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Wind Energy, Wildlife, and the New Rules of Rural Zoning -

Revisit "Wind Energy, Wildlife, and the New Rules of Rural Zoning" from last October: jcshepard.com/2025/10/wind... And last week's bonus article: "The Rural Energy Revolution 2026: Data Centers, Demand, and the Question of Who Pays" jcshepard.com/2026/10/rura...

jcshepard.com

Explore how wind energy is transforming rural America—from economic lifelines to wildlife protections and local zoning debates. Discover practical strategies for communities navigating this clean ener...

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How is your community preparing for its next energy development proposal? #Rural #Planning #LandUse #Renewables #RenewableEnergy #WindEnergy #Zoning

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I wanted to share this carousel to revisit these questions with updated figures: rural communities need more than a choice between automatic approval and a blanket ban. They need a comprehensive plan that informs the rules, and rules they can administer over a project's life.

And just now, pay attention to the Senate's proposed bi-partisan permitting reform before it gets passed half-baked.

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The practical work starts before the first application arrives. Bring the planner, road superintendent, fire chief, and the emergency manager to the same table. Understand the local landscape. Establish clear standards for siting, monitoring, and eventual decommissioning.

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For a neighbor, it may mean a changed view, nighttime lighting, or questions about noise. Wildlife protection adds other ethical questions that cannot be settled by a setback line alone.

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For a farmer, wind may mean harvesting another income stream. For a county government or school district, it may mean revenue for roads, services, or even a new gym.

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The central question of rural development still matters: how do communities balance energy development with the interests of landowners, neighbors, and the landscape they share?

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A wind turbine on the horizon is a land use decision on somebody's private property. Wind energy, wildlife, and rural zoning are interconnected concerns. I wrote about this last year... and this year... and last week.

Hansi Lo Wang (he/him) @hansilowang.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

Reposted by John C. Shepard, AICP

NEW: The Census Bureau says it plans to release new one-year estimates from the American Community Survey on Oct. 29. The release was delayed after the Trump administration’s banning of a data privacy protection technique that the bureau used for decades www.census.gov/newsroom/pre...

census.gov

Census Bureau Announces Release Dates, Webinars, and Embargo of 2025 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates

The Census Bureau announces two webinars and the release date of the 2025 ACS 1-year estimates.

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Reposted by John C. Shepard, AICP

Flatwater Free Press @flatwaterfreep.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

New at Flatwater: As Medicaid reimbursement rates in Nebraska fail to match the rising costs of healthcare, it has put a squeeze on facilities that rely on the program. Two senior living centers are now closing, sending almost 100 people scrambling for a place to live. Read more 🔗 buff.ly/yOjWgrQ

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Summit Pipeline Ruling in North Dakota Called a Win for Local Control

"A North Dakota judge ruled Friday that state rules on where infrastructure, such as pipelines, can be built do not automatically trump local zoning ordinances." Not a fan of state pre-emption of local #zoning. Also means we need to do better with local planning. www.agriculture.com/partners-sum...

agriculture.com

A North Dakota judge ruled Friday that state rules on where infrastructure, such as pipelines, can be built do not automatically trump local zoning ordinances.

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John C. Shepard, AICP @jcshepard.com · 11/10/2026

Start the transportation chapter with where people need to go, not which roads to widen. Find the hard trips, fix the missing links, and carry them into the capital plan and development rules. The car stays. Access shouldn't depend on owning one.

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John C. Shepard, AICP @jcshepard.com · 11/10/2026

Multimodal planning isn't anti-car. It's about access. Rural transit works only if its hours, booking rules, and return trip fit the rider. A trail becomes transportation when it connects. And each subdivision approved past the edge of town stretches the distance.

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John C. Shepard, AICP @jcshepard.com · 11/10/2026

The grocery store is six blocks away. But without a car, the sidewalk ends two blocks from home and the highway crossing has no safe place to wait. Nearby isn't the same as within reach. Part 2 of my October series on transportation and the comprehensive plan.

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Reposted by John C. Shepard, AICP

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 11/10/2026

Serving in public office in the U.S. is dangerous. A new normal of violent threats is making it worse, dozens of elected officials told the New York Times. nyti.ms/4ydVlgU

A text card with the headline: "TIMES INVESTIGATION: Threats of Political Violence Have America's Elected Officials Living in Fear"

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Reposted by John C. Shepard, AICP

National Weather Service @nws.noaa.gov · 09/10/2026

#Rachel is expected to approach the coast of the northern Baja CA Peninsula and extreme Southern CA at tropical storm strength Saturday night. Tropical storm conditions are expected over portions of western Baja California, Mexico where Tropical Storm Warnings are in effect.

National Hurricane Center forecast for Tropical Storm Rachel, issued October 9, 2026, at 2 PM PDT. Rachel has maximum sustained winds of 45 mph and is moving northeast at 7 mph. The storm is forecast to move northeast toward the Baja California Peninsula, then weaken while approaching southern California and Nevada over the weekend. Tropical storm warnings are indicated along portions of Baja California, with tropical storm watches along nearby coastal areas. The forecast cone represents the probable path of the storm's center, and hazardous conditions can occur outside the cone.

Weather Prediction Center map showing flash flood risk across the Southwest. A Moderate Risk (red) covers portions of southeastern California near the Arizona border, south of Las Vegas. A broader Slight Risk (yellow) extends from southern California into southern Nevada, surrounded by a Marginal Risk (green) covering portions of California, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah.

Weather Prediction Center map showing an expanded flash flood risk across the Southwest. A Moderate Risk (red) stretches from southeastern California through southern Nevada, including Las Vegas. A broad Slight Risk (yellow) covers portions of southern California, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah, with a surrounding Marginal Risk (green) extending farther north and east.

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Reposted by John C. Shepard, AICP

National Weather Service @nws.noaa.gov · 09/10/2026

#Isaias 4pm CT update: A life-threatening storm surge is expected from the Mouth of the Mississippi River to Suwannee, Florida. Residents under evacuation orders should leave immediately and follow advice from local officials.

National Hurricane Center forecast for Hurricane Isaias, issued October 9, 2026, at 4 PM CDT. Isaias is a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph, moving north at 17 mph. The storm is approaching the northern Gulf Coast, with landfall expected Friday evening near the Alabama-Florida border. Hurricane warnings cover portions of the northern Gulf Coast, while tropical storm warnings extend inland across Alabama and surrounding areas. The storm is forecast to weaken while moving north through Alabama, Tennessee, and Kentucky over the weekend. Hazardous conditions can occur outside the forecast cone.

National Hurricane Center peak storm surge forecast for Hurricane Isaias, issued October 9, 2026. The highest surge of 6–9 feet above ground level is forecast along the Alabama and western Florida Panhandle coastline near Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. Surge of 4–7 feet is forecast near Dauphin Island and eastward toward Indian Pass, Florida. Other coastal areas could experience 3–5 feet in southeastern Louisiana, 4–6 feet along portions of Florida's Big Bend, and 1–3 feet farther from the storm's center. Values represent potential water heights above normally dry ground.

Weather Prediction Center map showing the greatest flash flood risk over the next three days from Hurricane Isaias, issued October 9, 2026. A Moderate Risk (at least 40%) extends along portions of the northern Gulf Coast from southern Alabama through the Florida Panhandle, with another Moderate Risk area extending from northern Georgia toward southeastern Tennessee. A broader Slight Risk (at least 15%) covers much of Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, the Carolinas, and portions of northern Florida. Marginal Risk areas extend into surrounding states. Three smaller maps show the daily progression of flash flood risks through Monday morning.

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Reposted by John C. Shepard, AICP

National Weather Service @nws.noaa.gov · 09/10/2026

Hurricane #Isaias is expected to make landfall on the Central Gulf Coast later today, bringing a threat of heavy rainfall and flash flooding to the region. Numerous instances of flash flooding are likely, some of which will be significant.

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Reposted by John C. Shepard, AICP

Wes Marshall @wesmars.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

In honor of #BannedBooksWeek, I'm happy to report that many state DOTs have refused to add my book to their own libraries (and happier to report that many of the same state DOTs have held secret book clubs with my book)

Cover of Killed by a Traffic Engineer with a BANNED stamp over it

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For your comprehensive plan: decide what each corridor is for. * Locate your gateways. * Manage access. * Plan a bypass and the old road together. * Review the street budget yearly. Then answer one question: where should the highway start acting like a town street?

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The edge of town is where movement gives way to access. A welcome sign isn't a gateway. A gateway is a sequence: rural highway, transition, town street. In Iowa, speed-feedback signs cut speeds by up to 7 mph. Billboards built to grab attention tend to succeed... as a distraction from safe driving.

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A stroad isn't an engineering accident. It's what a corridor becomes when no one decides what it's for.

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The sign says you're in town. The road says keep going. Roads connect places; streets serve them. Ask one piece of pavement to do both and you get a stroad: too fast to be a good street, too many driveways to be a good road.

Jay Hobgood @jayhobgood.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Reposted by John C. Shepard, AICP

Former Tropical Storm Isaias strengthens to hurricane; max wind speed 80 mph (130 km/h); moving toward east-northeast at 9 mph (15 km/h); Hurricane Warning in effect for portion of coast from Ocean Springs, Mississippi to Bay County/Gulf County line in Florida.

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Reposted by John C. Shepard, AICP

National Weather Service @nws.noaa.gov · 07/10/2026

Isaias is forecast to begin impacting the northern Gulf Coast by Friday afternoon with damaging winds, flooding rains, and deadly storm surge. TODAY is the time to make your preparations. www.noaa.gov/isaias

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John C. Shepard, AICP @jcshepard.com · 07/10/2026

When I worked in Pagosa Springs, for Archuleta County, Colorado, the night sky was one of the community's most valued assets, and it stays dark on purpose. My new short read for Small Towns, Real Ideas newsletter looks at dark-sky lighting as a planning tool for small towns.

The Durango Herald @durangoherald.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Reposted by John C. Shepard, AICP

A natural gas pipeline exploded Tuesday afternoon sending 100-foot flames into the air in San Juan County, N.M., near the Colorado border.

bit.ly

Pipeline explodes, leads to wildfire near Colorado-New Mexico border

Los Pinos fire responds offering mutual aid to San Juan County, N.M.

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Reposted by John C. Shepard, AICP

The Christian Science Monitor @csmonitor.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

As tourism waned along Route 66, many motels closed. A New Mexico investor is renovating some of the old structures into apartments that can increase housing stock. #route66 #housing #tourism www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/...

csmonitor.com

In New Mexico, housing shortage finds a fix on Route 66: Renovated motels

As tourism waned along Route 66, many motels closed. A New Mexico investor is renovating some of the old structures into apartments that can increase hous…

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John C. Shepard, AICP @jcshepard.com · 06/10/2026

Wayne, Nebraska, adopts Streetscape Master Plan, facilitated by JEO Consulting, to overhaul Main Street, fix sidewalks, and elevate the area's overall aesthetics. The plan calls for adding placemaking features to make the downtown core more welcoming for visitors and residents.

Today's article—first in series on transportation & your comp plan—looks at streets vs. roads, the small-town “stroad” problem, gateways, bypasses, signage, and one practical planning question: Where should the highway begin to behave like a town street?

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A highway can cross the city-limit line without ever becoming a town street. When the speed limit drops but the pavement still says “65 mph,” drivers keep moving. That affects safety, local businesses, walkability, & the first impression a community makes.

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Stay tuned for October's posts: transportation in the comprehensive plan. Highways & local roads. Multimodal planning in places where that sounds like a punchline. Freight. And the infrastructure decisions that outlast every political cycle that made them.

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I pulled September’s Land Use series into a practical checklist for planners and local officials. Does your land use framework actually work?

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A comprehensive plan is supposed to answer the hard questions before a development application arrives: * Where does growth belong? * What land and infrastructure should be protected? * Does zoning match the plan? * What will approval cost over time?

Brad Holkesvig @bradjholk.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Reposted by John C. Shepard, AICP

I enjoy walking along the trails above Barcelona and look down towards the city and Mediterranean Sea. #landscapes #barcelona #woods #trails #hiking #mediterraneansea #photography

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The initial tax revenue is easy to see. The cost of maintaining a road 20 years later is not. So check out these highlights from the blog, then click thru to the weekend long-read.

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The answer depends on what we're building, and where. New homes are a positive thing. Communities need housing, families need options, and landowners deserve reasonable opportunities to use or sell their property. But a new subdivision also creates public responsibilities that can last for decades.

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Growth is not the problem. The question is whether a community has considered the full public cost of the growth pattern it is approving. Last weekend we asked an uncomfortable question: Who Pays When Development Sprawls? The answer isn't just to say "NO!"