Intimate Emptiness: The Flint Hills Wind Turbine Controversy

Abstract

ABSTRACT Howard Graham, Master of Arts American Studies, July 2008 University of Kansas This study examines the political and social controversy surrounding the proposed introduction of industrial scale wind turbines, roughly, those over 120 feet, in the Flint Hills region of Kansas. The study is primarily concerned with the proposed introduction of wind turbines in Wabaunsee County, Kansas and examines the County's consideration of wind turbine projects between 2002 and 2004. The controversy is contextualized within the social, political, geographical, geologic, and cultural history of the Flint Hills region. The study also examines how these historical factors inform the way people look at and understand both the prairie and wind turbines. Much of the information is gathered from Wabaunsee County Commission and Planning Commission meeting minutes, as well as transcripts of these meetings. The paper concludes by advocating for the continued absence of industrial scale wind turbines in the Flint Hills.