Wind Energy
The Wyoming Outdoor Council strongly supports development of wind energy and other renewable forms of energy. We believe it is critically important to break away from our dependence on fossil fuels to meet our energy needs, both because of the pollution created by burning fossil fuels, and because of their substantial contribution to global warming due to the release of large amounts of carbon dioxide when these fuels are burned. That said, we also recognize that renewable sources of energy can have environmental impacts, too, that must be avoided. We believe, however, these impacts can be greatly reduced by avoiding sensitive areas, and important wildlife areas, when siting these facilities. We believe it is critical to have an established protocol and methodology for determining appropriate siting before a project is fully developed, and that if such a protocol is in place and adhered to adverse impacts can be minimized or avoided altogether in most cases. In this regard, the Western Governors’ Association’s Western Renewable Energy Zone project is promising, and will likely be a great aid to appropriate siting of wind energy projects and other renewable energy projects.
There are currently at least 30 proposals for wind energy development in Wyoming, and most are in Converse, Carbon, and Uinta Counties. One of the most significant of these is the Chokecherry-Sierra Madre proposal near Rawlins, which would be constructed largely on BLM lands. As many as 1,000 wind turbines could be constructed. The BLM is beginning to prepare an environmental impact statement for this project, and the Wyoming Outdoor Council submitted scoping comments on this project. The BLM has developed a national programmatic environmental impact statement to guide wind energy development, which you can visit at http://windeis.anl.gov.
Chokecherry SM Scoping Comments 08-26-08.pdf
Comments on Wyo Game and Fish Department's Wind Recs Feb 2010
Comments on the White Mountain Wind Energy Project EIS March 2010