Five Tribes Join Forces to Develop New Oklahoma Wind Farm

• Logan Layden
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  Logan Layden is a reporter and managing editor for StateImpact Oklahoma. He is a native of McAlester, Oklahoma and graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2009. Logan spent three years as a state capitol reporter and local host of All Things Considered for NPR member station KGOU in Norman and six years as a reporter with StateImpact from 2011 to 2017. Most recently, he was news director for McAlester Radio before returning to public radio in 2020.

Joe Wertz / StateImpact Oklahoma

A northwest Oklahoma wind farm near Geary, Okla.

The Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations are helping small communities with their water infrastructure needs in southern Oklahoma. In north-central Oklahoma, the Cherokee Nation’s focus is on power generation, as the Tulsa World’s Jarrell Wade reports:

…five tribes will jointly operate the facility with 45 turbines on 3,000 acres of Cherokee-owned property and 45 more turbines on 3,000 acres owned by the four other tribes – the Kaw Nation, Otoe-Missouria Tribe, Pawnee Nation and Ponca Nation.

The Cherokee Nation’s partner is Chicago-based PNE Wind USA Inc. Development of the wind farm will begin immediately, tribal officials said.

Cherokee Nation Chief Bill John Baker told the paper building the largest wind farm of its kind on tribal land would be good for jobs, energy independence, and the environment:

“The Cherokee Nation is playing a significant role in creating new green jobs and expects to play a key role in Oklahoma’s emerging wind energy industry,” said Cherokee Nation Chief Bill John Baker. “The Cherokee Nation is committed to growing the Oklahoma economy, helping reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil and creating sustainable jobs for our people in the renewable energy sector.”

The Cherokees are joining with four other tribes, and Chicago-based PNE Wind USA Inc.