The more things change, the more they stay the same. That could be said of the proposed Grain Belt Express wind energy transmission line that will pass through Barton County.
The line will carry electricity from Ford County to points east, taking the alterative energy to where it is needed. It will also be passing over valuable farmland and rich oil and gas leases.
It is the oil and gas leases that were the topic of much discussion during the Barton County Commission Monday morning. Some residents and oil industry advocates are concerned that the power line will interfere with lease production.
The commission voted to send a letter to the Kansas Corporation Commission outlining these concerns, even though the letter will likely have little impact. This is a KCC matter and the decision is in that agency’s hands.
This is not an attempt to discuss the validity of the concerns expressed by the local folks. Nor, is it an attempt to take the side of Clean Line Energy Partners, the Houston company developing the project.
Instead, it is a plea for cooperation.
With progress comes change. For decades, oil and gas ruled and they continue to be an important industry with a significant economic presence.
The oil and gas people have taken great strides to meet the new environmental challenges facing them. New technologies are also making their work easier.
But, there is a new player in the game. Wind power, like it or not, is here to stay.
This can’t be another case of  “us against them.” There is too much at stake on all sides.
Instead, we can only hope that all parties involved can get over their biases and get along, for it is in this spirit of working hand in hand that we will move forward.
Dale Hogg