With Arkansas’s first wind energy projects under construction, state lawmakers are working against the clock and amid messy politics to adopt a new regulatory framework for wind turbines.
Senate Bill 639 passed the Arkansas Senate 33-1 Thursday afternoon. Its sponsor, Sen. Ronald Caldwell (R-Wynne), was among those who pushed back on efforts to regulate the wind industry earlier this year.
Called the Wind Energy Development Act, Caldwell’s bill would instruct the Arkansas Public Service Commission to develop permit requirements, require companies to do extensive studies for wildlife impacts, and make sure wind energy developers meet certain public safety requirements.
Two provisions in the bill were especially controversial with wind advocates and developers: the extensive noise restrictions on future projects and the new requirement forcing developers to build wind turbines at least 2,500 feet away from adjoining…
