WASHINGTON— Today, Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson wrote an op-ed highlighting his concerns with the Lava Ridge Wind Turbine Project proposal. Congressman Simpson has been a strong vocal opponent of the Lava Ridge Wind Project and has advocated for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to listen to Idahoans’ concerns.  

The Lava Ridge Wind Project Proposal is Out-of-Touch with Idahoans 

By Rep. Mike Simpson      

The full op-ed is available below.       

The proposal to build a 400-turbine wind-generating facility in the Magic Valley has been met with almost unanimous opposition from local residents—I have yet to talk to one Magic Valley resident who supports it.  This comes as no surprise.  The Biden Administration continues to push its renewable fuels agenda despite projects like these having numerous concerns.  Biden’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) needs to take a major step back on the Lava Ridge Wind proposal and listen to the Idahoans who would be most significantly impacted by it. 

Critics of this project—and there are many—have cited numerous concerns about the Lava Ridge proposal.  Filling the landscape with hundreds of 600-foot-tall wind turbines would significantly impact all other land uses.  It could compromise the ability to use aircraft for fire suppression in an area prone to wildfires.  It could threaten long-standing efforts to recover sage-grouse habitat and prevent efforts to keep the sage-grouse off the Endangered Species Act, efforts in which Idaho has been a leader for a decade and a half.  It could upset the integrated resource plans of Idaho utilities and hurt existing electricity customers.  And it would undoubtedly dramatically impact the Minidoka National Historic Site.  Affected farmers, tribes, sportsmen, conservationists, the Japanese-American community, and others have all expressed their opposition to this plan. 

In choosing to prioritize renewable wind power over all other legitimate uses of this land, the BLM seems intent on changing the long-standing approach of managing public land for a variety of uses.  For Idahoans, the concept of multiple-use land management is highly valued and deeply rooted in our way of life.  It requires conservation, predictability of use, and support from local communities—all things threatened by a proposal to close off hundreds of square miles of public land to one specific use with very little if any, local support. 

Because of my concern about BLM’s failure to adequately engage those most affected by this project, I have taken significant actions to prevent the Biden Administration from rushing ahead with the proposal. I have used my position as Chairman of the House Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, which oversees funding for the BLM, to shed light on the myriad concerns about this proposal.  This past spring, I questioned both BLM Director Stone-Manning and U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland directly about Lava Ridge during the FY24 budget hearings.  In my questioning, I highlighted ongoing concerns, including the project’s lack of public support and the fact that this project would prioritize renewable energy development over all other land uses.  

In order to force the BLM to slow down and acknowledge the concerns of the impacted communities, I included language in the FY24 House Interior and Environment Appropriations bill prohibiting funding to be used for such wind energy projects in Idaho until the U.S. Government Accountability Office – an independent, nonpartisan government agency – completes a report identifying the potential adverse effects of the project on wildlife, cultural resources, transportation, hunting, and other legitimate land uses.  

Together with Senators Crapo and Risch, Governor Little, and Lieutenant Governor Bedke, earlier this year, I communicated my deep concerns to the Idaho BLM about this project and asked the state office to refocus its process to work with local communities and address their legitimate objections.  I also requested that BLM extend the comment period for the Lava Ridge draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) to address stakeholder concerns over the proposal, a request that was granted. 

The Biden Administration must be held accountable.  It cannot continue to unilaterally ram through renewable energy projects with no local support, and with no forethought for their impact on other important land uses. I expect the BLM to listen to the concerns of Idahoans directly affected by the proposed Lava Ridge Wind Project and give those concerns considerable weight as the public comment period continues.  So far, this project has proven to be out of touch with Idaho values, and you can be confident that I stand with the Magic Valley in opposing it.