There is a flush of new wind development coming to Wyoming as developers and utilities try to get in before federal tax subsidies sunset. On the coattails of that push are some small developers, companies looking to build wind farms and sell them to large utilities like Rocky Mountain Power. Federal law obliges utilities to buy that power if the farm meets a number of requirements, the first being size. But, for some time now a number of Wyomingites have pushed back on these would be power producers, arguing that they are gaming the federal law, disturbing the western landscape in order to put wind power on the grid that isn't needed. Energy reporter Heather Richards speaks to one such individual, Kenneth Lay of the Northern Laramie Range Alliance. He believes it's time to change the rules.

 

 

(Music credit: Sundown by Josh Woodward)