CENTER, Neb. -- The future of Knox County's energy landscape hangs in the balance. The Planning Commission convened a special meeting to discuss a potential ban on all new commercial wind and solar projects, sparking intense public interest. With more than 100 residents in attendance, the board grappled with arguments centered on the health, safety, and general welfare of the community, setting the stage for a pivotal decision.

The Knox County Planning Commission gave a thumbs down to wind and solar farms after North Fork Wind's plans ruffled feathers. The proposed wind farm planned to bring jobs, tax relief, and new businesses, but things went south when the county learned about sky-high, 650+ foot wind towers.

Knox County initially upped the setback distance, and North Fork Wind responded with a federal lawsuit before even applying for a permit. But, after the judge dismissed most of North Fork Wind's claims, Knox County is eyeing a complete ban on all wind and solar farms.

“We are disappointed by the outcome of tonight's hearing. We remain committed to our landowners and finding a path forward,” said The National Grid Renewables. “The decision to recommend a farm or wind and solar is bigger than our company and Norfolk Wind. It’s about whether the country is open for business and open for economic development.”

“The judge wrote, a county can ban wind and I think counties didn’t appreciate that they had that ability,” said Knox County Special Attorney Dave Begley. “I mean, there were moratoriums and people were working in our counties, and they were working around the edge increasing setbacks. But, the Judge was very clear”

With the public weighing the pros and cons of this in their future, some residents expressed their delight and some, not so much.

“They do not bother me a bit and I think it would be for the community,” said Wausa retired farmer Garnet Anderson. “I think it would be good for the county because a lot of tax money would come in. They make a lot of donations to communities that would really help them.”

“This is an extremely frustrating situation,” said one Knox County resident. “The roads will never be the same, people in this area will never have that serenity it once was. That's what it once was. We are currently hoping to sell our property so we can move. This is absolutely horrible.”

Begley expressed concerns of power outages and rising electrical costs to the consumer. Residents still continued to voice their opinions. 

“There's a lot of things that have to be addressed yet,” said Wausa farmer Mike Kumm. “Either through regulations or guarantees from the wind energy development companies that in the event things go wrong or a bankruptcy should occur, that the county will be protected in our future.”

“The reason I'm against a ban on wind and renewables in Knox County,” said Knox County resident Jeff Uhlir. “It’s because we have a county of 8400 people, and to close off a revenue stream would be detrimental for the people living here.”

The next step, the board of supervisors will move forward to consider the ban, and a vote is expected to happen in late May or the middle of June.