CALL TO ACTION!
The Minidoka WWII Concentration Camp Needs Your Input!
THE DEADLINE TO SUBMIT COMMENTS EXTENDED TO OCTOBER 20TH!
Notice of Intent by the Bureau of Land Management from the Federal Registry
Statement from the Bureau of Land Management
Minidoka National Historic Site’s historic, natural, and cultural resources are being threatened. Magic Valley Energy has proposed the Lava Ridge Wind Project, a 400-unit wind turbine field on 73,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) property adjacent to Minidoka, 25 miles northeast of Twin Falls, Idaho. If built, it will be one of the largest in the U.S. Several turbines are slated to be installed on the historic footprint of the camp, and almost all are completely visible from the WWII Japanese American incarceration site in Southern Idaho.
The proposed project includes up to 400 wind energy generating turbines, up to seven new substations, approximately 198 miles of 34.5 kilovolt (kV) collector lines, 34 miles of 230 kV transmission lines, 18 miles of 500 kV transmission lines, 381 miles of access roads, 47 miles of temporary crane walk paths, a battery energy storage system, three operations and maintenance facilities, five permanent met towers, and construction-related staging yards. Engineering is preliminary, but the turbines may have a maximum height (including the rotor) of up to 740 feet.
Read the full project plan of development, guidance on submitting public comment, the full timeline and planning process, and other BLM documents here:
https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2013782/540
Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), an EIS is prepared for major federal actions that may have a significant effect on the environment. The purpose of an EIS is to identify potential issues related to the project, analyze the project impacts, disclose them to the public, and use the information developed to make informed decisions. The EIS is a public document, and the public is encouraged to provide input throughout the development of the EIS. The EIS is currently in the first stage, called public scoping, in which potential environmental issues, project modifications, and mitigation to be evaluated in the draft EIS are identified.
During the scoping period, the public is encouraged to provide comments and information on factors that should be considered in the EIS. There is a short window for public comments, and the Japanese American community needs to be heard! SUBMIT YOUR PUBLIC COMMENTS before the September 20th deadline.
STAY ENGAGED: ASK BLM TO BE INCLUDED AS A CONSULTING PARTY
Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) requires Federal agencies to take into account the effects of their undertakings on historic properties and to provide the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) with a reasonable opportunity to comment. In addition, Federal agencies are required to consult on the Section 106 process with State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPO), Tribal Historic Preservation Offices (THPO), Indian Tribes (to include Alaska Natives), Native Hawaiian Organizations (NHO), and other interested parties to identify historic properties, determine whether and how such properties may be affected, and resolve adverse effects.
If your Chapter or organization, or you as an individual, would like to be engaged throughout the Section 106 compliance, you can ask to be included as a consulting party. You will then be consulted as an individual or as an organization and notified throughout the Lava Ridge Wind Project. If you are interested in sharing information on these resources or have questions about the Section 106 process, please contact: Kelli Barnes, BLM Idaho State Office, phone: 208-373-3844, email: kbarnes@blm.gov
