Miss. senator to hold hearings on wind-tower effects on farmland after bill dies
State Sen. Joel Carter, R-Miss., said he will hold hearings this summer on legislation to create a Wind-Tower Agricultural and Environmental Impact Study Committee after a related bill failed in conference between the House and Senate. Carter said he was “disappointed” the bill died and that the hearings will “determine what’s going on with turbines’ impact in farming communities.”
Under the original House bill, HB 1069, the Mississippi Public Service Commission would have had “jurisdiction and authority” over the siting, construction, expansion and operation of wind-tower facilities in the state, and the bill would have halted construction of turbines within 3,000 feet of a property line adjacent to land used for agricultural purposes unless all landowners agreed, according to the bill text. The Senate amended the measure to instead establish the study committee, which would have included various state officials and farming groups.
Wind farms have expanded in Mississippi in recent years. Tunica County’s Delta Wind Farm began generating energy in April 2024 with 41 turbines standing about 692 feet each, and the project is part of what companies describe as Amazon’s $10 billion investment in the state. AES and Amazon have partnered on the Mississippi Delta Wind Farm, according to company information. The Southeastern Wind Coalition has said the Delta region’s flat, open fields and localized wind patterns make it suitable for wind development.
Farmers and agricultural producers have raised concerns about loss of farmland from wind projects, and several officials have voiced differing views on energy policy. Gov. Tate Reeves, R, has expressed support for an “all of the above” energy policy so long as energy remains reliable and affordable, and Carter said he “100 percent agrees” with the governor but that wind “is not as effective as solar” and other renewables. No dates have been set for the hearings, Carter said.
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