April 13, 2023
Idaho

Counties sign resolution calling for halt to Lava Ridge, other wind projects in Magic Valley

Lorien Nettleton | Apr 7, 2023 | magicvalley.com

In a rare act of intercounty solidarity, the commissioners of eight counties signed a joint resolution opposing three wind energy projects proposed for public lands in the Magic Valley.

At a ceremony held in the sunshine at Minidoka National Historic Site in front of hundreds of supporters, commissioners from Cassia, Gooding, Jerome, Lincoln, Jerome, Minidoka, and Twin Falls signed the resolution which asks the Bureau of Land Management to select the “no-build” option for Lava Ridge, and to pause the Salmon Falls and Taurus projects.

Of these three projects, Lava Ridge is furthest along in the process. Magic Valley Energy and LS Power have applied for a right-of-way permit from the BLM to construct the Lava Ridge wind energy project, which could site up to 400 wind turbines on public lands in Jerome, Lincoln, and Minidoka counties.

At a capacity of 1,000 megavolts, Lava Ridge would be the largest wind energy project on public lands and the second largest facility in the U.S. The project would double the amount of wind energy produced in Idaho.

The Biden Administration has prioritized permitting 25 gigawatts of renewable energy projects on public lands by 2025 as part of its response to climate change.

The draft Environmental Impact Statement for Lava Ridge was released in January and will be in the public comment period for two more weeks. The deadline is April 20.

Acting as emcee for the ceremonial signing of the resolution, Twin Falls County Commissioner Jack Johnson told the audience that the Idaho State Legislature unanimously adopted a resolution opposing the wind energy project, and the governor, lieutenant governor, and national congressional delegation from Idaho have all made statements urging the feds to reconsider the project.

“I hope that this is enough to put a plug in this and stop these projects from desecrating our public lands,” Johnson said at the ceremony.

Commissioners from each of the five affected counties had an opportunity to speak to the crowd.

Lincoln County Commissioner Rebecca Wood and Minidoka County Commissioner Wayne Schenk spoke about their time on the Resource Advisory Committee’s Lava Ridge Subcommittee. Both said they went in to the process with an open mind, but through the process came to believe that the project wasn’t right for the area.

A resolution opposing the Lava Ridge wind energy proposal has been adopted by the Idaho Legislature, after a unanimous vote by the Senate on Tuesday.

“I said to myself, ‘I’m going to give it every benefit of the doubt, listen to all of the information,’” Wood recalled. “However, no one could come through with all of the information to assure me that we weren’t going to be hurt in many ways by this.”

Schenk said that, like Wood, he and other subcommittee members went into the process with open minds. After months of evaluating all the work that would be needed to be taken to mitigate environmental, economic, and aesthetic impacts, the subcommittee unanimously recommended the Lava Ridge project not be built.

“It became evident to the subcommittee … that it does not fit here,” Schenk said. “There’s no way you can mitigate, minimize the effect of this type of project of this size in this area.”

Gooding County Commissioner Mark Bolduc said that while Gooding county does not have lands adjacent to the Lava Ridge project, it does have a lot of public land that the county wants to protect.

“Our feeling is, if this project’s approved, we’re going to be the next one there, and they’re just gonna run right across our public lands,” Bolduc told the crowd.

[photos at source]


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2023/04/13/counties-sign-resolution-calling-for-halt-to-lava-ridge-other-wind-projects-in-magic-valley/