Sept. 29, 2026 — A new wind farm may be on the horizon in Hector. But who gets the final say?

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New York has set lofty environmental goals for itself … and it's behind schedule.

In 2020, the state set up a complex judicial process to standardize the permitting process for renewable energy projects. But that process also takes much of the decision-making power away from local officials and from people who live in these communities.

Now, that conflict is coming to a head just across the county line, in the Town of Hector, where a Colorado-based company wants to build a 100 megawatt wind farm.

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Original air date: September 29, 2026.

Reported by Fernando Figueroa

Hosted and edited by Megan Zerez

Cover art image by Ayşenur Yılmaz/Pexels