WYOMING WIND BOOM

The new Wyoming wind rush
Steve McManamen, June 20, 2009 (Gillette News-Record)

"Campbell County has been the epicenter of energy development in Wyoming since the county’s first coal mine opened…Then came the oil, followed by natural gas. But many thought Campbell County would not buy into the wind energy industry…

"Not so for…Third Planet Windpower…[It] is in the process of developing a 133-turbine wind farm on 14,000 acres in the southwest corner of Campbell County. The wind farm will produce 200 megawatts of electricity…The Reno Junction Wind farm won’t have a problem with [the sage grouse habitat issue or] transmission lines either. It will sit adjacent to the existing Black Hills Power Pumpkin Buttes substation…The farm is expected to cost about $420 million…"

click to enlarge

"Third Planet also is working on a project in southwestern Wyoming. It is one of many wind developers clamoring to build wind farms and transmission lines in the state…[Governor] Freudenthal likened the development of wind energy in Wyoming to a “gold rush” in a letter to the state legislative task force on wind energy…

"Freudenthal wrote that as the nation moves to some sort of carbon reduction strategy, the state must face the fact that wind and solar energy generation has come to Wyoming, no matter what individual perspectives on the topic are. The governor also wrote that green energy initiatives are moving at a “gold rush” pace…"

click to enlarge

"…[A “gold rush” mentality] creates a lot of opportunities for Wyoming’s energy industry future, as well as problems with land rights and wildlife. Freudenthal created the task force on wind energy during this year’s legislative session and offered the group the full support of his office as it begins to address the many topics that relate to wind energy production and transmission in Wyoming.

"…[Wind farm owners in southeast Wyoming] have formed wind associations…State offices and the University of Wyoming are grappling with land owner rights…[L]andowners are having trouble making sure they get reasonable deals from wind developers…[A] University of Wyoming guide covers…How to measure a property’s wind potential…How to judge win development’s compatibility with other land uses like ranching and hunting…The effect wind development might have on a land owner’s privacy, access and disruption…Advantages and disadvantages of leases."