
Approval was given for a 150-megawatt wind farm to be built on the prairies of Osage County, Oklahoma, at a public hearing meeting on Thursday, August 11, in which residents overwhelmingly supported the project, Tulsa World reports.
According to the news source, the Osage County Board of Adjustment voted four to none in favor of granting a variance to Wind Capital Group of St. Louis, allowing the company to construct a 94-turbine wind farm on land originally set aside for agriculture.
"This is an absolutely beautiful opportunity for our community," said Cathy Bowen, partial owner of the proposed land on which the farm is to be built. "How can we turn something down that's so clean?"
Construction is slotted to begin in the next few months, after the turbines are purchased from General Electric. The hearing drew more than 100 people who cheered and applauded after the board's decision was announced, the media outlet stated.
Oklahoma currently generates 1,995 megawatts of wind energy, but has the potential wind resources to supply up to 9 percent of the entire country's electricity needs, according to the Oklahoma Department of Commerce.

