The Lava Ridge Wind Project is moving forward under a new plan that shrinks the project to nearly half of its originally proposed size.
The Bureau of Land Management on June 6 issued its final environmental review, which selected an alternative model for the project after taking into consideration input from landowners, ranchers, Native American tribes and public officials.
The bureau’s preferred alternative shrinks the project to sit on 104,000 acres of land, consisting of 241 turbines with a maximum height of 660 feet.
Peter Richardson, the chair of Idaho Energy Freedom, told the Idaho Capital Sun that rather than benefitting people out of state, the Lava Ridge Wind Project would help Idaho become more energy independent.
That’s because Idahoans consume about 61% more electricity than is generated in Idaho.
The BLM estimates construction of the project would generate $21.9 million in annual tax revenue and contribute $138.9 million in total economic output to local and regional economies.
