"Central South Dakota is a hot spot for high winds and two companies are willing to go to court to claim their rights to land on the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe reservation to build a wind farm and harvest the state’s plentiful natural resource.

A Houston-based company announced last week it was working with the tribe to create a company to develop a wind farm on the reservation. Unfortunately, a Colorado-based outfit said they had been working with the tribe towards the same end since 2007 and the arrangement precluded competition.

Both sides say development agreements have been approved in one form or another by the tribal council — and both appear to have some form of agreements in place. To make matters worse, neither developer involved is willing to back down and risk losing the potential profit that would inevitably come from the possible 266 turbines on tribal land.

For the tribe, this only tarnishes an opportunity for growth and development. The tribe should be embracing wind development, not participating in a series of missteps that are leading development efforts into the courtroom."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Wind deals need to be nurtured (The Rapid City Journal 6/9)

Also Today:
Winds blow hope to the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe (Indian Country Today 6/9)

Related Stories:
Crow Creek Sioux Tribe starts wind energy business (5/19)