Concerns About Wyoming Wind Farms Aired At Capitol Rally

Ranchers, wildlife advocates and others concerned about the impact of a growing wind energy industry gathered at the Wyoming Capitol Building on Thursday in Cheyenne.

The rally was organized by the ''Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow" [CFACT].

The wind farm issue has risen to prominence in Laramie County recently because of the proposed Laramie Range Wind Project. The original proposal for that project was voted down by the Laramie County Commission last year. The company wanting to build that project filed a court challenge to the commission which has yet to be ruled upon.\

In the meantime, Repsol has proposed a smaller, scaled back version of the Laramie Range Project. . The revised proposal would reduce the number of turbines from 170 to 139, the size of the project from 56,000 to 42,000 acres. The setback from the turbines has also been increased and the truck route has been changed.

One of the major concerns about wind farms in Wyoming is their impact the bird population, with the wind mill turbines often proving fatal. The CFACT website has raised concerns about Wyoming's Golden Eagle population in particular, with one recent article calling for the Wyoming Golden Eagles to be listed as threatened under the endangered species act.

CFACT CEO and Founder Craig Rucker said the continuing growth of the wind farms in Wyoming poses an ongoing threat not only to bird, but wildlife in general by cutting of migration routes and threatening nesting areas.

Converse County rancher Mike Stevens told rally goers that his property is being surrounded by wind farms. He said the total area taken up by existing and proposed wind farms in the area would total 200,000 aces "and that is a lot."

Stevens said that at a recent state land board meeting in Douglas, 200 people showed up with another 100 monitoring via Zoom and they were "all against it."

State Legislator Sees Link Between Wind Farms, Data Centers

Wyoming House member Ann Lucas [R-Laramie County} who attended the rally, sees a link between the wind farm issues and those surrounding state centers. She said the two combined "have just exploded on us." She says in both cases "we don't know the long-term issues. And the more we learn, the less we like."

Of the wind farms, she said "Guess what? This is the same issue we are fighting against data centers''

Lucas said in both cases "it's an immediate, inordinate use of a technology that we don't know that much about.".