Oklahoma isn’t the only place where some are not happy with the growth of the state’s wind industry. Legislators want to raise taxes on wind farms. The city of Hinton is in a federal lawsuit to keep a wind farm from being built within 2 miles of the city limits. And the state’s oil and gas industry remains at odds with the wind leaders. The state attorney general has also opposed PSO’s method of building a giant wind farm in the Oklahoma Panhandle.
Another example of growing opposition has happened in southern Minnesota where hundreds organized a fight when one developer attempted to put up dozens of 400 foot wind towers.
The Associated Press reported residents circulated petitions and went door-to-door to tell neighbors of the project. They even took their case before state commissions and the criticism has worked so far, stalling the project meant for Freeborn County.
But the A-P found that there is a growing movement against the spread of wind farms. There have been wind fights in Iowa, Illinois and Maryland and opposition exists in several states in the northeast.
In Lincoln County, South Dakota recently residents were successful stopping a planned 150-turbine development. How did they do it? At the polls. The wind power company collected signatures for a vote but opponents were the clear winner when they defeated the measure.
Still, wind power is popular. There are 54,000 turbines in 41 states, Guam and Puerto Rico and the amount of electricity generated by wind is more than fivefold from 10 years ago.