Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT) says a coalition of farmers, ranchers, tribal members, energy workers and grassroots organizations will gather at the Oklahoma State Capitol on Saturday to rally against wind turbines in eastern Oklahoma. They want to stop the expansion of the turbines in their area.
Wind developers currently have to have their projects meet construction thresholds before July 4. If not, they risk losing production tax credits and federal subsidies. This resulted in “aggressive land acquisition, lease pressure, and accelerated construction planning in eastern Oklahoma” in order to meet the deadline.
However, local counties are concerned saying the turbines threaten property rights, rural landscapes and household electric bills. Eastern Oklahoma is also more densely populated than the western side, and the modern turbines, reaching over 700 feet, will fundamentally alter the community, opponents say.
CFACT President Craig Rucker says there are many wind farms in western Oklahoma.
"The locals don't want these big ugly looking wind farms taking up 120,000 acres of prime land to spoil their scenery. And they are linked to all sorts of health issues with the flickering of the lights — these are well documented. Also, they're an environmental problem because they kill birds, bats, endangered species, and the like," states Rucker.
Rucker says the "shadow flicker" caused by early morning or evening sun passing through the turning blades has been documented to cause nausea in some people.
He explains that, even though the turbines are touted as a cheap form of energy, they also cause electricity rates to go up.
"What they don't tell you is the sun doesn't always shine, nor does the wind always blow. Even if they do state that they'll cover 100,000 homes, they generally only do that about 25% to 35% of the time at full capacity. Usually, they are at less than that. Sometimes they're zero,” states Rucker.
And, he says, they always need backup.
“So, you cannot get rid of natural gas, coal, nuclear and other sources of energy because they always have to be readily available for when those occasions happen," says Rucker.
Rucker comments that other places in the world with high levels of renewable energy have higher electricity rates.
He adds that property values also drop due to the turbines, and their parts are not recyclable.
