BOISE, Idaho — It is a battle going on for years.
Since 2020, the Lava Ridge Wind Project has been a highly debated topic.
It's about whether or not to allow a proposed wind energy plant to be built in the Magic Valley.
Many lawmakers in Idaho are against it and there's a new gust after a proposed bill passed the committee and heads to the house, which could sweep the project away.
Congressman Mike Simpson took to Twitter, now known as X, saying quote, "From the beginning, I have made it clear that the Lava Ridge Wind Project is out of touch and has no place in Idaho."
This comes after he added a provision to the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2025.
The Lava Wind Project is a proposed wind energy plant that wants to build turbines in Jerome, Lincoln, and Minidoka Counties.
The Bureau of Land Management is the group conducting a report on what it would do to the environment.
The senior director of the proposed wind project responded in a statement:
"The Lava Ridge Wind Project is poised to deliver substantial benefits to the local communities and generate tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue for the Magic Valley and the State of Idaho. This Project can help meet the significant demand for domestic clean energy in Idaho and the Western United States," said Luke Papez, senior director of project development for LS Power. "The Bureau of Land Management has thoroughly addressed stakeholder concerns in the Final Environmental Impact Statement, pairing significant modifications to the Project with numerous minimization and mitigation measures in the Preferred Alternative. These adjustments will result in an appropriate balance between the need for additional domestic energy production and ensuring protection of our vital environmental resources, honoring our rich cultural heritage, and integrating invaluable local stakeholder feedback."
The company said BLM addressed stakeholder concerns and made significant modifications to the project.
Which is true. In June, BLM cut the project in half from 400 turbines to 241, capped the maximum height at 660 feet, and moved the wind farm 9 miles away from the visitor center for the Minidoka National Historic Site.
The Idaho Conservation League Energy and Regulatory Councilmember, Brad Heusinkveld, said they were satisfied with the adjustments and are now worried about the provision.
"We were disappointed to see the budget writer pass through the house," said Heusinkveld. "BLM has conducted a years-long process, incorporating 1000s of stakeholder comments, and was really responsive to them in their final project. We looked at the final proposal from BLM and weighed thoroughly the project impacts concerns mitigations and all the rest to ultimately decide that this is a project that we can and should support."
In short, Congressman Mike Simpson's provision said the final environmental impact statement for the Lava Ridge Wind Project, issued by the Bureau of Land Management, shall have no force or effect.
What does this mean?
The Bureau of Land Management is expected to release a final statement outlining the impact of the proposed wind project on the environment.
Simpson couldn't do an interview today, but he did say if the bill is passed in the Senate and House, it would block that statement, which could put a stop to the proposed lava ridge plan entirely.
To be clear, it has to pass the House and Senate first before it could block the project.
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