On September 9, 2024, signs blocking proposed wind energy development were placed outside a Chandler business. (Photo by Emyli Creekmore/For Oklahoma Voice)
CHANDLER — A large-scale wind farm development that is meeting local resistance in Lincoln County could lead to a push for legislative changes at the Capitol.
As Enel Green Power moves forward with plans for the 15,000-acre Cedar Run Wind Project, frustrated residents are pushing back.
In recent months, they have removed a powerful state lawmaker from office while posting “No Wind Turbines” signs in the rural county home to about 35,000 people just east of Oklahoma City. Residents launched a Facebook group that has attracted more than 2,000 members, as well as a website they are urging their neighbors to pressure elected leaders to pass stricter regulations on the industry.
“I never liked the idea of wind turbines, especially in my province,” said Jeannetta Stipe, a resident of Agra. “They are annoyingly loud. I don’t want to hear them while I’m trying to go to bed at night.’
Newly elected state Rep. Jim Shaw of Chandler said he believes resistance to wind development “was a big factor” that contributed to his victory in the Republican primary. Earlier this year, Shaw unseated incumbent Rep. Kevin Wallace, R-Wellston, to win the House seat in District 32, which includes Lincoln County.
Shaw said local concerns about Cedar Run prompted him to run for office, and he plans to introduce legislation related to wind energy.
“I’m still working out the details behind what that legislation will look like, but I look forward to working with like-minded lawmakers to introduce effective bills to achieve what our constituents desire,” he said.
Rep. Jim Shaw, R-Chandler, speaks during a swearing-in ceremony on Nov. 20, 2024, in the House chamber of the Oklahoma State Capitol. (Photo by Emma Murphy/Oklahoma Voice)
The fight in Lincoln County is the latest dispute over wind development in the state.
According to an American newspaper, the industry has grown rapidly between 2010 and 2023 August analysis released by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. The report found that electricity generation in Oklahoma increased by 25% during that time, with nearly all of that growth coming from wind power.
By 2023, Oklahoma was the third-largest wind energy producing state in the country, behind Texas and Iowa, the report found.
Opponents argue that wind installations devalue property and cause a nuisance. They have previously pushed for additional regulations for the industry and urged lawmakers to end state tax incentives.
Critics of Lincoln County’s development want lawmakers to pass stricter protections for landowners who don’t want the turbines near them, and to ask the state’s attorney general to reconsider whether counties can pass their own zoning restrictions through ballot initiatives .
The developer of Enel’s Lincoln County project did not respond to requests for comment.
But Jeff Clark, president and CEO of the Advanced Power Alliance, said he is aware of the concerns. Enel is a member of the Clark Trade Association.
“I have been in this industry for more than 13 years and I have seen communities resist the introduction of wind energy,” he said. “Typically, they are told a lot of things that are not true about the safety or community impact of wind turbines.”
Clark said he owns a 53-acre ranch on the coast of San Patricio County, Texas, in the middle of a wind farm. He said developers are working very hard to find communities where wind projects are most welcome. Oklahoma is attractive because it has “legendary wind power.”
Oklahoma lawmakers have ended the state’s tax incentives for newly built wind farms, although some projects that have been built and grandfathered could still receive some benefits, he said.
But he said the federal government still offers tax breaks for wind developers.
Clark believes that if people understood the benefits of wind energy, they would be more hospitable.
“I think once people understand how wind energy is produced, they will want wind energy because it lowers their electric bills and produces energy without creating dirty air or dirty water,” he said. “It also means the state’s economy is more diversified, making it possible to weather the ups and downs of other industries.”
Supporters of the developments also note that they bring additional revenue to farmers, ranchers and other rural landowners, and increase the amount of money counties collect in taxes.
But the issue is divisive.
Brandon Wolff, a fifth-generation Lincoln County resident, said he believes landowners should have the right to choose whether they want the developments.
“Every situation and circumstance is different for all people,” Wolff said. “If you don’t want your neighbor to sell or rent his land, buy it. If you don’t have the means to buy it, trade with it. Nothing should be formed to prevent us from allowing the rights of our country to be decided by others.”
Editor’s note: This story was produced through a partnership between Oklahoma Voice and the University of Central Oklahoma journalism program.
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