Rep. Jon Nelson believes a plan for the dismantling of inactive North Dakota wind farms is comparable to coal mine land reclamation, but the Wolford Republican couldn’t muster enough lawmakers who agreed. The North Dakota House on Friday defeated, 57-34, a bill to give the state Public Service Commission broad power to write rules for the decommissioning of wind farms, including authority to require companies to post a bond to cover the expense. Rep. Mike Brandenburg, R-Edgeley, argued the bill was unnecessary and would add extra cost for an industry that is finding its legs in North Dakota. The American Wind Energy Association rates the state as No. 1 in wind-power generation potential. “At this point in the infancy of these wind generation (projects), this is not the time to put more … burdensome costs that would take us further out of the market,” Brandenburg said.

Last month the Natural Areas Acquisition Advisory Committee advised the governor to deny the sale. Opponents have said that there is already enough land in Sheridan County set aside for wildlife and that the sale could hurt economic development by restricting the placement of wind turbines or pipelines.

The Public Service Commission is holding a hearing in Ashley this week on a proposed transmission line for a new wind farm in North Dakota. Tatanka Wind Power is planning a project across the North Dakota-South Dakota border. State regulators say the company wants to build a ten-mile power line to connect the turbines to North Dakota's electrical grid. Tatanka is planning to build about 120 wind turbines, capable of generating about 180 megawatts of power.

The Public Service Commission has scheduled a hearing here on a proposed transmission line for a new wind farm in North Dakota. Tatanka Wind Power LLC is planning a project across the North Dakota-South Dakota border. State regulators say the company wants to build a 10-mile power line to connect the turbines to North Dakota’s electrical grid.

FPL Energy announced plans to submit a proposal for a large wind farm in Cavalier County, North Dakota. The proposal was mentioned in Gov. John Hoeven’s address to the state legislature Wednesday, the Grand Forks Herald reported. The application will be for a 160 megawatt wind farm, according to the North Dakota Public Service Commission.

Other renewable energy legislation is in the wind, now that North Dakota's wind energy development is firmly established with commercial wind farms in Burleigh and Oliver counties in this region and others elsewhere in the state. The North Dakota Renewable Energy Partnership has outlined a concept to restore wind farm siting authority to the Public Service Commission for wind projects of more than 20 megawatts. The oversight would include the issues of landowner compensation and perimeter setbacks. The PCS's authority was stripped of anything under 100 megawatts in the last session.

A company that is planning a wind power project across the North Dakota-South Dakota border wants to construct a 10-mile power line to connect the turbines to North Dakota’s electrical grid, state regulators say. The Public Service Commission on Wednesday accepted Tatanka Wind Power LLC’s letter of intent to build the Dickey County power line, which the company hopes to begin constructing in March. Company filings estimate the project’s cost at $7.3 million.

Separately, the commission on Wednesday gave regulatory approval for FPL Energy to build an electric substation and 532-foot stretch of new power line in Oliver County. The utility is developing a wind turbine farm near Center. When completed, the wind development will use 22 turbines to generate 50 megawatts of electricity, which is being sold to Minnesota Power of Duluth. The power line and substation are needed to transmit the energy east, Commissioner Susan Wefald said.