** The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold a hearing on the East Palestine derailment on an unspecified date in early March. ** Physical attacks on the power grid are likely to increase this year, according to a confidential industry analysis viewed by The Wall Street Journal, as attacks increased by 71% in …
Category: Wind Energy
Wyoming’s increased wind farms is killing more bald eagles
A wildlife biologist who worked for more than 30 years for the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service contends the number of bald eagles killed by wind farms in Wyoming is under-reported. And he’s not alone in making his claim. It’s particularly worrisome for Mike Lockhart as more wind farms are being planned and constructed …
New Mexico makes another renewable energy move
New Mexico is closer to adopting a move to create a new state renewable energy office. The state’s House of Representatives voted last week to pass a bill to institutionalize renewable energy production at the New Mexico Land Office reported the Los Alamos Daily Post. Click here for Daily Post
Opposition grows to some renewable energy projects
As the federal government under the direction of the Biden administration encourages renewable energy growth across the U.S. it is also resulting in increased opposition to some of the projects. Fierce battles have broken out over solar and wind farms and carbon capture projects. It happened in Oklahoma years ago when wind farm …
Unexplained—wind turbine tower found leaning in Illinois farm field
First we had wind turbines that came crashing to the ground in northern Oklahoma and other sites across the world. Now there’s the case of a 400-foot tall wind turbine in Illinois that started leaning at an obvious angle. RWE Renewables Americas LLC, based in Austin, Texas is investigating to learn why its tower …
ALLETE reports improved income but issues with its Oklahoma wind farm sites
Wind farm operator ALLETE, Inc. based in Minnesota and with operations in Oklahoma, reported improved earnings per share as well as net income in 2022. But its wind farm subsidiary also had issues with the Southwest Power Pool and its Oklahoma wind farm operations. The firm said total 2022 earnings were $3.38 per share …
Strong winds left thousands without power in OGE system
Strong winds in Oklahoma on Tuesday caused power outages for Oklahoma Gas and Electric. An estimated 8,200 customers were without service as of late in the afternoon. Winds gusting to 50 mph were blamed for the outages. OG&E said the winds damaged the power lines and equipment. The outages were expected to continue throughout …
Energy briefs
** Ford Motor announced Monday that it’s partnering with a Chinese company to build a $3.5 billion electric vehicle battery plant in Michigan, a move sure to spark backlash from Republican lawmakers. ** Republicans are scrutinizing the administration’s billions of dollars in low-carbon energy incentives for signs that money could benefit companies tied to Beijing. ** Recently …
Rural Oklahoma’s economy helped by growth of wind farms
The number of wind turbines in Oklahoma isn’t slowing down and the economic impact on the state is realized—especially in the rural areas of northwest Oklahoma. The Enid News and Eagle reports northwestern Oklahoma is home to several wind farms, including NextEra Energy’s Skeleton Creek Wind, Solar, and Battery Storage Project in Alfalfa, Garfield …
State Senator wants renewable energy land leases unitized to be more equitable
A bill before the Oklahoma legislature would unitize wind and solar farm leases much the way unitization is implemented for oil and gas production. It might result in changes to the way Oklahoma landowners are paid for such renewable energy leases. SB770 was filed by Oklahoma City Democratic Sen. Carri Hicks and if approved, …