"Who has seen the wind? Neither you nor I."

But - with apologies to poet Christina Rossetti - it's hard to ignore parts of a 300-foot-tall, 457,000-pound turbine on their way to a future wind farm as the trucks rumble by.

The Natrona County Commission recently approved emergency regulations in anticipation of commercial wind farms, according to county development director Blair Leist.

"If we didn't have the regulations in place, a company could say 'We can build them,'" Leist said Thursday.

North Carolina-based Duke Energy, for example, plans to build a 99-megawatt wind farm 15 miles northeast of Casper. The farm will feature 66 wind energy turbines, each generating 1.5 megawatts of electricity. One megawatt can power about 300 homes.

The emergency regulations approved on Sept. 23 marked the latest phase about regulating wind energy operations that began in mid-2006 when Chevron Technology Ventures wanted to erect a temporary tower with an anemometer on the former Texaco refinery property.

Earlier this year, some county residents wanted to place small wind generators - about 30 feet tall - on their property and others wondered about their anemometer towers.

The county didn't have regulations about towers with anemometers, so the commission punted by referring to regulations about cell phone towers.

But those regulations didn't work because cell towers don't have guy wires, and they aren't as tall as anemometer towers that could be hazardous to low-flying airplanes, Leist said.

And there was a simple argument, too, Leist said. "'We aren't [erecting] cell towers, so how can you regulate us?'"

Meanwhile, the probability arose that the county would not be able to permit and oversee the inevitable construction of commercial wind farms, Leist said.

Construction will mean transporting immense turbine parts on county roads that already endure heavy use, he said.

According to Wind Energy for Educators, a General Electric 1.5-megawatt turbine weighs about 457,000 pounds: 270,000 pounds for the tower; 114,000 pounds for the nacelle with the generator and gearbox; and 73,000 pounds for the rotor with the three blades.

That doesn't count the hundreds of cubic yards of concrete, the 2 million pounds of rebar, and the equipment needed to put it all in place.

So the emergency regulations require wind energy developers to identify haul routes, obtain weight and size permits, and possible studies of road impacts.

"If impacts are determined to exist, a mitigation plan and/or long-term road maintenance agreement may be required at the sole discretion of the Board of County Commissioners," according to the emergency regulations.

Besides the plan, the developers will be required to pay for the road use. "We don't want the citizens of Natrona County to be taxed for what the big companies are bringing in," Leist said.

Other requirements include identification for pilots, cattle fencing around the tower base, warning signs, anti-climbing devices on the tower, appropriate setbacks from roads and other properties, complying with federal aviation and military regulations, wildlife impacts and insurance.

Leist said the permanent regulations, which must be approved by late December, will look a lot like the emergency regulations.

But PacifiCorp, which will buy the power from Duke Energy's wind farm in Natrona County, has some concerns about the regulations, said company spokesman Jeff Hymas. PacifiCorp operates as Rocky Mountain Power in Wyoming.

"We'd prefer not to get into specifics until we contact the county," Hymas said.

Reach Tom Morton at (307) 266-0592, or at Tom.Morton@trib.com.

News Tracker

Last we knew: Earlier this year, the Natrona County Commission discussed wind energy when county residents asked about regulations and permits for anemometers and domestic wind turbines.

The latest: The commission approved emergency regulations for commercial wind farms on Sept. 23.

What's next: The commission will vote on whether to accept regulations for wind turbines for domestic use at its meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the County Annex, 120 W. First St.

Last we knew: Earlier this year, the Natrona County Commission discussed wind energy when county residents asked about regulations and permits for anemometers and domestic wind turbines.

The latest: The commission approved emergency regulations for commercial wind farms on Sept. 23.

What's next: The commission will vote on whether to accept regulations for wind turbines for domestic use at its meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the County Annex, 120 W. First St.]]->