By David Montgomery, Stateline.org

WATER VALLEY, Texas — On a recent day when the wind gusted close to 40 miles per hour, 82-year-old George Neill was making repairs on his ranch, oblivious to the nearby cluster of wind turbines churning the sky behind him.

“After about a year, you never know the things are here,” said Neill, who leases part of his West Texas property to an East Coast-based renewable energy company that placed three wind turbines on it four years ago.

Hundreds of other wind turbines stretch across this landscape, instantly visible to motorists traveling to nearby San Angelo and other towns. The turbines aren’t the only renewable energy producers amid the mesas: From a distance, a glistening array of solar panels resembles a small lake.

Texas is famous for producing oil and gas, but renewable energy has become deeply embedded in the state’s culture and economy. Texas led the nation in generating electricity from wind power and utility-scale solar power in 2023, and wind and solar energy projects contribute tax revenue to local governments and struggling school districts. Texas landowners are expected to receive nearly $30 billion in lease payments under current and expected projects, according to an industry study.

But in recent years, Texas has loosened its political embrace of alternative energy. For the second legislative session in a row, many Texas lawmakers are trying to derail or curb future renewable energy projects.

The shift is rooted in a number of a factors, including the second Trump administration’s antipathy toward renewables and an aggressive recommitment to fossil fuels in Texas energy policy. There is lingering concern over the reliability of the state’s electrical grid, after all types of power sources failed during a devastating 2021 winter storm. Some people object to the aesthetics of wind and solar farms, or note that turbines and panels can harm some wildlife.

Texas is not alone. Once focused on stopping individual projects at the local level, renewable energy opponents have been making inroads in other state legislatures, too. They have received backing from the oil and gas industry. And they’ve been galvanized by the 2022 passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest-ever attempt to speed the transition to clean energy.

In neighboring Oklahoma, for example, hundreds of people rallied at the state Capitol in January to urge Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt to issue an executive order halting new wind and solar projects. Like Texas, Oklahoma is a major oil and natural gas producer, but it generated 45% of its total in-state electricity from renewable resources in 2023.

Stitt, a strong supporter of renewable energy, is highly unlikely to issue such an order. But he will leave office in two years, and several Republicans discussed as possible successors appeared at the rally. One of them, Attorney General Gentner Drummond, recently on social media criticized what he called “the green energy scam” and urged Stitt and state lawmakers to tighten wind farm rules during the current session.

In Arizona, the House earlier this year approved a bill that would bar wind farm projects within a dozen miles of any property zoned for residential use — a restriction that would apply to about 90% of the land in the state, according to an analysis by the Arizona Republic.

In Ohio, a 2021 law allowing county commissioners to create restricted areas where utility-scale solar and wind projects can’t be built has had a huge impact, as 26 Ohio counties have banned renewable energy projects. This year, GOP lawmakers have introduced legislation that would end all state solar subsidies.

And in Missouri, Republican legislators are pushing a bill that would raise taxes on farmers who lease their land for wind or solar energy projects.

The expanding opposition to renewables isn’t unexpected, said Joshua Rhodes, a research scientist at the University of Texas at Austin who studies the power grid. He noted that wind, solar and battery storage have rapidly become the “cheapest way to put more energy on the grid.”

“They’re victims of their own success,” he told Stateline. “They are relatively new players to the market, so there’s going to be pushback from incumbents.”

Opposing sides

At the center of the current debate in Texas is state Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, a Republican committee chair who has resurrected a 2023 bill that would require new utility-scale solar and wind projects to get permits from the state’s Public Utility Commission, regulations that aren’t imposed on projects for natural gas and other energy sources. The bill also calls for set-back requirements and cleanup funds.

Kolkhorst, in a statement to Stateline, called the legislation “a common-sense approach to the encroachment of wind and solar facilities being scattered across our great state with no consideration or safeguards for landowners or the environment.”

At an hourslong Senate committee hearing recently where opponents of Kolkhorst’s bill outnumbered supporters, farmers, ranchers and small-town Texans sometimes found themselves on opposite sides, either arguing that sprawling wind farms and solar arrays are a lasting source of economic vitality or a threat to a beloved way of life.

“The land isn’t just a piece of property to us,” said Laurie Dihle, who lives on 154 acres in Franklin County with her husband. “It’s our home, our sanctuary and a big part of who we are. When we look out across the road, we see rolling green pastures and trees. Now we’re facing the possibility of that view and so much more being replaced by a sprawling solar farm.”

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Environmentalists and industry representatives view Kolkhorst’s bill as a roadblock in the march toward green energy. Luke Metzger, executive director of Environment Texas, said the bill would open the door to “a really arbitrary discriminatory permitting regime,” requiring wind and solar developers to get permits that other energy producers do not have to have.

Describing herself as a “lifelong wildlife conservationist,” Kolkhorst said she introduced the bipartisan bill with nine other senators in an effort that “looks past the billions in wind and solar subsidies to instead focus on the total impact of these projects on our land, people and wildlife.”

But oil and gas projects also can harm wildlife, and scientists note that the emissions released by fossil fuels worsen climate change disasters.

Insiders following the legislation, including Metzger, identify one of the bill’s major supporters as Kolkhorst donor Dan Friedkin, a billionaire Houston businessman.

Friedkin, chairman emeritus of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission, is owner and CEO of The Friedkin Group, a consortium of businesses and investments that includes Gulf States Toyota. Gulf States is one of the world’s largest distributors of Toyota vehicles and parts, with exclusive rights to sell Toyotas in Texas and four other states. Gulf States Toyota Inc. State PAC made four donations totaling $42,500 to Kolkhorst from October of 2020 to October of 2024, according to the Texas Ethics Commission.

Friedkin is a stunt pilot and outdoorsman with a ranch in South Texas. Neither he nor his lobbyist, Laird Doran, senior vice president for public and legal affairs at The Friedkin Group, returned phone calls from Stateline.

Texas lawmakers have filed dozens of wind- and solar-related bills this session, including measures aimed at restricting the placement of battery storage facilities, curbing tax breaks and subsidies for renewable companies and limiting the amount of electricity solar and wind projects contribute to the state’s power grid.

Republican state Sen. Phil King, for example, is pushing a bill that would mandate that 50% of all new electricity must come from natural gas, nuclear or battery storage. King said solar and wind power should be part of the state’s energy mix, but he claims they aren’t reliable enough to serve as the foundation.

State Rep. Don McLaughlin, a Republican, has introduced legislation mandating a study of the economic impact of wind and solar projects on local communities, as well as noise and health effects, threats to wildlife and the challenges of disassembling worn-out systems. Sweetwater, Texas, has thousands of composite blades piled up in “a windmill graveyard.”

Rural support

But many rural GOP lawmakers whose districts long ago sprouted oil rigs and pump jacks are now strong supporters of wind and solar power.

“It’s nonstop windmills on both side of the road for 70 miles,” said state Rep. John Smithee of Amarillo, describing a typical drive from his hometown in the Texas Panhandle to the Capitol in Austin. “Almost all of those [constituents] have benefited.”

State Rep. Drew Darby, whose northwest Texas district includes San Angelo and Water Valley, an unincorporated community of around 300, said revenue from wind power has resulted in countywide improvements and lease payments to property owners.

“It’s been a positive impact on rural effectiveness,” said Darby. “Landowners … are receiving nice payments for leasing the property.”

In Water Valley, taxes from the increased revenue paved the way for a tax-free bond election that enabled the town’s K-12 school to add an upscale weight room, a technical educational facility and a “cafetorium” that serves as a dining room and performance hall. The school building had previously been so small that students had to eat in shifts.

The wind farm is expected to generate $123 million in local taxes over the 30-year life of the project, as well as more than $100 million in payments to landowners.

George Neill, the West Texas rancher, said he takes the wind turbines in stride as he roams across his 1,700-acre spread.

He’s not at liberty to reveal the amount of his payments. He’s not getting rich, he said, but the money “makes a difference when you’re trying run a ranch.”

Freelance reporter David Montgomery can be reached at djmont1962@gmail.com.

©2025 States Newsroom. Visit at stateline.org. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By KELVIN CHAN, AP Business Writer

LONDON (AP) — Planning an international trip? Travelers should prepare for the possibility of extra scrutiny of their phones when crossing borders, especially when entering the United States.

The Canadian government warned travelers in a recent travel advisory that U.S. border agents are entitled to search your electronic devices and “don’t need to provide a reason when requesting a password to open your device.”

Some recent cases have made travelers nervous about their privacy, such as when a Brown University professor with a U.S. visa was deported to Lebanon after border agents found a photo of Hezbollah’s leader on her phone.

“While 100% privacy may be impossible in these situations, there are a few things you can easily do that make it much harder for someone to see your private data even with physical access to your device,” said Patricia Egger, head of security at encrypted service Proton Mail.

Here are tips on protecting your device privacy while travelling:

What should I do before I set off?

Experts say the best strategy is to reduce the amount of information you’re carrying while traveling.

If possible, leave your phone at home. If you need one on your trip, borrow a tactic used by corporate executives looking to avoid hackers: get a temporary or “burner” device. It can contain just the information you need for your trip. Download anything else from the cloud when you need it.

If you have to bring your phone or laptop, upload sensitive information to a cloud storage service that uses end-to-end encryption, then delete the originals from your device.

Also, encrypt your phone or laptop’s storage drive and protect it with a strong password. Be aware this is different from merely having a device passcode lock, which is more easily cracked, or the end-to-end encryption on your favorite communication platforms.

Turn off fingerprint or facial recognition features and use the PIN or passcode instead.

A Customs and Border Patrol officer watches as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem tours the San Ysidro Port of Entry, Sunday, March 16, 2025, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

What kind of search will be done at borders?

There are two kinds of searches, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website.

In a basic search, an officer scrolls through your phone’s photos, emails, apps and files. No suspicion of wrongdoing is needed to conduct this type of search.

In an advanced search, the contents of your device could be copied for analysis. But a senior manager needs to sign off and there needs to be “reasonable suspicion” of a legal violation, except if there’s any concern for national security, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).

Who’s at risk of getting searched and what are they looking for?

“It’s hard to say,” says Sophia Cope, senior staff attorney at the EFF, which offers an extensive online guide to border privacy. Warrants are not needed to inspect devices belonging to anyone entering the country.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents carried out a total of more than 47,000 electronic device searches last year, up tenfold from a decade ago.

Basic searches “can be for no reason at all, totally random, or based on a mere hunch about someone – maybe based on how they look or an answer they gave to a preliminary question,” said Cope.

Travel history can also be relevant, for example, if a traveler originates from someplace where terrorism, drug trafficking, or child sex tourism is common, she said. Border agents can also search devices “at the behest” of other agencies like the FBI or if they’re associated with someone else of interest, such as a journalist’s source, a business associate or a family member.

What should I do when I get to the border?

Best to power off your devices when you touch down.

Under current policy, U.S. border agents are only allowed to look at information stored on the device, and not anything that’s kept in the cloud. So if you have to leave your phone on, make sure it’s kept in airplane mode or otherwise disconnected from the internet by Wi-Fi or cellular data.

“Before crossing the border, put your device in airplane mode to ensure remote files don’t get downloaded accidentally,” the Canadian government warns.

But keep in mind there might be cached data that still remains on your phone, such as files in the trash that haven’t been emptied.

What if I refuse?

American citizens can’t be denied entry to the United States for refusing to consent to device searches. The same should apply to lawful permanent residents such as green card holders, the American Civil Liberties Union says.

But agents can make things difficult if they’re refused. Travelers could be questioned, detained temporarily or have their devices seized and not returned for days or even weeks, rights groups say.

Foreign travelers could be turned back if they say no.

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If you’re forced to unlock your device, Egger advises that “where you can, log in yourself rather than divulging any PINs or passwords, and if forced to share passwords, change them as soon as you can.”

Experts say the reason you should not use your device’s fingerprint or facial recognition feature is that it’s easier to compel you to unlock your device with biometrics. A border agent could simply hold your phone up to your face or force you to press your finger onto your device. There are also fears that police could use fingerprints stored on government databases.

Powering off your devices is another way to protect against sophisticated attacks in case you don’t consent to a search.

Most modern phones and some laptops encrypt their data using a strong cryptographic keys only accessible when the user unlocks it with the passcode, said Will Greenberg, the EFF’s senior staff technologist.

If the device is locked but not turned off, the key remains loaded on the device’s memory. Powerful hacking tools made by companies like Cellebrite can recover the key and decipher the data.

But if the device is off, the key is unloaded and can’t be accessed until it’s turned on again and unlocked with the passcode.

“This is why a border agent can’t simply turn a device on to use a tool like Cellebrite,” Greenberg said.

What about social media?

To be on the safe side, delete your social media apps and reinstall them later. Even though content is mainly stored on a social media company’s servers, Cope says some posts or images might remain on your phone’s memory cache and therefore viewable even in airplane mode.

What else can be searched?

It’s not just phones and laptops. Digital cameras, smartwatches, tablets, external hard drives and other electronic devices can be searched.

What not to do?

Some tactics might backfire. If you’re tempted to completely wipe your phone or laptop hard drive before you travel, experts warn it could raise scrutiny.

“If detected by a border agent, the fact that you wiped your hard drive may prompt the agent to ask why you did so,” the EFF’s guide says. “Even traveling without devices or data that most travelers typically have could attract suspicion and questions.”

Also don’t try to hide information on your device, because border agents could find out, the group says. “Lying to border agents can be a serious crime, and the agents may take a very broad view of what constitutes lying,” it says.

What about other destinations?

Check local laws of your destination before you travel. For example, Britain’s counterterrorism law allows police to demand that people passing through the country’s border hand over devices along with passwords and PINs. If they refuse, they can be charged with terrorism.

Is there a tech topic that you think needs explaining? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your suggestions for future editions of One Tech Tip.

MARK GUSTAFSON: Discusses his book “Sowing Seeds: The Minnesota Literary Renaissance & Robert Bly, 1958-1980” in conversation with poet and writer Jim Lenfestey. Free. 6 p.m. Saturday, Open Book, 1011 Washington Ave. S., Mpls., presented by the Loft Literary Center.

SHANNON T. L. KEARNS: Catholic priest, writer, theologian and speaker on transgender issues and religion launches “No One Taught Me How To Be a Man: What a Trans Man’s Experience Reveals About Masculinity” with Chris Stedman, professor in Augsburg University’s department of religion and philosophy, and poet Kyle Tran Myhre. 6 p.m. Monday, Moon Palace Books, 3032 Minnehaha Ave., Mpls.

(Courtesy of Free Spirit Publishing)

MELINA MANGAL: School library media teacher in Minneapolis reads from her books “Trees Stand Tall” and “Birds Sing Their Words” during an early Earth Day story time. 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Red Balloon Bookshop, 891 Grand Ave., St. Paul.

NORMANDALE WRITING FESTIVAL: Marcie Rendon, enrolled member of the White Earth Nation, playwright, author of stand-alone novels and the Cash Blackbear crime series, gives the keynote address at this 15th annual festival, in conversation with Normandale English instructor and author Lynette Reini-Grandell. Free. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday, Normandale Community College, 9700 France Ave. S., Bloomington. Information at normandale.edu/2025writingfestival.

WHITE/YOUNGBLOM: Poets J.P. White and Tracy Youngblom in conversation. 7 p.m. Wednesday, Magers & Quinn, 3038 Hennepin Ave. S., Mpls.

READINGS BY WRITERS: With poets Sarah Ghazal Ali, Donna Isaac and Connie Wanek. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, University Club, 420 Summit Ave., St. Paul.

LAYSHA WARD: Presents “Lead Like You Mean It” in conversation with Chanda Smith Baker. 7 p.m. Monday, Magers & Quinn, 3038 Hennepin Ave. S., Mpls.

JACK ZIPES: Minnesota expert in the history of fairy tales discusses his book “The Wrath of Peace, or How the Wellikans Saved the World.” 7 p.m. Thursday, Magers & Quinn, 3038 Hennepin Ave. S., Mpls.

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(Courtesy of the author)

“Horse Lovers: Unpacking the Female Fascination”: by Karin Winegar (Horse Feed Press, $27.95)

Although I know about climate chaos and political apocalypse, and although I woke up feeling creaky and unloved, for now, I feel all is well… All is well as his unshod hooves crush the frozen, short-shorn alfalfa. All is well as we slip into the woods where deer flash among the birches, where woodpeckers dart and bob and a pair of eagles abide.  All is well as we follow the side-by-side prints of a pair of coyotes in a rime of new snow. … Millions of other girls are born this way, and because it never stops, for a while, any while, in the company of horses, for us all is truly well. — from “Horse Lovers”

Karin Winegar (Courtesy of the author)

What is it about horses that keeps girls mucking out barns in dirty clothes, grown women spending money on saddles and equipment they sometimes can’t afford?

After three decades of riding adventures, Karin Winegar tried to get answers to this puzzle as she rode with the top horsewomen in the United States and the United Kingdom. She rode and talked horses in Virginia horse country and in the American West. She talked to carriage drivers and women who did 100-mile endurance races.

Winegar, a former Star Tribune writer, has loved horses since her childhood in Albert Lea when she “rode” her dad’s back and rode bareback on her pony, Molly. She and other “horse girls” were a close community as they did stable work and cared for their horses. She even took her horse with her to Carleton College in Northfield.

“What was the sensation I felt most often then?” she writes of riding. “Aliveness.”

When Winegar was earning her own money, she formed that horse-woman bond with Gabe, her gray Arabian “heart horse.”

Unlike some women, who ride only their own horse in the same place all the time, Winegar was willing to ride any mount she was given during her adventures. Closer to home, she drove carriages in downtown St. Paul, taking kids to proms and others for rides in cold weather.

One of the most elusive parts of Winegar’s quest for information is how males differ from females when it comes to horses. She writes of seeing a change in men when she was about 16, as they looked at her in a different way. Is it that men want power over horses while women listen to the animal?

Written beautifully (as you’d expect from an award-winning journalist), “Horse Lovers” includes chapters about horses in film and books, the heartbreak of losing your “heart horse,” women who give what money they can to stop the killing of wild horses and to rescue good horses sent to kill pens because nobody wants them. (This is a hard but important chapter to read.)

Among the horsewomen Winegar interviewed (often while riding together) are Pulitzer Prize winner Maxine Kumin; author and civil rights activist Rita Mae Brown; Minnesota Jungian analyst and psychologist Mary Lynn Kittelson; author and PBS documentary film maker Ginger Kathrens; and Carole Federighi, lawyer and endurance rider.

In the end, Winegar has no definitive answer to why there is a strong and fascinating bond between women and their horses. But a reader who is unfamiliar with the world of riding may simply say it is inherent love.

If you are a horse girl or even if you have never been near a Thoroughbred, you will enjoy this meditation on some women’s passion written by someone who lives it.

Winegar, who has won awards for investigative and maritime writing, will launch her book at 7 p.m. April 23 at Magers & Quinn, 3038 Hennepin Ave. S.,  Mpls., in conversation with fellow horse-lover Sarah T. Williams, former Star Tribune books editor. Free; registration at magersandquinn.com.

(Courtesy of the author)

“The Sun”: by Frank Weber (Book Baby, $21)

When Melanie slipped off the edge, I immediately lunged and grabbed her around the shoulders. We fell past twelve feet and were still falling. We were going to die. — from “The Sun”

Frank F. Weber (Courtesy of the author)

Forensic psychologist Weber gives us a sort-of sequel to last year’s “Scandal of Vandals” in his new crime novel populated by am unsavory cast of characters except for Jon Frederick, an investigator for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and profiler and his wife, Serena, a private investigator.

“Scandal for Vandals” is based on the high-profile, real-life case of T. Eugene Thompson, a St. Paul man who went to prison for being behind the contract killing of his wife, Carol. In that book and the new one, the Thompson character is Tug Grant. Tug is in prison and his beautiful attorney and lover, Taytum Hanson, is working on getting him released.

Each chapter of “The Sun” is told from a character’s perspective, and there are so many that the author includes a helpful list of who and what they are. Mostly, they are either Mafia or gang members out to kill one another. There’s Tug, who will do anything to become a millionaire again; convicted murderer Roan, married to Mafia boss Catania; Ricky, convicted killer who is trying to go straight; Melanie Pearson, who wants revenge; and the unnamed Assassin. It’s not surprising there are dead bodies. It takes Jon and pregnant Serena to sort out this inter-connected web of criminals and what they are after.

Besides writing awards, Weber’s professional honors include an Outstanding Achievement award from the MN Psychological Association and the President’s Award from the MN Correctional Association for his forensic work. Weber and his wife, Brenda, are founders of CORE Professional Services, which helps offenders transition back into the community after incarceration.

Weber will be featured guest at Minnesota Mystery Night at 7 p.m. April 21 at Lucky’s 13 Pub in Mendota. He will be in conversation with Minnesotan Betty Brandt Passick, author of three Gangster Series historical mysteries. Her most recent is “The Black Bag of Dr. Wiltse.”

There is a $13 cover charge for the program, for which reservations are available at mnmysterynight.com/reservations. Dinner service begins at 5:30 p.m.

(Courtesy of the author)

“The Flip Side”: by Jason Walz (Rocky Pond Books/Penguin Young Readers, $17.99)

I thought that once I got here everything would make sense. I thought there would be reason for… all this. — from “The Flip Side.”

Jason Walz (Courtesy of the author)

Theo is devastated by the death of his best friend. He doesn’t want sympathy; he doesn’t want to be at the funeral lunch. He just wants to be alone in his depression that no one seems to understand. As his sadness grows into haunting by the shapeshifting manifestation of his depression, the boy is turned upside down to the Flip Side, an alternative reality where he meets Emma, who is haunted by her own twisted creature. Together, they must open up to one another and find a way out.

Walz, who has worked many years as a special-education teacher, infuses his drawings with energy, with Theo free falling, sometimes upside down, in a palette of grays and maroons. He says the book was inspired by a short story, written by his friend before he died of cancer, about a father trying to keep his kids alive in a world where gravity had reversed. “After losing Kris, my world seemed completely upside down and the literal version of that struck me as a powerful metaphor for loss, depression, and loneliness,” he writes. “For the three years it took to create ‘The Flip Side’ it was like Kris and I were nerding out together once again, and it was wonderful.”

“The Flip Side” earned starred reviews from Booklist and Kirkus Reviews, which described it as “Thrilling, inclusive, and unforgettable.”

Walz will introduce his book at 6:30 pm. April 23 at Fresh Eye Gallery, 4238 Nicollet Ave., Mpls.

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