Wyoming ‘wind wall’ rally draws opponents of wind farms to Cheyenne capitol

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Wyoming residents and ranchers gathered at the State Capitol steps Thursday to protest unmitigated wind farm development, arguing that expanding projects threaten wildlife, tourism and local property rights.

The “Wyoming Wind Wall Rally” aimed to unite wind energy opponents and give ranchers a platform to voice grievances about rapid expansion across the state. Attendees raised concerns ranging from property rights infringement to the depletion of golden eagle populations.

Organizers defined the “Wyoming Wind Wall” as the expanding chain of wind developments across the state. Craig Rucker, CEO and co-founder of the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow, said installing thousands more turbines threatens to close remaining gaps in wildlife migration corridors and nesting grounds.

“The problem is, by adding yet another 700, 800, 900 or a thousand wind turbines, you close these gaps,” he said. “It provides less escape routes for the animals. It literally creates for them a wall that they have to circumvent to try and avoid being sliced and diced.”

Rucker said the 600-foot-tall structures are inefficient and only produce energy roughly 30%–45% of the time, which he said contradicts their 4,500-megawatt nameplate values. Rucker said his organization typically fights developments in states like New York and California, and he was surprised that Wyoming’s conservative government supports the projects.

“I shake my head. You guys are going to do the opposite of what your party is telling you to do,” Rucker said.

State landowners encouraged attendees to resist corporate leasing offers. Steven Hays, a rancher who lives near Meriden in north Laramie County, said his concerns regarding the turbines are twofold: economic and environmental. He said the situation will worsen unless landowners refuse lease agreements from out-of-state developers.

“They’re just coming in and once they started coming in, they have hit lots of locations. The big money boys come from Florida and feed you a line of bull and they want to sign you up,” Hays said. “So, we need to make a stand here because we have a lot of conservatives, a lot of Republicans that can hopefully stop this.”

The crowd included national lobbyists, real estate professionals, journalists and Laramie County Commissioner Linda Heath. Ranchers and homesteaders from the Laramie Range spoke about the local effects of wind farms. Kelsey Stephens, a rancher south of Glenrock, said the developments ruin prairies and sunset views that define the rural lifestyle.

“We chose this place intentionally for the land, the view and the life it allows us to live,” she said. “Picture summer evening on our front porch, crickets and frogs singing, the smell of freshly cut hay in the air and the red hills glowing as the sun sets. It’s a view that’ll take your breath away, but it’s the location where they want to place a wind farm.”

Katherine Stevens, a homesteader near Chugwater, raised concerns about turbine blades shedding fiberglass and resins onto the soil from weather exposure. She said wind company representatives admitted to such wear. She also spoke about potential health effects from turbine infrasound.

Rancher Bobby Geese said wind development conflicts with tourism, which is the state’s second-largest industry. Geese said an out-of-state hunter stopped visiting Wyoming after seeing the density of wind turbines near Casper.

“When he came back the next year after that vacation for hunting, he said, ‘You know what? I’m done. I am done. I’m not coming back to the state of Wyoming except for to come in on your place.’ He said, ‘This is so disgusting. I’m done.’ Well, let me see,” Geese said. “He’s a tourist, wasn’t he?”

“We need to protect these things that have protected us. We don’t need to gamble everything because these projects here are a contradiction to all the things that have protected the state of Wyoming and made us great,” Geese said. “And we’re gambling.”

Speakers also said turbines displace native grasses with invasive cheatgrass and strip landowners of long-term property control through binding easements.

The Albany County Conservancy and Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow sponsored the rally.