Wyoming board OKs wind farms near Glenrock
Casper Star Tribune
By JEREMY FUGLEBERG Star-Tribune energy reporter | Posted: Tuesday, June 14, 2011 7:30 am
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DOUGLAS - Two wind farms proposed for south of Glenrock got the go-ahead from a state board Monday.
The Wyoming Industrial Siting Council, a state board that must approve large wind power projects, voted 4-3 to permit two 31-turbine projects along Mormon Canyon Road.
The commission added a number of conditions to the permit, including requiring that developer Wasatch Wind put up an $18.8 million bond, install radar-controlled turbine safety lights and work to reduce the audio and visual impacts of the wind turbines for nearby landowners.
Before erecting the turbines, Wasatch Wind must also show it is financially capable of constructing, operating, maintaining and tearing down the wind farms, according to the commission's decision.
The permit is good for two years.
"We're pleased with the outcome and we look forward to continuing to work with the citizens of Converse County, the local and state governments and agencies as we continue to develop this wind energy project," said Michelle Stevens, a spokeswoman for Wasatch Wind.
The Park City, Utah-based company is developing the projects, together known as the Pioneer Wind Park, which will cost between $180 million and $200 million and generate 100 megawatts of power when completed. The projects also have received approval from the Converse County Commission.
Some landowners near the location of the wind farms have strongly objected to them in hearings before both county and state officials. They expressed concern about the turbines' effect on property values, and their noise, visual pollution and damage to roads used during construction.
Peter Nicolaysen, an attorney for the Northern Laramie Range Alliance, a coalition of landowners and others opposed to the projects, questioned Wasatch Wind's ability to show it was financially capable of developing the wind farm.
Among other concerns, he also questioned why the company didn't present clear evidence to commissioners of what the turbines would look like from various positions.
"They could've done that but they didn't," he said. "And I think that's an intentional attempt to not provide you with information to make an adequate decision."
John Masterson, an attorney for Wasatch Wind, hit hard at the alliance's use of pamphlets, a mailed survey, a website and other public relations tools that he said showed the depths to which the group would go to make its case.
It "indicates they are a small, local, emotional, well-funded pocket of people who just simply don't like the idea of these projects anywhere near them," he said.
"If Wasatch Wind said we walked on water, the alliance would say we can't swim," Masterson said. "There is nothing that we are capable of doing that would satisfy the opponents of this project."
After the commission's decision, Nicolaysen referred the Star-Tribune's request for comment to the alliance's steering committee. Calls to Sharon Rodeman, a member of the committee, weren't immediately returned.
In deliberations before their decision, commissioners expressed concern about how the wind turbines would affect nearby landowners, which mirrored complaints from the alliance and others.
Some commissioners also were deeply concerned about the financial stability of California-based Edison Mission Energy, which will build and operate the wind energy project.
"Basically what Wasatch is saying is their financial capacity on this thing is their nonbinding agreement on this thing with Edison," said Commissioner Mike Daly of Wheatland, who is also chairman of the board of directors of First State Bank of Wheatland, Guernsey and Torrington.
"This is not a gold-plated deal. The trends are all in the wrong direction," he said.
