East Idaho Times

U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, U.S. Representatives Mike Simpson and Russ Fulcher, Governor Brad Little, and Lieutenant Governor Scott Bedke (all R-Idaho) have collectively urged the Biden Administration to withhold a final decision on the Lava Ridge Wind Energy Project. In a letter addressed to U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Director Tracy Stone-Manning, the Idaho leaders criticized the administration for not addressing widespread opposition to the project.

The BLM’s Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) has been cited as failing to address concerns related to the Minidoka National Historic Site, grazing, wildlife response, Idaho energy requirements, among other issues.

"BLM has yet to acknowledge the gravity of these concerns or take meaningful steps to address them. Ignoring the voices of our constituents and attempting to downplay the severity of the issues they raise only serves to exacerbate the situation and erode trust in your agency’s decision-making process," wrote the leaders. "It is abundantly clear that the BLM needs to reconsider its approach to engaging with stakeholders in Idaho. Given the strong opposition from local and affected communities, we strongly encourage the BLM withhold issuing a Record of Decision (ROD) for the Lava Ridge Wind Project."

The full letter can be read here.

These concerns were previously communicated by Idaho leaders to BLM’s Idaho State Director Karen Kelleher in February 2023.

Earlier this year, members of Idaho's delegation introduced S. 3122, known as the Don’t DO IT Act. This legislation would require that any wind or solar energy project proposed on public land be denied if disapproved by a state legislature. In March 2023, Idaho’s State legislature unanimously passed a resolution expressing opposition to the Lava Ridge Wind Energy Project in Southern Idaho—a 370-turbine project spanning 146,000 acres. Among other issues raised was that it would visually compromise Minidoka National Historic Site, where more than 120,000 Japanese-Americans were incarcerated during World War II.