Eastern Oregon wind farm clears hurdle

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A wind farm planned for outside La Grande cleared a major environmental hurdle and may create 165 construction jobs.

The Antelope Ridge Wind Farm cleared a critical hurdle in November, signing a mitigation agreement with Oregon’s Department of Fish and Wildlife that paves the way for the $600 million, 300-megawatt project to move ahead in Oregon’s energy facility siting process.

Antelope Ridge is proposed 10 miles southeast of La Grande amid 47,000 acres of leases held by its developer in Union County.

EDP Renewables North America, a Texas-based subsidiary of EDP Renewables, formerly known as Horizon Wind Energy, first proposed the project to the Oregon Energy Facility Siting Commission in April 2009, two years after successfully developing the 100-megawatt Elkhorn Valley Wind Farm in Union County.

Antelope Ridge has since been stymied, however, in part due to significant concerns about its impacts to birds, bats, deer and wildlife habitat. Last April, Gov. John Kitzhaber convened a mediation process between the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and EDP Renewables.

The two entities announced an agreement Nov. 14, and said their deal amounts to a series of plans to avoid, minimize and mitigate wildlife impacts of the proposed wind farm, including provisions to help managers better understand the impacts of wind farms on wildlife.

ODFW Director Roy Elicker said the plans strike “a balance between protecting Oregon’s natural resources and allowing sustainable economic development which is so important to our state.”

The plans include avoiding critical habitat, minimizing removal of sagebrush and forested habitat, siting wind turbines away from ridges attractive to raptors, surveying plants before construction, employing an on-site biological monitor during construction to watch for burrowing own and ferruginous hawk and other nests, providing environmental training to construction crews, limiting trenching, allowing escape ramps for trapped animals in trenches, adding a culvert at the Jimmy Creek headwaters and avoiding construction around hawk, owl and eagle nests during sensitive time periods and respecting setback distances around nests.

Post construction, EDP Renewables must monitor wildlife, mitigate for construction impacts off-site, limit fencing and continue upkeep to limit injuries to big game, and allow hunting at the facility, scheduling maintenance outside December and January.

“It’s been a long and arduous process, it certainly took more time than we wanted, but through hard work and with the governor's office supporting, we got through it,” said Roby Roberts, vice president of communications and government affairs at EDP Renewables.

While Roberts said there is still much work to do to permit the project through Oregon’s Energy Facility Siting Commission, which considers applicable state and local rules in siting energy projects, resolving wildlife issues had been “a big hurdle” for Antelope Ridge.

“We’re happy to be moving forward with it,” he said.

Other obstacles remain. Antelope Ridge is among proposed wind projects to upset citizens in Union County, where concerns about wind turbines’ impacts on views and potential health impacts have provoked open debate, a public health study, and a political campaign. In May, citizens of Union County voted against supporting the development of Antelope Ridge.

While the vote is nonbinding – the Energy Facility Siting Commission makes the final determination – it illustrated growing anti-wind sentiment in some gorge communities. It also indicates opposition to Antelope Ridge is likely to remain strong as the facility moves through the state siting process. The commission may way impacts to views and noise under standards for scenic resources and the Environmental Quality Commission’s rules for noise.

Antelope Ridge supporters say it would create 165 jobs during construction, and up to 20 permanent full-time, family-wage jobs if approved. Tax revenues from the project are estimated to provide a $42 million windfall to Union County annually, with additional financial benefits open to negotiation.

Lee van der Voo, lvdvoo*at*gmail.com, is a freelance writer for Sustainable Business Oregon.