From CFACT

By Frank Lasee

Oklahoma’s windswept plains have long symbolized the state’s rugged independence, but a new storm is brewing — not from the skies but from corporate boardrooms. 

As massive wind developments encroach on eastern Oklahoma, residents in Lincoln, Craig and Nowata counties are rising up, demanding a stop to these industrial behemoths that scar landscapes and increase the electric bills.

While the western half of the state has embraced wind farms in its vast, open spaces, the east — more densely populated and wooded — offers no such buffer. These projects aren’t just unwelcome; they’re a direct assault on their way of life.

Take Lincoln County, where grassroots efforts by groups such as Save Oklahoma Farms and Ranches have mobilized against Apex Clean Energy’s Sandstone Project and Enel Green Power’s Cedar Run Wind Farm.

Sandstone plans turbines sprawling across 120,000 acres, though only 7,400 acres have been leased so far, with construction eyed for 2028. Cedar Run, at 97.5 MW on 15,000 acres, is already in pre-construction.

In Craig County, Triple Oak Power’s Cabin Creek aims for 50 to 100 turbines on 29,000 acres, with FAA approvals in hand and road agreements pending. Nowata County’s Hickory Creek by Apex adds to the dozens of projects by foreign-dominated companies that bring in out-of-state or overseas workers and take away local jobs during construction. There aren’t many permanent, full-time jobs created by big wind.

These aren’t the modest turbines of yesteryear; modern ones tower twice as high, blotting out sunsets. Shadow flicker is a problem for those who live nearby. Turbines also devalue nearby properties by 15 percent to 50 percent, due to visual blight and perceived health risks from electromagnetic fields and shadow flicker.

Imagine waking up one day to see a 750-foot industrial wind tower next door, knowing it will be there for 20-25 years before it becomes a nonfunctional eyesore — or they take it down, leaving only the concrete base.

Unlike western Oklahoma’s wide expanses, eastern terrain amplifies the intrusion, turning serene farms into industrial zones. Locating giant turbines near where people live is a problem that must be dealt with. The Oklahoma Legislature and the governor owe the people of eastern Oklahoma protections that were not needed in the wide-open expanses of western Oklahoma.

Communities in McIntosh, Okfuskee and Seminole counties are fighting back through Facebook groups such as No Wind Turbines McIntosh County and No Wind Turbines Seminole County, echoing sites such as saveoklahomaplan.com and saveoursunsetsok.com that decry the “green energy scam” eroding rural life.

Worse, Oklahomans foot the bill for this folly. Oklahoma generates 42 percent of its electricity from wind only when the wind blows, which is not always, while exporting surplus power to other states, with locals bearing transmission costs. The more they build, the more transmission costs get added to Oklahomans’ electric bills.

This is unfair. All electric users shouldn’t pay for these transmission wires to transport electricity to other states and regions. States are looking to change this. The purchasers of the electricity should pay, not those who live along the way who do not use the electricity.

In addition, when wind displaces large amounts of electricity that could be generated by coal and natural gas, facilities have to raise their prices. Because, like your car payment is far more than your gas payment, an electric plant’s highest cost is the cost of building it and maintaining it — not the fuel costs.

They charge more because they sell less, and everyone pays more. Since wind is part-time, natural gas and coal plants have to run all the time — even if generating little or no electricity — because the wind stops.

Then, to make matters worse, when electricity is purchased from Southwest Power Pool, the regional grid, they pay the highest price for the electricity they take from all generators, including wind and solar. Everyone pays more on their electric bill. They don’t pay the low bidding wind and solar their bid price; they pay them the highest price. Wind and solar power make our grids more expensive.

Projects like Invenergy’s Cimarron Link, a 1,900 MW HVDC line, force ratepayers to fund infrastructure they don’t need for out-of-state exports. This subsidizes foreign profits while Oklahomans pay higher bills.

Gov. Kevin Stitt remains staunchly pro-wind, even criticizing federal halts on projects, prioritizing diversification over community concerns.

Freshman Rep. Jim Shaw is leading the charge against this, filing bills for a moratorium on new wind and solar, expanded setbacks (0.25 miles or 2.5 times turbine height), and clawing back subsidies. Wind towers should be at least 1 mile from any current or planned home or barn with animals.

Lawmakers grapple with regulation amid local opposition, with anti-big wind rallies at the Capitol. It’s time to act. Shaw’s efforts demand a statewide pause.

Oklahomans deserve energy policies that protect their land, not export their resources for foreign gain. Let them preserve their sunsets, farms and future — before the turbines take them away.

RALLY AT THE OKLAHOMA CAPITOL MARCH 7 at 1:00 PM!