Wind energy benefits North Dakota. So why has the state soured on it?

North Dakota built one of the country's biggest wind power sectors over the past two decades, but the state has cooled on it. In Wishek, a small town in McIntosh County, the newest project — the 92-turbine Badger Wind Farm, run by the Danish company Ørsted — went online in January. Landowners who host turbines get lease payments (one farmer nets about $5,000 per turbine each quarter), and the county expects roughly $1.3 million a year in tax revenue for roads, schools, and emergency services. Ørsted also gave Wishek $150,000 for a new firehouse and pool.

Despite that money, many residents feel the turbines have changed the character of their farm town and that outside landowners cashed in while neighbors are stuck with the view. The county has since paused new wind projects for a year while it sorts out concerns about impacts on people who don't have turbines on their land. Statewide, only a handful of wind farms have been built since 2020, compared with dozens in the prior 15 years, as state officials and North Dakota's lone U.S. House member argue wind is squeezing out the coal industry and mainly benefits other states, like Minnesota, that need clean power to meet their own climate goals.

None of this changes federal or state rebate programs homeowners rely on for their own energy upgrades. It's a reminder, though, that support for large wind and solar projects varies a lot by state and can shift quickly — worth keeping in mind if you're weighing how reliable local clean-energy incentives might be over time.