Attorney General Mike Hunter announced Monday the state will extend the deadline for NextEra Energy Resources and the Department of Defense (DOD) to reach an agreement on a mitigation plan regarding a wind farm along a route of airspace the military uses for training.
The original deadline to have a mitigation plan was today. However, the attorney general has agreed to extend the deadline through next Monday, October 22, to allow for more time to work toward a resolution.
The attorney general is representing the Oklahoma Strategic Military Planning Commission, which is concerned that a wind farm located west of Hinton, being constructed by NextEra, violates an amendment to the Wind Energy Development Act that took effect earlier this year.
The changes to the law require a determination by the federal government that planned wind turbine construction has no military impact, or the company must have an approved mitigation plan from the DOD, before a wind farm is constructed or expanded.
After the negotiations with the attorney general, NextEra agreed to halt construction to allow time to secure a mitigation plan from DOD. As part of the agreement, the state will not take legal action against NextEra while construction is suspended and negotiations are ongoing.