Advises Interior Secretary Haaland on scope of the project and the widespread opposition in Idaho, including concerns regarding the Minidoka National Historic Site
WASHINGTON – During a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) questioned Interior Secretary Deb Haaland on the highly controversial and widely opposed Lava Ridge Wind Energy Project being proposed on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land in Idaho.
“I’m going to focus on one thing today. One thing, and one thing only: the Lava Ridge Wind Turbine Project in Idaho,” said Risch.
After Secretary Haaland was unable to answer basic questions about the project, Risch provided her with a summary, including the size of the project: 146,000 acres and 370 turbines, the smallest being taller than the Statue of Liberty and the largest towering more than 100 feet over the Seattle Space Needle.
WATCH THE FULL VIDEO HERE.
Upon hearing the secretary say “ We listen to people. We get their input,” Risch outlined the substantial list of critics who have said “don’t do it” regarding the project, including:
- Idaho BLM’s Resource Advisory Council;
- The bipartisan Idaho legislature;
- Seven Idaho counties in the surrounding area;
- The Friends of Minidoka;
- The broader Japanese-American community;
- Senator Risch, Governor Little, Lieutenant Governor Bedke, and the entire Idaho delegation; and
- Thousands of everyday Idahoans.
Senator Risch emphasized the significance of the Minidoka National Historic Site and how the Lava Ridge project would drastically impair the site’s surrounding landscape.
Risch said, “It was one of the detention sites during World War Two for Japanese people, of which we have a significant population in Idaho. This land means a lot to them.”
Risch concluded that renewable energy already accounts for 75% of Idaho’s in-state electricity generation. Additionally, there are clean energy alternatives, like small modular reactors, that would provide similar amounts of energy without impeding on a historical site and taking up less than 1% of the space.
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