Idaho's top elected officials line up against Lava Ridge wind project

Idaho's top elected officials have urged the leaders of the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Land Management to withhold a final decision on the Lava Ridge wind project proposed northeast of Twin Falls.

“This project has garnered near unanimous opposition in Idaho, and yet, this administration seems dead set to push it forward,” according to a June 18 letter to Interior Secretary Debra Haaland and BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning from Gov. Brad Little, Lt. Gov. Scott Bedke, U.S. Reps. Mike Simpson and Russ Fulcher, and U.S. Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch. “Meanwhile, the valid and ongoing concerns voiced by our constituents have been disregarded.”

Interior and BLM officials could not be reached June 19, a federal holiday.

BLM on June 7 issued a notice of availability of the final environmental impact statement. A record of decision is to be issued at least 30 days following the notice.

Idaho leaders wrote that given the “strong opposition from local and affected communities,” they “strongly encourage the BLM withhold issuing a record of decision.”

Magic Valley Energy LLC, a unit of New York-based LS Power, submitted a proposal that calls for up to 400 turbines and associated infrastructure on about 84,000 acres of federal, state and private land. Turbines would be up to 740 feet tall, and the facility’s generating capacity would be more than 1,000 megawatts.

BLM’s preferred alternative reduces the footprint by nearly half, the number of turbines to 241 and the maximum turbine height to 660 feet.

“The agency seems to understand the concerns are numerous and robust, as it has attempted to spin the proposed action as a sizable scale-down and compromise by comparing the FEIS preferred alternative to the original,” according to the letter.

But compared to one of the Draft EIS preferred alternatives, which constituents opposed, “this final proposed action reflects a mere 10% reduction in number of turbines and an 11% reduction in turbine size — not a 50% reduction.” This approach “discounts the legitimacy of the concerns raised” and “portrays a lack of transparency and accountability.”

Separately, Risch in a June 13 hearing told Stone-Manning that she did not listen to constituents. The BLM director replied in part that the final EIS is not the final decision, which comes at the record of decision phase.

The bureau “did not genuinely work with stakeholders to remedy concerns” over the Minidoka National Historic Site, grazing, wildfire response and more, according to the letter.

Minidoka is a World War II internment camp. BLM has not rectified issues surrounding its viewshed, and “has demonstrated a shocking lack of sensitivity in this space.” Towers will be highly visible from the site, “thus failing to address the “fundamental concerns regarding preservation and respect for this important cultural destination and historic landmark.”

The bureau has yet to “acknowledge the gravity of these concerns or take meaningful steps to address them,” according to the letter. “Ignoring the voices of our constituents and attempting to downplay the severity of the issues they raise only serves to exacerbate the situation and erode trust.”