Osage Nation raising objections about proposed wind farms

Tuesday, June 14, 2011  

The Osage Nation of Oklahoma is opposing wind farm developments in Osage County.

Chief John D. Red Eagle said the tribe is worried about the impact on oil and gas development. The tribe owns the mineral estate in the county.

"They are talking about using an awful lot of ground," Galen Crum, the chairman of the Osage Minerals Council, told The Tulsa World. "They weren't thinking about the mineral estate - just about compensating landowners.

The tribe is also worried about impacts to the tallgrass prairie. "The last remnants of the Tallgrass Prairie run from Osage County northward, into northern Kansas and I believe that the Osage Nation must join others in its protection, restoration, and properly make use of the limited opportunities the prairie provides everyone, including its wildlife," Red Eagle said in a statement.

Two companies are planning wind farms in the county and a third is looking at the area.

Get the Story:
Osage Nation Opposes Wind Farm Development In Osage County (News On 6 6/13)
Osage Nation speaks out against proposed wind farms (The New York Times 6/14)