As Trump Ditches Paris, California is One Step Closer to Getting Wind Power from Wyoming

Jun 5, 2017 4:30 PM ET

Originally Published on USA Today

A conservative billionaire wants to build America's biggest wind farm in Wyoming and send the clean electricity to California — and his vision just got closer to reality.

Federal officials have approved another section of the 730-mile TransWest Express power line, which would carry energy from Philip Anschutz's Chokecherry and Sierra Madre wind farm to potential customers in California, Arizona and Nevada. The 1,000-turbine, 3,000-megawatt wind project, which has been in the works for a decade, would be built in south-central Wyoming, in one of the windiest spots in the continental U.S.

Supporters say the massive power project would help California meet its clean energy goals, in part because Wyoming winds tend to blow strong into the evening, as the sun sets over the Pacific and the Golden State's many solar farms go offline. Under California law, electric utilities are required to get 50% of their power from renewable sources by 2030. The state Senate passed a bill Wednesday that would raise the clean energy mandate to 60% by 2030 and 100% by 2045.

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