Anderson said the Stanton Station is still on track to close in May, 51 years after it began generating power.

The Senate proposal comes during a time of rapid growth in wind energy.

North Dakota will add about 1,000 megawatts of wind power in the 10 month-period from May 2016 through March of this year, said Randy Christmann, chairman of the Public Service Commission.

Prior to that, the state added about 2,000 megawatts over the course of 10 years.

Christmann said he didn’t know enough about the proposed moratorium to have a position on it, but said commissioners would “work with what they come up with.”

Christmann said he is concerned that federal subsidies on wind will cause the market to be “out of check.” The Production Tax Credit, an incentive that has boosted wind projects, is being phased out over the next few years.

The wind industry experienced near-record growth that has propelled it ahead of hydropower dams as the largest source of renewable electric capacity in the U.S., the American Wind Energy Association announced this month.