Windmills coming to public land near you

[jake23]

This is completely ridiculous. I don't think anyone with these sportsmen's groups has read the goddamn bill...it reeks of business as usual for a way to expedite and rape public lands for the profit of a few. There aren't even assurances of WHAT amount of money will be deposited into the accounts because its largely at the discretion of the Secretary. That's for starters, secondly, it doesn't specify any "split" of the wildlife fund going to which states...at all. In other words, when my state takes the brunt of this bill, and my BLM is littered with solar and wind development, there's no assurance of how much money Wyoming will get from the wildlife conservation pool *(a whopping fraction of 25% of the rents/lease fees, which aren't jack chit even at full value). Further, the Secretary has the discretion to reduce the rent/lease fees (there are no "royalties") at a whim. If development costs are a hardship or if he/she just feels that the wind and solar companies suffer a hardship of any kind they can reduce or not even charge a rent/lease fee. Nowhere in the text did I read anything about a minimum based on the order of the Secretary being able to reduce the lease fees.

That's just for starters....

Its also pure bullchit too that NEPA is going to be largely subverted, making it nearly impossible for SPORTMEN and SPORTSMENS groups to file objections to any new development. Without that, we're FRANKED...we wont have any recourse or very little recourse to deal with developments we don't agree with.

I can also tell everyone here, for a fact, that I wrote a letter of opposition to a permit application filed to allow a gigantic wind farm on BLM in an area of central Wyoming under BHA's letterhead. I was asked by a Game and Fish biologist to look into the development. Not only was it located in a premier deer/elk/pronghorn area, but also in core sage grouse habitat as well. I got the green light from BHA leadership to write the letter of opposition and ultimately the permit was denied. I also talked with several BLM employees that were directly involved in that process before and after I wrote the letter of opposition...and was thanked profusely for assistance in saving that area from being permitted for wind development. This area is not only a special place for the wildlife found there, but also to me personally. Its my "boundary waters" and there is already infringement on adjacent private property that has wind farms already. Luckily its in an area that hasn't had any oil and gas development for the most part and a very nice area of intact sagebrush steppe habitat. Oh, did I mention its also a place where black footed ferrets have been reintroduced?

I've already given up the chokecherry project, and I admit and regret not doing more to oppose it. The positive that will come from this massive wind farm is before and after data on migration corridors and how wind development impacts there. I attended a presentation by Hall Sawyer and Matt Kaufmann with the migration initiative group and someone in the room made the statement that the wind/solar crowd had their knickers in a bunch because they were sure that deer/elk/pronghorn migrations would be altered by that development. I mean, no chit? slapping a couple thousand wind turbines right in migration corridors is going to alter their migration patterns? The wind guys were all hot because there was no "before and after development data with oil/gas/coal, so its not fair to pick on us". Really? I also asked a question of the presenters if big-game would avoid wind development about like they avoid oil and gas development...they said, "that would be a fair assumption to make".

I expect to have to battle/compromise some with industry on this stuff, just never thought I would also have to battle my own to do what's best for wildlife on MY PUBLIC LANDS.

Its really tough for me to believe that there is any support for this bill from the conservation community...my soul, wildlife, and public lands aren't for sale for 25% of, at best case, $3/acre in rent fees...

Thanks for all you do and all you have done! I wish I was closer to you guys in Wyoming. I would be a lot more involved in this sort of stuff. As of now I plan to relocate/retire to Wyoming in 2025. Really hoping my future backyard isn’t littered with windmills the way my current backyard is littered with solar panels (I am in CA).

Is there currently an organization I/we can get behind that has our public lands best interest in mind? Seems that BHA once was that but not anymore. Am I wrong?

I would like to help out in keeping crap like this from happening to our public lands, but it seems like I have to pick the lesser of two evils. That doesn’t sit well with me.