Environmental Engineering Reference
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offices in California, they knew that they were relatively out of touch with
the day-to-day life of the county's rural farmers and ranchers. To succeed,
they would need somebody on the ground in the county every day working
as an advocate and liaison for Cannon and its proposed project. This
liaison would obviously free up time for Hardke and Monkhouse to work
on other aspects of the project back in San Diego. Hopefully, this person
would also be better able to relate to the local residents and would not be
perceived as a stuffy outsider. Cannon began searching for a candidate with
enough know-how and local charm to build goodwill and secure the leases,
easements, and other interests the company would need.
Cannon found its man in Kurt Humphrey, a down-to-earth individual
with a slight western drawl and a folksy demeanor. Humphrey lived
almost two hours away on the outskirts of Portland, Oregon, but had
spent much of his career negotiating oil and gas leases in rural areas.
An avid outdoorsman, Humphrey's typical attire consisted of jeans, a
flannel buttoned shirt, leather boots, and a cowboy hat. His unassuming
appearance and rural background enabled him to fit right in with the people
of Goldendale and the surrounding area.
In the ensuing years, Humphrey spent so much time in and around
Goldendale that he came to regard it as a second home. As the project
progressed, Humphrey grew more and more sympathetic of locals' interests
and concerns, so much so that at some points Hardke and Monkhouse
jokingly accused him of “going local” at Cannon's expense. In reality,
Humphrey's visible concern for the people of Klickitat County was among
the greatest assets he brought to Cannon. His outspoken commitment to
“doing right” by landowners allowed him to get crucial wind leases signed
when no one else could.
Humphrey's signature accomplishment at Windy Point/Windy Flats
was his winning over of Eleanor Dooley, an elderly widow who owned
vast acreages of land in southern Klickitat County. When it came to wind
farm development, Dooley was a notoriously tough nut to crack. She had
rejected countless offers from wind energy developers to lease her land over
the years, declaring on multiple occasions that she did not want any part of
“the windmills.” Community members had warned Cannon about Dooley's
staunch opposition to wind energy, suggesting that attempts to lease her
land were hopeless and weren't worth the effort. Dooley was nearly 90
years old and was deeply set in her ways. She had no compelling financial
needs that would motivate her to allow development on her land.
Unfortunately for Cannon, Dooley held title to large tracts of land
situated squarely in the middle of the company's planned wind farm. The
commercial viability of its project was far less certain without lease rights
covering Dooley's several parcels. Somehow, Cannon had to get Dooley on
their side—a seemingly impossible task. The fate of Cannon's entire project
could depend on it. How could Cannon persuade this shrewd, petulant
frontier woman to sign at the dotted line? This formidable challenge fell to
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