OKLAHOMA CITY — Construction of an Oklahoma wind farm has been put on hold stemming from a claim by the Oklahoma Strategic Military Planning Commission (OSMPC) that the construction violates an amendment to the Wind Energy Development Act, which took affect earlier this year.
According to the Oklahoma Attorney General's Office, an agreement between the wind farm's developer NextEra Energy Resources and the OSMPC, will halt construction that is along a route of airspace used for U.S. Air Force training. It is pending an investigation by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) to determine that turbine construction has no military impact and an approved mitigation plan.
The agreement, negotiated by the Attorney General's Office, will provide an opportunity for a solution without litigation, Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter said.
“We appreciate Attorney General Hunter’s good faith negotiations for the OSMPC and for helping protect one of the military’s most valuable assets,” OSMPC Chairman Michael Cooper said in a statement. “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.”
The Wind Energy Development Act amendment requires determination by the federal government that any planned wind turbine construction will not have any military impact or has an approved mitigation plan signed off on by the DOD, according to Hunter's office.