The prospect of wind turbines lining up on Riley Mountain rallied a small group of landowners to attend a meeting of Save Our Scenic Hill Country March 29 at Joe’s Bar.

No one at the meeting could imagine giving over his land to dense rows of 20-story wind towers, lighted for aircraft and throbbing 90-foot blades through the air.

The SOSHC, sprang up in response to the earliest lease hounds in Gillespie County and SOSHC President Robert Weatherford had come to ask Llano County residents to learn more about misconceptions of wind power production.

He decried the policies of the companies to force landowners to sign non-disclosure agreements before they could open discussions with them. Two companies had already abandoned those efforts, based on the reception they received and evaluation of natural wind conditions, but at least one has continued to work the area, he said.

The mission of SOSHC includes preservation of the aesthetic value and natural beauty of the Hill Country; specifically Gillespie and surrounding counties, by advocating against development and operation of wind farms and their infrastructure.

“Why does a single septic system have more permitting requirements than a $100-million wind turbine complex?” he asked. “Because there aren’t any requirements for wind turbines.”

He called for support of Senator Troy Fraser’s proposal to create a Texas Senate legislative study of current regulations associated with wind turbines site selection and to compare that siting process to the processes associated with other forms of electric generation and facilities in other industries.

Tory Virdell of Re-Max Llano is serving as one of the local contacts for people who wish to join the group or they can contact the organization through information at SOSHillCountry.org