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November 17, 2011 in Region
W. Washington wind farm canceled due to seabird
RICHLAND, Wash. — Energy Northwest and four southwest Washington utilities have canceled the Radar Ridge wind power project, which had been proposed as the first major wind farm in Western Washington.
Energy Northwest of Richland announced the decision Wednesday at a board meeting in Portland. About $4 million had been spent on the proposed project since 2007, about half of that from Energy Northwest.
New restrictions proposed for the project by U.S. Fish and Wildlife were unreasonable, said Jack Baker, Energy Northwest vice president for energy business services.
At issue was habitat for marbled murrelets, a seabird listed in 1992 as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act.
Energy Northwest also was concerned about the soft market for wind power and the need to spend up to $750,000 to finish the regulatory process with an uncertain outcome.
The project would have built 32 wind turbines on state forest land in Pacific County to help meet requirements of Initiative 937, passed by Washington voters in 2006. The initiative set requirements for utilities to buy wind or other power the initiative defined as renewable.
The Pacific County, Grays Harbor, Clallam County and Mason County public utility districts were working with Energy Northwest to develop the 80 megawatt project. But all parties agreed a week before Wednesday’s meeting that the project should be terminated, Baker said.
Energy Northwest knew good environmental studies would be needed because of the marbled murrelet when it began looking at Radar Ridge, Baker said.
It liked the area because it could help with wind power transmission concerns. Among other transmission benefits, the wind blows there primarily in the winter, while other wind projects in the state have strong winds in the spring and fall.
The land already had been disturbed. Forest has been cut down on the ridge and a large gravel pit and communication towers are operating on top of the ridge, Baker said.
The project partners spent three years conducting scientific studies that showed that the wind farm could be operated in a way that would result in an average of one bird hitting a turbine every two years, he said. That clearly showed the wind project would not jeopardize the species, he said.
The seabirds, which can fly 50 mph, nest in the forest near the ocean to raise their young in the spring and fly out to the ocean in the morning to feed, he said.
However, in mid-August, Energy Northwest learned a draft for a required Fish and Wildlife environmental impact statement would require that the wind project be shut down for six months of the year in the daylight hours. Instead of a 25-year permit, only a five-year permit with extensions would be granted.
The project participants had agreed to spend $1 million to buy 300 acres of old growth forest to set aside for habitat. But the draft environmental study also would require $10 million for the federal government to spend on other habitat projects, Baker said.
The project participants already had adapted the project, including reducing the size of the turbines, and the additional conditions came as a surprise, he said.
Seattle Audobon called the decision to abandon the project a major victory.
Although it supports projects to reduce climate change, the harm to marbled murrelets outweighed the benefits of reduced carbon output, the group said.
“There are significantly better locations to site renewable energy projects than Radar Ridge,” said Shawn Cantrell, executive director of Seattle Audobon, in a news release.
The ridge is within a larger area that has been recognized as the best place to restore marbled murrelet habitat on state managed land, according to Seattle Audobon.
The PUDs and Energy Northwest are disappointed, Baker said. The project had balanced energy, environment and economics as every energy project must, he said. More scientific study had been done than on any wind project in the state, he said.
He predicted that as the energy market improves for wind and “permitting requirements become more sane,” a wind power project will be built on Radar Ridge.
Energy Northwest owns four electricity generating stations: the Columbia Generating Station nuclear power plant near Richland, Packwood Lake Hydroelectric Project, Nine Canyon Wind Project and White Bluffs Solar Station.
Fifth victim dies in Seattle shooting 
PlanB on November 17 at 9:29 a.m.
One bird every two years is a problem?
Coffee on November 17 at 9:41 a.m.
Save the birds ban wind power.
deerbandit on November 17 at 9:45 a.m.
Are you freaking kidding me. A way to get power and rid us of additional use of foreign oil is not being done because of a freaking bird? This has to be a joke, oh I forgot this is the west side of the state where decisions are made based on the wants and needs of the people of Californiastan. Forgive me.
soccermomsusie on November 17 at 10:01 a.m.
Wow, who would have thunk that Marbled Mullets are a big hit on the west side. I think we ought to parboil them. Parboiled Marichino and Mustard Marinated Mullets with Mustached Mussel Mole.
YUCK!
HEAR OUR VOICE!!!
mtharves on November 17 at 10:26 a.m.
SMS,
Perhaps we could cross the marbled murrelet with the snail darter and bring down the whole electric grid in one fell swoop.
PS love you alliterative skills.
mtharves on November 17 at 10:27 a.m.
Whoops, meant “your”
Shadedmuse on November 17 at 10:31 a.m.
no Wind farms because of the Sea-Chicken? they are a loser football team that cant play cant win, and need to be relocated to L.A so we can have a wind farm.
We also need a Liberal version to ballance out Soccer Suse and Daisey
Dazzeetrader11 on November 17 at 10:34 a.m.
“New restrictions proposed for the project by U.S. Fish and Wildlife were unreasonable, said Jack Baker, Energy Northwest vice president for energy business services”…<– this.
Get the government out of our lives. Just do the roads, water, garbage, etc…essential services. This gornment WE pay for is trying to kill us.
NOBAMA!!
RedCedar on November 17 at 10:48 a.m.
Once again “perfect” is the enemy of “good”.
Everybody wants “clean energy”. We pass an initiative that basically demands that utilities buy wind-generated power (hydro doesn’t count as “clean” in Washington), and then when they go to actually build the thing, we demand so many fees, so much studying, and so much mitigating, that the costs become impossible. Eventually these projects may get built and the high costs passed on to utility customers, at which point the “99%” will blame the “1%” for charging too much and making too much profit.
Maybe the only way forward is to nationalize the utility companies so that at least the same organization that is hog-tying them with endless regulations will also be charged with operating them in a way that delivers affordable electric rates. They won’t be able to do it, of course, but at least that way we can escape from this blame game in which we pretend the government is protecting the environment while greedy capitalists are ripping us off with high electric bills.
DDC on November 17 at 10:50 a.m.
Greenies….meet PETA. Too funny.
norpass on November 17 at 11:19 a.m.
This is ridiculous. Here we are at the start of the 21st century and USF&W can’t figure out a compromise with Energy Northwest to build the wind farm and provide habitat for the bird?
Holy crap, we are doomed to utter failure and an inability to reason together. Dumb-asses!
metaline on November 17 at 11:38 a.m.
Stupid is that hydroelectric power is not considered renewable. Joe rate payer (us) is forced to pay for power that costs more to produce than the hydro power we have in abundance.
metaline on November 17 at 11:41 a.m.
I should have read all comments before reading. RedCedar hit the nail of the head.
mikeln on November 17 at 12:05 p.m.
It would be nice to see who really is behind all this, like I’ve said before, I have not seen a environmental regulation that does any thing more then make more money for the energy suppliers.
cdspokesreader on November 17 at 12:57 p.m.
Of course hydroelectric power should be clean power, but don’t you know the companies can make more money sending all that electricity to California. Part of the problem is you can’t store the power, but it would be nice if it was used here where are resources are being used before being sent elsewhere
The_Seer on November 17 at 1:14 p.m.
mtharves: You also meant “alliteration” skills, not alliterative.
mtharves on November 17 at 5:09 p.m.
Thanks Seer, I was still laughing so hard from reading SoccerMomSusie’s comment that I couldn’t think or type straight.