When the Idaho Conservation League was founded in 1973, we relied upon new federal laws like the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act to stop air and water pollution in Idaho, protecting landscapes, people, and wildlife alike. Over 50+ years we have worked to make a real difference for Idaho. Part of that work included stopping bad projects.
We’ve successfully saved the Owyhee Canyonlands from becoming a military bombing range, stopped violators from polluting the Clearwater River, controlled mercury-belching gold mines in Nevada from polluting our air and water, and prevented coal-fired power plants from being built in Idaho.
But ICL is not just about stopping bad things. We are also about doing good things. That means embracing opportunities to say yes to projects that make sense for Idaho. Among those are the projects that will help us tackle climate change and protect Idaho’s way of life. We must transition from fossil fuels and get renewable projects online, in order to provide local benefits and uphold our unique way of life for future generations.
Experts just recorded the highest level of carbon pollution in the history of humanity. Idahoans across the state are suffering from sweltering summers, extended wildfire seasons, smoke-filled skies, and existential threats to wildlife species. Our way of life will not stay the same if we don’t invest in renewable energy projects and stop burning fossil fuels.
To assess the Lava Ridge wind project, we reviewed the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM’s) 2,500+ page Final Environmental Impact Statement. In this final EIS, the BLM listened to concerns from stakeholders; in ICL’s opinion, it even addressed many of the shortcomings of Magic Valley Energy’s initial proposal. This final project proposal is a compromise ICL is willing to accept. Here’s why.
This project is a significantly different project than the one that was originally proposed. In fact, it is more restrictive than the most conservative alternatives originally examined. It includes changes that better avoid, minimize, and mitigate impacts to cultural sites, viewsheds, wildlife, and other sensitive resources. We expect that future projects will be much more collaborative from the start, as new energy siting policies that require earlier cooperation did not exist when this project was first proposed. Finally, ICL is willing to accept this altered version of the project on account of this irrefutable fact: we must get to a “yes” on renewable energy projects in Idaho to protect our way of life for now and future generations.
Where the BLM Avoids Impacts
The preferred alternative outlined in the FEIS is dramatically less impactful than originally proposed. The BLM reduced the general project area by 49%, reduced ground disturbance by 50%, and reduced access roads by 53%; the project now spans ~104,000 acres, ~4,500 acres of ground disturbance, and 231 new miles of road. The BLM eliminated the western half of the project closest to the Minidoka National Historic Site. Rather than a 2-mile setback from the Minidoka visitor center, as originally proposed, the nearest turbines are now 9.5 miles away and are mostly obstructed by existing agriculture infrastructure like grain silos, center pivots, and other electrical infrastructure unrelated to this project. This western project area also corresponds to the migration corridors for mule deer and pronghorn. While these migration corridors are still impacted, the BLM sited turbines to avoid 90 and 98 percent of the stopover habitat for mule deer and pronghorn, respectively.
Diving a bit deeper into wildlife, the footprint of the project is now classified as a General Habitat Management Area for Sage-grouse (the lowest priority category, described as “having lower site quality, disturbed or patchy habitat of low lek connectivity”). Despite this, there were four breeding sites (known as leks) identified in the Sage-grouse surveys. Three leks are north of Highway 24, but BLM eliminated all the turbines north of the highway that would have negatively impacted them and pronghorn migration routes. The remaining lek is on the east side of the project, and Magic Valley Energy agreed to provide a 3.1-mile buffer of all infrastructure for the lek. There was one golden eagle nest, and they provided a 4-mile buffer (only 2 miles were required). Bats tend to congregate around irrigation canals, so there’s a 1,000 ft setback of any turbines around the few canals present.
Where the BLM Minimizes Impacts
The BLM reduced the number of wind turbines by 40% and decreased the maximum turbine height from 770 ft to 660 ft. The decrease in the number of turbines makes them harder to see and leads to corresponding decreases in wildlife impacts across the board.
Rather than the proposed two-year construction and decommissioning timelines, BLM will direct Magic Valley Energy to stop construction during peak migration periods for mule deer and pronghorn (January through April). Construction will also occur in three phases, minimizing impacts to ranchers with grazing leases by concentrating development on one-third of the land at a time. Both maintenance and operations activities will also be minimized (e.g. driving on access roads) during migration season from November through April. Once the construction phase is completed, the area around and between the turbines can still be used by ranchers and wildlife.
Many of the collector lines (those that move electricity from each turbine to the grid) will now be placed underground to prevent habitat fragmentation. Red blinking lights will only be needed on half the turbines and, pending FAA approval of an aircraft detection lighting system, will turn on only when there are aircraft in the area. Lights at the exterior of the turbine will be motion-activated to reduce light pollution and preserve the night sky.
Concerning birds, Magic Valley Energy states in their Bird and Bat Conservation Strategy that they “will feather the turbine blades when wind speeds are below the manufacturer’s cut-in speed, which will significantly reduce rotational speed during periods when the turbines are not generating power.” This is a major win because bats are especially vulnerable to turbines at low wind speeds—when there isn’t enough wind to produce electricity. Feathering the blades at low wind speeds doesn’t affect energy production, but it will increase maintenance costs for Magic Valley Energy. Anti-bird nesting equipment will also be required on nearly every single building or guyline that could feasibly be used as a perch.
Despite public concern over water use, the project will require less water than some would lead you to believe. Almost 90% of the total water usage will be during the construction phase to make concrete, with the remainder used for dust mitigation and decommissioning. Magic Valley Energy will be required to buy existing water rights. Current reporting shows a single canal in the Magic Valley is losing 660,000 acre-feet of water per year due to inefficiencies, or 0.08% of Lava’s total 36-year usage—an important figure to keep in mind.
Where the BLM Mitigates Impacts
There is no such thing as a perfect project, and there are ways that the impacts of the Lava Ridge Wind Project could be improved.
Habitat for certain species (including eagles, Sage-grouse, pronghorn, and mule deer) was analyzed to determine the extent of impacts, and how many mitigation acres will be needed. Other species were not, and as a result, Magic Valley Energy is required to conduct a fairly robust wildlife impacts survey focused on avian species for at least the first two years of the project. The company must then reassess its mitigation actions. If fatalities for species like long-billed curlew or hoary bats exceed estimates, the company will be required to employ additional mitigation measures to offset the wildlife impacts the FEIS could not foresee.
Additionally, there’s the consideration of cultural resources. The Minidoka National Historic Site is located on the far west side of the original project proposal. Since the BLM removed all the turbines on the west side, the impacts are significantly reduced, but not totally eliminated. (See our earlier blog of what a 2-mile vs a 9-mile setback looks like from the Minidoka visitor center).
While significant consideration was given to Minidoka, there was little consideration for impacts to Wilson Butte Cave and associated Tribal cultural resource sites for the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. The BLM is required to consult with tribes under NEPA, but are not required by law to address most types of concerns that may be raised. Wilson Butte Cave was provided a setback of 0.9 miles, with the BLM noting, “non-physical visual and auditory impacts would not be fully avoidable by the project.” ICL is frustrated that there was relatively little consideration regarding these associated cultural resource impacts, and looks forward to further discussion on the matter—BLM is proposing a mini-committee to assist with siting considerations (e.g. turbines, buried collector lines) to avoid areas they didn’t survey that would allow for post-review discoveries and include Tribal cultural specialists. This is a process that still needs refinement; the BLM has a responsibility to consult with Tribal interests more closely as the project progresses and to offer additional mitigation opportunities to both the Minidoka-connected communities and Tribal entities.
Conclusions and Unanswered Questions
There is no such thing as a perfect project. But, if we are going to protect Idaho’s way of life from the continued impacts of climate change, we must tackle climate change itself and transition away from fossil fuels by finding ways to get more renewable energy projects on the ground.
The Lava Ridge Project is surrounded by human infrastructure. Approximately 87% of the original project area has already been altered due to agriculture, nonnative plants, roads, development, wildfire, vegetation treatments, and reseeding projects. The area is crisscrossed by high-voltage transmission lines and is adjacent to a major electrical substation, critical for grid interconnection. To the north and south of the project there are highways and cities, to the east there are vast tracts of irrigated agriculture with dairies in the vicinity, all of which already severely constrain migration patterns. If not here and now, then when and where?
The final alternative will generate millions of dollars annually in tax revenue for local counties, and it will power the equivalent of half a million homes. Renewable projects benefit all Idahoans by making our utility bills cheaper and creating a more reliable and resilient energy grid. And by building these projects on already degraded land we help to preserve other, more sensitive, wildlife habitats.
We have an opportunity to help move towards a climate-resilient future by acting as a leader. If we don’t take bold action to transition away from fossil fuels both our public lands and communities are going to suffer from hotter summers, longer wildfire seasons, and extinction of wildlife species. Being a conservationist in this day and age still means advocating for clean air and water and wildlife protections, but finding solutions means being pragmatic, and finding ways to get to yes. In light of the realities of climate change, the trade-offs are not easy, but they are necessary.
ICL stands by our vigilant work to protect the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the lands and wildlife we love, and now we must fight climate change—because it is here, it is impacting the things we hold dear, and it is threatening the future of what makes life in Idaho so special.