Originally published Oct. 30 on IdahoCapitalSun.com.Idaho’s congressional delegation in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday introduced a bill to stop the development of a wind energy project in southwest Idaho.
U.S. Sens. Jim Risch and Mike Crapo and Reps. Mike Simpson and Russ Fulcher, all Idaho Republicans, introduced the “Don’t Develop Obstructive Infrastructure on our Terrain Act.”
Coined the “Don’t DO IT Act,” by its sponsors, it would require the U.S. Secretary of the Interior to deny any wind or solar energy project proposed on public land that is disapproved of by the State Legislature.
The bill was inspired by a proposed wind project in Idaho that has sparked significant controversy.
The Lava Ridge Wind Project, a proposed project that is under review by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), would be located 25 miles northeast of Twin Falls. It would place up to 400 turbines up to 740 feet in height across Jerome, Lincoln and Minidoka counties. The project would also include the development of new roads, powerlines, substations, maintenance facilities and battery storage facilities.
The delegation introduced the bill after the Idaho House of Representatives in March unanimously passed a resolution expressing opposition to the wind project.
In a joint letter with the Idaho delegation to BLM state director Karen Kelleher, Idaho Gov. Brad Little and Lt. Gov. Scott Bedke previously expressed concerns about the wind project to the BLM.
“Affected farmers, ranchers, tribes, the Japanese American community and sportsmen have voiced legitimate objections,” they said in the letter. “As it stands today, the local community predominantly has not shown support for this development.”
In the letter, the officials said the project conflicts with “deep-rooted” Idaho values for land conservation and land use opportunities for recreation, grazing and sporting activities.
(4) comments
Concerning the BLM's decision about the project:
Tiel-Nelson said the bureau is not focused on how many comments it received in favor or against the project, but rather it will consider comments that are “substantive,” or comments that identify factual errors, data gaps, relevant methods or scientific studies.
That's probably going to be bad news for our republican chaps. That and the fact that it doesn't matter if a republican house votes for their attention seeking legislation the Democratic Senate probably won't vote for it and Biden will not sign it. These guys make it sound like it's already law.
The Bidumb green energy fraud is collapsing...
Nobody is buying their electric cars and nobody
Is buying into their radical craziness. The real problem will be being able to afford to heat your
Homes this winter. Destroy all democrats!
The bridge to nowhere and the ridiculous new green deal spending.....just wasteful government spending that makes the liberals feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Stop this crazy leftist green agenda......there's nothing green about it. God
Democrats suck.
Grandstanding! These guys think the state owns federal ground and the federal government is run by republicans. They sure are four swell guys.
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