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1A Across America is a two-year collaborative effort to bring more local viewpoints to 1A’s national audience. Started in 2019, 1A’s production team has worked in partnership with six public media stations, including KMUW, to bring underreported local points of view and issues of importance into a national conversation through on-air discussions and interviews, field reporting and live events.1A airs weekdays from 9 to 11 a.m. on KMUW 89.1-FM. The program is produced by WAMU 88.5, and distributed by NPR.

1A Across America: Renewable Energy And Resistance

Although wind energy represents great economic potential for Kansas and the surrounding area, there has also been pushback on constructing wind farms from local residents.
James Morrison/WAMU
Although wind energy represents great economic potential for Kansas and the surrounding area, there has also been pushback on constructing wind farms from local residents.

More than two years have passed since President Trump pulled America out of the Paris climate agreement. But the demand for renewable energy in this country continues to increase.

A record amount of wind energy production is set to come online in 2020, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

This is largely driven by state renewable energy mandates and Fortune 500 companies committing to reducing their net carbon emissions to zero.

Yet the push for wind energy is dividing some communities in parts of the country where wind energy has major potential.

In this 1A Across America conversation, we explore resistance to wind farms and transmission lines in and near Kansas, a state known as the “Saudi Arabia of Wind.”

Produced by James Morrison.

1A Across America is funded through a grant from The Corporation for Public Broadcasting. CPB is a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967 that is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting.

GUESTS

Nick Egli, Opposed to wind farm plans in Reno County, Kansas

Glenn Torline, Farmer in Spearville, Kansas

Kevin Mages, Farmer in Spearville, Kansas

Jennifer Gatrell, Rancher in Cowgill, Missouri

Jeff Gatrell, Rancher in Cowgill, Missouri

Russell Gold, Senior energy reporter, The Wall Street Street; author of “Superpower: One Man’s Quest to Transform American Energy”; @russellgold

Amy Farrell, Senior vice president, government and public affairs, American Wind Energy Association; @AWEA

For more, visit https://the1a.org.

© 2019 WAMU 88.5 – American University Radio.

Copyright 2019 WAMU 88.5