A proposed energy project in south-central Idaho would more than double the amount of wind energy produced in the state, and U.S. officials said Thursday that they are taking comments on the plan.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is taking comments on the 1,000-megawatt project proposed by Magic Valley Energy that would include 400 wind turbines up to 740 feet high, taller than any in the state. The agency is also holding virtual meetings on Sept. 8 and 9 to discuss the proposal. The Lava Ridge Wind Project would be built in parts of Jerome, Lincoln and Minidoka counties and power upward of 300,000 homes.
The Biden administration said it has a goal of permitting at least 25 gigawatts of onshore renewable energy by 2025.
The BLM will use the public comments it receives on the project for a draft environmental impact statement due out next summer, followed by a final environmental impact statement in the fall of 2022, and a final decision shortly after. The draft environmental impact statement will look at loss of wildlife habitat, including for greater sage-grouse that have seen steep population declines in the U.S. West in recent decades. (AP)
