Petition summary and background:

The undersigned Barber County, Kansas residents and/or landowners request that the Board of County Commissioners, as the representatives of the people of Barber County, Kansas and as the local elected officials with authority and responsibility to serve and protect the people of Barber County take the following actions:

> Impose a moratorium on construction of any new solar energy projects until appropriate regulations and zoning laws protecting Barber County residents can be established and implemented. 

Specific petitioned actions:

We, the undersigned, are concerned citizens who urge our leaders to act now to:

1) Prioritize the regulation of the development of utility scale solar energy projects in Barber County so that projects are not built before regulations necessary to protect county residents and landowners from the adverse impacts of such projects are in place.

2) Undertake development and implementation of zoning regulations for Barber County, Kansas through which the county regulates the development of utility-scale solar energy projects including by specifying in what parts of the county, if any, such projects are deemed appropriate and what protective measures are required from those who would propose to develop such projects.  The zoning regulations would recognize that by state law agricultural uses of land would be expempt from zoning regulations and promote the purposes of that exemption by protecting agricultural land from unwarranted conversion to non-agricultural uses.

3) Impose a moratorium on commencing the construction of any new solar energy project in Barber County, Kansas including Phase II of the Invenergy project south of Highway 160, while zoning regulations are being studied and developed. 

We must act now, before it's too late!