Nov. 7--Big companies used to talk about their potential expansion plans with large metro areas in Oklahoma.

Now smaller communities are the focus of their attention.

"Wind development is bringing new money and new energy into Western Oklahoma like I've never seen," said LaVern Phillips, president of Woodward Industrial Foundation. "We're riding a tide of new opportunities."

"The future of Woodward and Northwest Oklahoma is unlimited due to the fact that we've got renewable wind energy out there which will help to expand our economy for the next 10 to 15 years," he said.

"With wind and natural gas, we can take a major step in helping to solve our nation's energy crisis," he said

According to a recently released poll, Oklahomans share high optimism about wind power.

The statewide public opinion poll by Cole Hargrave Snodgrass and Associates of Oklahoma City found that 91 percent of Oklahomans approve of the further development of wind farms for producing Oklahoma's needed electricity.

"The poll was conducted in the third week of September of 600 state registered voters," said Kylah McNabb, wind development specialist for the Oklahoma Department of Commerce and CareerTech.

It found that not only do Oklahomans support wind energy in theory, but they are willing to back it with their pocketbooks, she said.

When asked about the cost to build infrastructure needed to support an increase in wind-generated electricity, 72 percent of the people polled were willing to pay more each month, regardless of geographic, political or socioeconomic considerations.

"The statewide support for wind energy development demonstrated by these results bodes well for all of Oklahoma," McNabb said.

"Through this survey, Oklahomans are demonstrating their support not only for developing wind power, but also for growing the wind industry supply chain across the state, which represents a potential boom for our predominant small business community," she said.

Oklahoma has 13 completed wind projects with 475 units that produce about 1,000 megawatts of electricity -- all of which are west of I-35, according to McNabb.

Phillips said, "We've got over 225 turbines in the Woodward area and Northwest Oklahoma. If you include the ones by Elk City, we have about 300."

"Two new farms will come after the first of the year -- one in the Sharon area and the other close to Putnam, which is in Dewey County," he said. "All of this is made possible by the fact that OG&E is building a transmission line to Woodward."

Oklahoma is ranked No. 2 in the nation for potential wind energy production and could supply 10 percent of the country's electricity needs by 2025, according to the Oklahoma Wind Power Initiative, which investigates and promotes wind energy in the state.

The Oklahoma counties with the highest wind energy potential are Woodward, Woods, Ellis, Major, Dewey, Blaine, Canadian, Roger Mills, Custer, Beckham, Washita, Caddo, Harmon, Greer, Kiowa, Cimarron, Texas, Beaver and Harper.

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