Dec 05 - Tulsa World

'Twas a case of the prairie chicken or the wind at Wednesday's conference on renewable energy sources.

Mark Tercek, national president of The Nature Conservancy, cautioned people who are interested in using Oklahoma's wind to produce electricity to consider the habitats of prairie chickens and other wildlife that live on the ground.

Tercek's talk was the anti- thesis of most of the sessions during the two-day Wind Energy Conference, which explored ways to increase Oklahoma's production of wind.

Tercek acknowledged, "We need to move forward with renewable energy."

He asked that those developing wind energy contact The Nature Conservancy in their states, which will assist them in locating habitats.

Paul Sadler, director of a private group promoting wind energy, said states that are the best-equipped to provide the transmission of wind will be the winners when national policy shifts.

Investor T. Boone Pickens said Tuesday at the conference that he foresees a policy shift toward renewable energy in the upcoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama.

Oklahoma is classified as potentially the ninth-"windiest" state in the nation, according to the American Wind Energy Association.

Sadler, a former Texas legislator, said Oklahoma should quickly set up an apparatus to facilitate building transmission lines to move wind energy out of state, like it does with natural gas.

Oklahoma Rep. Gus Blackwell, R-Goodwell, whose district includes the Panhandle, where wind is abundant, urged adoption of a national standard dictating a percentage of renewable energy.

Blackwell noted that construction began Tuesday on a transmission line to transmit wind-powered electricity from Woodward to Oklahoma City. Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co. is spearheading the line's construction.

Last session, the Legislature approved a bill that allows companies such as OG&E to bill customers for transmission line construction before the lines are completed.

Mick Hinton (405) 528-2465

mick.hinton@tulsaworld.com

Originally published by MICK HINTON World Capitol Bureau.

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