Lava Ridge Wind Project - Wasting 76,000 acres in Idaho.

[wind gypsy]

Pretty sure fencing around the area is required by law, if not law definitely the insurance company.

I've not looked close at wind farms on public but on private land most of them are not fenced off at all.

 

[wind gypsy]

If the project has already gone through the NEPA process and they've held their public comment period for their EIS, you are out of luck in doing anything about it. The only possibility is that an environmental NGO doesn't like something about the project on that land and found a "hole" in their EIS, which they may threaten to sue that company over if they proceed with the project.

Your only hope is an NGO (who likely loves wolves) had a problem with their project and threatened to sue.

I've also seen where unions who weren't going to be involved with building these problems hire law firms to drum up bogus enviro claims that prevent the permitting. Once the unions get a project labor agreement signed all of the enviro problems vanished.

So maybe hunters could join forces with unions. Kind of an unlikely union like Sy Gilleland and WOGA joining with NR hunters to fight 90/10 in WY..

 

[HighUintas]

@wind gypsy , they would have to file lawsuit based on their completion of the process (most often it's related to something not addressed in the EIS) , not environmental claims. The courts do not decide these cases based on environmental concern, they decide them based on whether or not the defendant has correctly done their due diligence, which could include the defendant adequately addressing meeting various regulations like emissions in the clean air act. The courts don't make decisions on environmental impact.

I just looked at the BLM project website and in their FAQs, they show the draft EIS should be published by fall 2022.

SO!!!! If you want to do something about it then get on researching possible negative effects from the project (endangered or sensitive species, migratory animals, water or plant effects, public usage, find out how the fencing will actually work and if it will prohibit public use first, I guess cattle/sheep if you're into that but they can all burn for all I care), then be prepared to write a well thought out comment addressing the concerns and back them by research if possible (many times NGOs will use US fish and game/FS/BLM own research against them in comments in the EIS to prove they're not fully considering the impacts or making statements that contradict their research), make sure you know when the comment period is because sometimes they'll open it for 2 weeks around Christmas and new years when NO ONE is going to comment but a few people, and contact whatever group you feel would do something about it because they are the ones with ability to sue over a project.

I wonder if BHA would actually get involved if this project would severely hinder public access and use. Because that is their mission... Public access.

Maybe a mule deer group or Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation if it is a huge elk/deer wintering area.

There are likely some environmental NGOs that would be opposed to it based on infrastructure affecting wildlife. Those groups are all over the board on where they stand on certain issues. Some have wolf porn bookmarked on their browser and some don't care much about them.

 

[mossyoak52]

How wide and area around the turbines? Immediately around each turbine or around the entire area containing them?

The entire area containing them with security to make sure everyone stays out unless authorized

 

[Jimbee]

Anyone notice an increase in cost of fuel causes an increase in opposition to wind and solar?

 

[HighUintas]

The entire area containing them with security to make sure everyone stays out unless authorized

How do you know this?

There's a large field of turbines in SW Wyoming that isn't fenced (except for maybe a 50 foot radius around each turbine) so I wonder how/when they decide to fence the larger area

 

[mossyoak52]

I've not looked close at wind farms on public but on private land most of them are not fenced off at all.

On a proect of this size the entire perimeter will be fenced off entirely insurance would require it
Due to lawsuits if someone decides to get stupid and climb one and falls off

 

[Jimbee]

I've never seen a fence around a wind turbine in Iowa.

 

[WRM]

We're growing massive solar fields here with more to come. All with any size to them now are on private property, as far as I know. But, it results in clearcut land with zero recreational potential (unless you like to look at solar panels).

 

[mossyoak52]

How do you know this?

There's a large field of turbines in SW Wyoming that isn't fenced (except for maybe a 50 foot radius around each turbine) so I wonder how/when they decide to fence the larger area

Tock never paid much attention to the ones out here but I know the ones in the east are perimeter fenced and have 24/7 securty we tried hunting some of them one year in NY took .5 seconds for security to come find us and escourt us back to our vehicle with a stern warning not to breech the fence again or we would go to jail
W e were told the company insurance carrier mndated the fence to prevent peope from trying to climb them and either fall or jump off them

 

[mossyoak52]

And yes they were heavily armed security

 

[mossyoak52]

Again guys I'm only goig by our experience back east ,
out here in the west /Midwest we have only seen them from a distance while driving by
Didnt really find them an attractive sight seeing have to see type thing

 

[wind gypsy]

Tock never paid much attention to the ones out here but I know the ones in the east are perimeter fenced and have 24/7 securty we tried hunting some of them one year in NY took .5 seconds for security to come find us and escourt us back to our vehicle with a stern warning not to breech the fence again or we would go to jail
W e were told the company insurance carrier mndated the fence to prevent peope from trying to climb them and either fall or jump off them

Your run in with a security guard in NY doesn't mean that's the case universally across all public and private land wind farms. My forum handle originated from the fact i used to move around the country building wind farms. Last one I worked on was in 2012 but at that point none of them had fences other than normal property fences that would have existed whether a turbine was there or not. These were projects with hundreds of turbines as well.

A quick google search shows that this project would still be open to the public and not fenced other than substation, O&M building, and laydown yard after construction.

I'm not trying to advocate for a wind farm and folks have good reason to not want this project to get built. Just pointing out some of the things being said don't make sense.

 

[mossyoak52]

Your run in with a security guard in NY doesn't mean that's the case universally across all public and private land wind farms.

And I said as much in my last post above
Assumption was corrected

 

[mossyoak52]

IiLandowners hosting turbines are even questioning whether they have made the correct choice. TV and radio reception was destroyed in most areas of the town. Also, the Buffalo doppler radar can no longer forecast weather conditions accurately in locations east of our wind farm

I found this very interesting

 

[Sccritterkiller]

IiLandowners hosting turbines are even questioning whether they have made the correct choice. TV and radio reception was destroyed in most areas of the town. Also, the Buffalo doppler radar can no longer forecast weather conditions accurately in locations east of our wind farm

I found this very interesting

Considering you have basically an array of blades turning at 180-200 mph, depending on size of the wind turbine, I can see how they could mess with radar of any kind.

 

[mossyoak52]

Considering you have an basically an array of blades turning at 180-200 mph, depending on size of the wind turbine, I can see how they could mess with radar of any kind.

me to

 

[Crghss]

I've not looked close at wind farms on public but on private land most of them are not fenced off at all.

I‘ve never seen a fence around them either. Probably not worth building and maintaining since they are so remote wouldn’t keep anyone out.

You can’t climb wind turbines from the outside. You access them from the inside, heavy metal door you’d need to break through.

 

[mossyoak52]

when i moved from north eastern ny( lake champlain adirondacks area) to montana 20+ yrs ago the state had 1-2 wind farms
they now have like 30 and getting ready to start phase 2 on a couple of them
again like it or not its the future of energy in the us

 

[npm352]

I hope the only hunters who are affected by this voted for this nation's current administration and are card-carrying members of BHA.

But sadly, that is probably not the case.