Oklahoma turbines said to vex military

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Legislature took testimony from military officials and wind energy experts this week as it considers restrictions on wind turbines near military bases.

Lt. Gen. Lee Levy, the senior-ranking military member in Oklahoma, said airmen are being put in “an unenviable situation” as they try to avoid wind turbines during their training flights.

“It is worrisome. We basically manage around the current encroachment,” Levy said during a hearing Tuesday before the Oklahoma House Transportation Committee.

U.S. Rep. Steve Russell, R-Okla., warned that wind turbines constructed near the state’s military bases could make them vulnerable to closure, though he didn’t provide details.

Dave Belote, a wind energy consultant, argued that the federal process already provides sufficient oversight of wind turbines near bases.