BOISE, Idaho — Idaho's Attorney General Raúl Labrador announced Friday he has filed an administrative appeal with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to ask the agency to reconsider the determinations they made about the Lava Ridge project, according to a press release.
The FAA determined that the proposed wind turbine project known as the Lava Ridge project, which is on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land, would pose "no hazard" to aviation in the area.
Labrador states that the vast majority of power generated at Lava Ridge will be sent to California, placing wind turbines on federal lands nearby farms and local airports. He continues by saying that the wind turbines would be among the tallest in the United States, posing an "obvious" hazard to local aircraft and airports, especially those planes that do crop dusting on local farms.
"Strong words are just not enough," said Attorney General Labrador. "The people of Idaho have overwhelmingly demanded action and deserve better than to be ignored by federal bureaucracies. Yesterday's appeal is my office's first of many steps in fighting this ill-conceived project that threatens Idaho's agriculture, wildlife, and waterways."
According to the news release, the FAA declined to consider the low-level flights that are prevalent in the area, including the more than 13,000 agricultural aviation flights. The news release states that the wind turbines would negatively impact the area's economy, by creating challenging flight conditions and impacting airport use.
"If built, the wind turbines would increase the difficulty and safety risks of performing aerial applications that are already quite difficult and risky. In some locations, or under certain conditions, the increased difficulty and risk may effectively preclude aerial applications to the crops or fields," the filing stated.
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