On the ballot Tuesday: a zoning proposition in Craig County proposed by a group trying to stop a large wind farm from putting up windmills close to homes.

Craig County is one of several in Oklahoma where wind farm proposals are emerging. Companies already have power mills set up in at least eight counties, mostly in western Oklahoma. News On 6 has found they are either being proposed or are in development in at least ten other counties, moving toward the eastern side of the state.

The Oklahoma Wind Energy Development Act requires wind farms to keep turbines one and a half miles away from public airports, public schools, and hospitals, but there is no state requirement for residential homes.

Craig County Residents Concerned

News On 6 spoke to one couple who is concerned for their home and their neighbors after being approached by Triple Oak Energy, the company behind the Cabin Creek Wind Farm.

Making your way down Highway 10 through Craig County, it’s not hard to imagine how some landowners feel about wind farms.

Natalie Bullard and her husband Ben live near Bluejacket and were approached by Triple Oak Power about placing wind turbines on their property about a year ago.

“My wife asked me a really important question. She said, ‘Well, if it wasn’t for the money, would you do it?’ And I know enough about the wind industry that my answer was no.”

The couple is now part of a group called the “Craig County Concerned Citizens.” The group is backing a zoning proposition on the ballot Tuesday that would allow the county to create zoning rules for unincorporated areas. Supporters of the proposal believe zoning is the best option to keep the more than 600-foot-tall turbines away from people’s homes.

“This has been going on for about a year, and zoning wasn’t our first option,” Ben said. “It was probably about option D. We went with road use agreements. We looked at moratoriums and different things, but we were trying to find the most legal aspect we could to provide healthy and safe setbacks from industrial wind or just industrial energy development period.”

Many in the area are concerned about the erosion of property rights.

Craig County District Attorney Matt Ballard sent us this statement about the zoning proposition:

“The proposition isn’t about wind turbines. It is about zoning throughout the county. Zoning gives the county the ability to govern the appropriate use of property.”

The couple says they understand the concerns.

“We are all for property rights,” said Natalie. “We own land. We want to protect those property rights. I don’t want to tell my neighbor what to do, but at the same point in time, I have an interest in telling a foreign-owned company that they should be held to a higher standard of regulations and setbacks for our community’s health, safety, and welfare, and I think that’s really important.”

Triple Oak Power Response

News On 6 reached out to Triple Oak Power about the proposed wind farm—called Cabin Creek Wind. They sent the following statement:

“Triple Oak Power is committed to responsible wind development and being a good community partner for years to come. We are excited about helping to drive economic opportunity in Craig County by creating new jobs, tax revenue for local schools and county services, and improved infrastructure.

“Craig County voters will have a choice on Tuesday to place limitations on property rights through zoning or leave things as is, protecting landowner rights to use their land. This referendum could result in significant costs for the county and add bureaucracy and red tape for residents who want to make improvements to their land.

“Whatever the results of this referendum, Triple Oak will continue to work with county leaders on important issues such as setbacks and any health and safety concerns of our Cabin Creek wind project.”

What’s Next

The zoning change that would make it harder for wind farms to build next to homes is now up to Craig County voters. Election Day is Tuesday.

The Arizona State at Oklahoma State Big 12 football game got a TV upgrade.

Originally scheduled to air on FS1, Saturday’s game in Stillwater will now be televised on FOX.

If the Yankees hadn’t blown a 5-0 lead in Game 5 of the World Series, Game 6 would be airing on FOX on Saturday. Instead, Sun Devils and Cowboys fans will get the benefit of the wider reach of a major network.

Arizona State (5-2, 2-2) is coming off a bye week and enters the game as 3.5-point favorites. Oklahoma State (3-5, 0-5) is trying to get back on track after losing five consecutive games.

ASU running back Cam Skattebo, who has rushed for 848 yards and 10 touchdowns in seven games, could be in line for a big game vs. an OSU run defense that is dead last in the Big 12 – and second-to-last in all of Division I-A college football.

“He very well could be the best back we’ve played,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy. said “He’s a good back. They feed off him. So if you want to slow them down, in my opinion, you better tackle him.”

The Cowboys are giving up 251 rushing yards per game and are coming off a 38-28 loss to Baylor where they missed 21 tackles and allowed a staggering 343 yards on the ground.

Here are the updated details on how to watch and follow Arizona State at Oklahoma State on Saturday:

Arizona State at Oklahoma State TV Channel, Live Stream, Betting Odds

Who: Arizona State (5-2, 2-2) at Oklahoma State (3-5, 0-5) in a Big 12 football game

When: 4 p.m. MST/6 p.m. CT | Saturday, November 2

Where: Boone Pickens Stadium | Stillwater, Oklahoma

Live Stream: Stream Arizona State-Oklahoma State live on fuboTV (Start your free trial)

TV Channel: FOX

Our Prediction: Arizona State 34, Oklahoma State 30

Betting Odds: Arizona State is favored by 3.5 points per FanDuel Sportsbook

Live Updates, Highlights: Follow the game on Arizona State On SI for live updates and big-play highlights throughout Saturday’s matchup

More Big 12 News & Analysis

NORMAN — It isn’t lost on Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables that the Maine Black Bears are looking for their fifth win against an FBS opponent in the Sooners this Saturday.

“I could brag on Maine,” said Venables, the Sooners’ third-year man, during Tuesday’s press conference. “They’ve got 17 graduate [seniors]. What does that mean? They’ve got a lot of experience.”

The Black Bears, who play in the FCS Colonial Athletic Association, will bring their 4-4 record over 1,900 miles to Memorial Stadium. Two weeks ago, they scored a 35-7 win over FCS No. 5 Villanova and beat No. 21 Albany 34-20 on Sept. 28. If ever there was a game featuring a vulnerable Sooners team hosting a scary FCS team that could be too close for comfort, this Saturday is ripe for that opportunity.

“There are schemes that we’ve got to get ready for, and we need to get them down quickly, and otherwise they get sloppy and it don’t look good,” Venables said. “That’ll show up, too, and if I said, ‘Hey fellas, we’re playing this opponent this week, we’ll see you on Thursday. Give you the first three days of the week off and we’ll start up on Thursday.’ How do you think that’s going to look? No matter who you play, that’s going to look like crap.”

Maine defeated Mississippi State 9-7 in 2004, its only SEC win in program history. That year’s Bulldogs went 2-6 in conference play with wins against No. 20 Florida and Kentucky on consecutive weeks. After this week, the Sooners will have three chances to win their second conference game in their inaugural SEC season: Nov. 9 at No. 25 Mizzou; Nov. 23 vs. No. 14 Alabama; and Nov. 30 at No. 16 LSU. 

“They’re a good FCS team,” freshman cornerback Eli Bowen said Monday night during player media availability. “They’ve beaten a lot of top teams in that division, so we can’t take them lightly and that’s shown by our record also.”

“That’s the last thing you want to do is kind of fall asleep on an opponent,” senior corner Dez Malone concurred. “This still is the game of football, and you’ve got to go out and compete and play your 1/11 and I think we’re treating them like we would treat anyone else on the schedule. And that’s the best thing we can do at this point.”

It also isn’t lost on this team — though it might be hard to imagine them winning another game after Saturday — that Maine is a must-win, fifth win to have a prayer of reaching the six-game bowl eligibility threshold and a must-dominate for further consideration. The Sooners hold the second longest active bowl streak in college football and have not missed bowl season since 1998.

“It’s actually pretty important to win this because we’re one more closer to getting to a bowl game,” junior defensive lineman R Mason Thomas said. “I know that’s huge because we have a bowl streak going back a long time. We’re not trying to look forward, but we know we have to win to make a bowl.”