass it on through generations. However, the lease became a five-year battle, bewildering and annoying the couple.
Donna’s grandfather, William Brecheisen, homesteaded 160 acres of flat, productive plains in Kansas in the 1860s. Today, the Knoches own 1,190 acres of farmland, renting most of it to tenants for decades. Upon receiving a message from a solar developer in 2018, they decided to lease their land to NextEra Energy for a potential solar project, seeing it as a way to maximize profit without selling or breaking up the land.
Opposition to the solar farm, the West Gardner Solar Project, arose as word spread about the potential leases. The community organized against the project through Facebook, leading to public hearings, commission meetings, and zoning regulations discussions. The opposition voiced concerns about industrial solar intrusion, property devaluation, health, and environmental impacts.
While renewable energy plants have been built in Kansas, the Knoches continue facing resistance. Their neighboring county passed a moratorium on new wind energy projects, and new zoning regulations in Johnson and Douglas counties present additional hurdles. The Knoches remain hopeful for a resolution but acknowledge the challenges they face in navigating the future of green energy on their land while preserving their property rights.
