NextEra, DoD Work Toward Oklahoma Wind Resolution

The State of Oklahoma has agreed to extend the deadline for NextEra Energy Resources and the Department of Defense (DoD) to reach an agreement on a mitigation plan for a wind farm along a route of airspace the military uses for training.

Earlier this month, Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter announced an agreement between NextEra and the Oklahoma Strategic Military Planning Commission (OSMPC) that temporarily halted construction of the company’s wind farm, proposed west of Hinton, in order for the DoD to work with the company to resolve the issue. The new deadline is Oct. 29.

The OSMPC, being represented by the attorney general, contends that the wind farm violates a Wind Energy Development Act amendment that took effect earlier this year. According to Hunter, 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.

This is the second time a deadline extension has been granted as the NextEra and the DoD work toward a resolution, the attorney general says.

“We appreciate Attorney General Hunter’s good faith negotiations for the OSMPC and for helping protect one of the military’s most valuable assets,” Michael Cooper, chairman of the OSMPC, said earlier this month. “The airspace used for training is critical to our national defense and to the mission of our state and nation’s military installations. We thank NextEra for recognizing this and working with us to further enhance this mission.”