Wind farm opponent calls ‘foul’ on information retrieval

Robert “Bobby” Wilson, who lives near Eureka Springs, spent many hours doing research to prepare for a ten-minute PowerPoint presentation before the Carroll County Quorum Court meeting Nov. 21. the QC The court was considering a one-year moratorium on a proposed Scout Clean Energy Nimbus Wind Farm project that would place 43 towers, including a number more than 600 feet tall, on ridge tops in a rural area around County Roads 905 and 920 south of Green Forest, covering 14 square miles.

Wilson showed recent news articles about wind turbines elsewhere in the country that have been falling over and wind turbines that have caught on fire and damaged surrounding property. He talked about the risk for water and soil contamination. He showed scientific studies about the fragility of karst terrain and raised concerns about deaths of wildlife, land depreciation, and loss of tourism revenue linked to views going from breathtaking to industrial with flashing red tower lights visible for many miles.

“I did my ten-minute presentation and talked about all the reasons why a moratorium makes sense, including the National Renewable Energy Lab’s visual chart that shows Arkansas has inadequate wind for turbines,” Wilson said. “It also has fragile karst terrain with lots of sinkholes, caves and springs. Geologists have said this is a place that you don’t want to mess with the terrain. Why are they coming here? It makes no sense. If you go to Scout’s website, it says the company goes where the wind blows. So why is Scout here? It may be because we have a rural population in an area with very few government regulations and landowners who may need some money.”

Scout Clean Energy claims they have been doing wind studies for years in the area, and that it is adequate for the Nimbus Project to produce an estimated 180 megawatts of electricity per year. Scout has said the project is needed to help provide green energy to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate change.

But Wilson sees nothing “green” about the Nimbus Wind Farm. “We are being greenwashed by green energy in, of all places, Green Forest, Arkansas,” Wilson said.

During the QC meeting, Wilson was sitting next to a Scout representative who held up a thick notebook of what he said were letters from 91 residents of Carroll County opposed to the moratorium. Later when a copy of the letters was obtained, Wilson was shocked to find his name had been used, without his permission, to oppose the moratorium. Personal information such as his address and email were now part of the public record.

“I felt deceived,” Wilson said. “I was duped. I don’t know if it was intentional or negligence, but I felt hurt and distressed. It was an invasion of my privacy. It was a wrongful act. It is hard to explain how Scout could have the name of a spokesperson for the opposition in that binder supposedly filled with emails opposing the moratorium.

“My name was documented as received by the Carroll County Clerk in the Carroll County Courthouse as opposing the moratorium. That was the same day, November 21, of the Quorum Court meeting. It makes me look like a traitor. It was defamation. If it could happen to me, what is going to be their next move? I don’t know where this will lead, but I know we are dealing with a very deceptive company. They are not trustworthy. If they used my name, who else’s name did they use or could use without their permission?”

Wilson received a flyer this past summer from Carroll County Property Rights, P.O. Box 520, Green Forest, that said, “The future of our land is in our hands. Stop restrictive zoning in Carroll County. This could place burdensome restrictions on your private property.” The flyer doesn’t mention Scout, Nimbus or wind turbines, but said that the Carroll County QC is considering adopting new zoning. Wilson scanned the QR code on the flyer and was taken to a Scout website.

“It was a very deceptive mailing,” Wilson said. “People thought the flyer was from Carroll County. The website said people were trying to take away property rights and you wouldn’t be able to do chicken sheds, barns, trailers. Then in November they used my information that they had captured to send electronically to MailChimp, an email program that can use artificial intelligence to generate a letter to the JPs that is the opposite of my position on the issue.”

Wilson said he and his family moved to the Ozarks because of the scenic beauty and a diverse, harmonious culture. He fears the Nimbus Project, if constructed, would be a huge eyesore with hundreds of flashing red navigation lights on the towers. He pointed to major tourist attractions that are being upgraded, including Opera in the Ozarks and Dogpatch Theme Park. The Great Passion Play continues to attract visitors from all over the country. 

“We are right in the center of tourism,” Wilson said. “We all came here because of the breathtaking scenery. Why would we want to jeopardize that which will impact all of us for generations? Scout has applied to the FAA for towers that could be as tall as 698 feet. That is ten times higher than Christ of the Ozarks, which is 67 feet tall. I’ve had people looking up at Christ of the Ozarks and say it gives them vertigo. Imagine something ten times taller. Cape Hatteras, the tallest lighthouse in the U.S., is 198 feet tall. These turbines would be three times higher.”

Wilson said the whole tenor of the Nov. 21 QC meeting changed when a JP asked County Attorney Tony Rogers about potential lawsuit liability from imposing the moratorium for one year.  Rogers said it could potentially cost the county a lot of money and the JPs a lot of time.

Wilson said he feels the comment from Rogers swayed the QC against the moratorium. But he questioned why the QC couldn’t use the services of the Association of Arkansas Counties Risk Management Program. Risk Management Program Director Debbie Norman said AAC offers general liability coverage for all 75 counties. 

“It depends on what is alleged in the complaint as to whether or not we would provide defense,” Norman said. There are certain claims we would defend depending on what is alleged in the complaint.”

Norman said without more information about the proposed wind turbine moratorium in Carroll County, she couldn’t comment on whether or not AAC would provide legal defense.

Wilson said it is his understanding that, even if the AAC Risk Management decided not to provide legal defense on any issues relative to the QC actions, then it could move under the umbrella indemnity of the state through the Attorney General’s office. 

Scout Community Relations spokesman Chad Thompson replied by email Tuesday afternoon. “First, let us be crystal clear that Scout Clean Energy nor its associates would ever enter anyone’s personal information into a website, period. People voluntarily go the website to enter their information and the platform sends emails to the members of the Quorum Court. The emails submitted were all completed by individuals in Carroll County and we provided a printed copy for the members of the QC. If someone inadvertently went to the website and entered their personal information, then they would have appeared in our book.”