WINFIELD, Kan. (AP) – Cowley County officials say years of efforts to land a wind farm project have been wasted after Gov. Sam Brownback expanded an area of the state where the huge turbines are not allowed.

The County Commission says BP Wind Energy was only a step away from starting construction on a wind farm in the northeast corner of the county. But earlier this month Brownback and wind energy companies entered into a voluntary agreement to keep new turbines out of the nationally significant Flint Hills.

The Wichita Eagle reports county officials were even more irate because they weren’t consulted about the plan to create the Tallgrass Heartland, which covers nearly 11,000 square miles.

Most of the nation’s remaining tallgrass prairie is in the Flint Hills.
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Information from: The Wichita Eagle, http://www.kansas.com

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