Dear Friends,
This is to bring you up to date on the latest developments in Converse County's efforts to prevent industrialization in the mountains. We also let you know the latest on Wasatch Wind's rush to build a huge wind farm (with its roads, substation and transmission lines) in the Boxelder/Mormon Canyon area of the Northern Laramies before the County and its citizens can act.
Converse County's Efforts to Adopt Land-Use Regulations to Keep Industrial Development Out of the Mountains: The Wind Energy Questionnaire
The County recently hired Clarion Associates, a Denver-based land-use consulting firm, to advise it on wind energy development policy. Clarion produced a wind energy questionnaire to solicit public opinion on the subject, which is now available for response on the County website - http://conversecounty.org/ (look for the link labeled "Converse County Wind Energy Questionnaire" in the middle of the County homepage on the right). It also is available in hard copy in the County libraries in Douglas and Glenrock. This week, the Alliance is mailing the questionnaire to our members, since we know that there are many people who either aren't on-line or may prefer to submit the survey in hard copy.
It's VERY IMPORTANT that each of you, and each of the members of your family and all of your friends, fill out the questionnaire. You don't need to be a fulltime Converse County resident – the first question on the survey lets you say what is your relationship to the County. Questions 7, 8 and 9 are the most important: Be sure to answer "yes" on Questions 7 and 8, and check "strongly support" on the 1st and 5th items in Question 9 (no wind energy development above a certain elevation, and south of I-25). It would help if you check "don't allow it somewhere else" also and answer in Question 10 that the most important thing is to keep industrial-scale wind development out of the Converse County mountains. Here's a summary of the key questions and our recommended answers:
Question 7: "YES"
Question 8: "YES"
Question 9: Check "STRONGLY SUPPORT" for #'s 1 and 5
Question 10: The most important thing is to keep industrial-scale wind development out of the mountains.
If you need help with the questionnaire, call Lisa Mangus (307-351-8498) or Sharon Rodeman (307-258-1713), or e-mail us at steering_committee@nlralliance.org.
A copy of the questionnaire is on our website. It's in .pdf format so you can print it and mail it in if you'd prefer to do that rather than filling it out online at the County site.
The deadline for submission is the end of June, so please make sure to get on top of this. It's our best chance so far to preserve the quality of life in our County.
Wasatch Wind's Industrial Wind Project in the Boxelder/Mormon Canyon Area
Wasatch says in its application for "special use" of State lands, that it plans to install 66 1.5 mw wind turbines – the same size as those at PacifiCorp's Glenrock-Rolling Hills facility – across approximately 20,000 acres in the Northern Laramies. We've posted its application material on our website, along with a new photo of the area showing the proposed location of many of these.
The State Board of Land Commissioners was due to hear Wasatch's application for use of State lands on June 3, and the Alliance was gearing up to attend the meeting and make known the views of our nearly 800 members. We learned late on May 28, however, that Wasatch had just requested postponement of this hearing in order, it said, "that the Board have complete confidence that Wasatch Wind is presenting the State with an economically viable and mutually beneficial opportunity." The earliest opportunity for Wasatch to have its application heard now is the first Thursday in August. We'll let you know the date as we get closer to August.
The Alliance has strongly opposed Wasatch's application. See the NLRA letter dated May 25 to Ed Grant, director of the Office of State Lands and Investments, which we've also posted on the Alliance website. You should individually contact the Governor's office and let him know that you oppose the industrial development on these State lands: Governor's Office, State Capitol, 200 West 24th Street, Cheyenne, WY 82002-0010.
Wasatch Wind also will have to seek approval for its project from Wyoming's Industrial Siting Council. The Alliance actively will oppose this application, as well.
Alliance Position on Availability of Eminent Domain for Wind-farm "Collector" Transmission Lines
On May 27, the Alliance appeared at the State Legislative Task Force on Wind Energy in Casper to address the question of whether private property can be condemned under the power of eminent domain for the transmission lines needed to connect wind farms to the national transmission "grid". We had a simple message: Collector lines are part of a wind farm, and should have no more availability of eminent domain than the wind farm itself. Wind farms cannot force landholders to sell development rights to them and neither should builders of transmission lines to connect the wind farm to the grid.
Please keep checking the website – there's a lot going on!
Best regards,
The NLRA Steering Committee