To harness the wind

A project aiming to bring a wind farm to Sweetwater County is in the early stages of development, and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Rock Springs Field Office is accepting public input to help guide the process of analyzing the project and developing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

"This is a brand-new project," Rock Springs Field Office Manager Kimberlee Foster said. "We're doing our public scoping now to identify issues for analysis. So we want feedback from the public."

The public comment period for this part of the scoping process will be open through April 17.

Jackalope Wind is the name of the project from NextEra Energy Resources. The company has submitted a right-of-way application to the BLM for constructing and operating a commercial wind energy project. The project site is proposed to be located south of Interstate 80 between Rock Springs and Rawlins, close to the Jim Bridger Power Plant. The proposal is to include approximately 213 wind turbine generators and associated infrastructure, which would generate and deliver approximately 600 megawatts of electricity to the electrical transmission grid. The project hopes to tie in to the Jim Bridger Substation, and the power would then be distributed by PacifiCorp.

The project proposal covers approximately 293,100 acres of checkerboard land. Jackalope Wind already has agreements with the private landowner, so now they are asking the BLM for right of way on the 166,000 acres of public land managed by the Rock Springs Field Office.

With the project application and the BLM's notice of intent shared two weeks ago, the public scoping period was kicked off, which is the first step in developing an EIS. One of the steps in this process was the BLM hosting open house meetings in Rock Springs and Rawlins, since a portion of the project crosses over into Carbon County and the BLM Rawlins Field Office. The open house in Rock Springs took place Wednesday, April 3, and people were able to stop in to get more information about the project and share their thoughts.

"We're having the public weigh in on things they want to see us analyze," Foster explained.

Foster explained that because this is a new project and only the proposal has been submitted, this is the time for the public to ask questions and bring up the concerns they want to be considered. The BLM will use these public comments as they also look into concerns and potential impacts in order to draft the EIS.

"We've determined at the BLM that we think the impacts will be significant, so that's why we're doing an environmental impact statement," Foster said.

The EIS will address the potential impact of the project to multiple areas of concern. Some of the preliminary resource issue areas for consideration identified by the BLM include visual resources, air resources, cultural resources, water resources, recreation, socioeconomic and environmental justice, geology and minerals, transportation, special status wildlife and fish, paleontological resources, Native American concerns, noise, public health and safety, and others.

Visual resources are a major area of consideration for this kind of project, according to Foster.

"You can't hide the wind farm," she said. "They're big and you can see them from miles away. So we'll be doing some visual impact analysis. There will be some modeling that's done to see how far you can see it."

Impact to wildlife is another important issue.

"Whenever you have a wind farm, eagles are a very big concern," Foster pointed out, adding that BLM works with their sister agency and cooperating partner the Fish and Wildlife Service to share analysis and consider wildlife impact.

Another concern the public has brought up, which several people mentioned at the open house, according to Foster, is the question of what will happen to the turbines once they're done being used and how they will be disposed of. Now that the concern has been raised, it can be looked into and addressed through the EIS.

Foster did note that Jackalope Wind has already been working with the BLM and took several factors into consideration when they developed the proposal, including making sure the plan is compliant with any of the alternatives in the Rock Springs Field Office Resource Management Plan draft that is being worked on. The proposed project's boundary also has a unique shape because they have already been working around Greater Sage Grouse priority habitat and the Monument Valley Management Area and Adobe Town Wilderness Study Area.

The proposed plan doesn't currently avoid the trail system in the area, with parts of the Overland Trail System going through the area. Foster noted it would be hard to avoid the trail entirely since it follows along I-80, but she pointed out the impacts to the trail system will also be evaluated in the EIS.

"It'll be a comprehensive look at all the resources we have," Foster explained of the EIS. "And then one of the things we'll be doing through the environmental impact statement is looking at alternatives."

Based on the findings and potential impacts, the project proposal could be changed. The EIS process will include developing different alternatives for the project, looking into ways for Jackalope Wind to still meet their 600 megawatt goal while having less impact to areas of concern, whether this involves changing boundaries, moving turbines, or making other adjustments.

The BLM also always includes a "no action" alternative, according to Foster, meaning they could deny the project.

"So although this is their proposal, it may not be what gets approved in the end, if anything gets approved," Foster explained of Jackalope Wind's plans. "We'll compare those alternatives and determine which one makes the most sense."

Once a draft EIS is put together, it will be released to the public and there will be another 30-day comment period in order to give feedback on the plan and proposed alternatives.

So far, public feedback on the proposed plan has been mixed, according to Foster, with some in opposition to wind energy as well as some who have "been disappointed that Sweetwater County hasn't seen wind yet" and are excited about the prospect of the county's first wind project.

Public comments can be submitted electronically at eplanning.blm.gov or mailed or hand delivered to the Rock Springs Field Office. Comments should be submitted before 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, April 17 for consideration in the draft EIS.