Take a breath, everybody.
The 90-day public comment period on the Lava Ridge Wind Project draft environmental impact statement came to a close on Thursday and, safe to say, the Bureau of Land Management and the folks at the federal government will know how you feel.
You wrote letters. You staged rallies. You shouted from the proverbial rooftops. You left nothing open to interpretation: Get out and stay out.
In one of the 30-some letters published this year by the Times-News lashing out against Lava Ridge, Brian Olmstead of Twin Falls summed it up with aplomb this month:
“The people of the Magic Valley say ‘no’ to your project! The ranchers of Magic Valley say ‘no’ to your project! The farmers of Magic Valley say ‘no’ to your project! The hunters, sportsmen and outdoor recreationists of Magic Valley say ‘no’ to your project! The cultural and historical groups of Magic Valley say ‘no’ to your project! The water users of Magic Valley say ‘no’ to your project! The canal companies of Magic Valley say ‘no’ to your project! The highway districts of Magic Valley say ‘no’ to your project! The county commissioners of Magic Valley say ‘no’ to your project! All of the state legislators of Magic Valley and from all over Idaho say ‘no’ to your project! The governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general of Idaho say ‘no’ to your project! Idaho’s national senators and representatives say ‘no’ to your project!”
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And, for good measure, Olmstead added, “If I forgot anyone, THEY also say ‘no’ to your project!”
That about covers it, right?
You had support from Idaho’s state and federal leaders early in this fight, too. The February letter to BLM Idaho State Director Karen Kelleher, signed by Gov. Brad Little, Lt. Gov. Scott Bedke, U.S. Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, and U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson sent a clear message while pushing you and your interests to the front.
“Idahoans cherish the concept of multiple and mixed uses on their public lands,” they wrote at the outset, then emphasized the importance of your voices at the close: “Without community support, the BLM risks jeopardizing trust in government ...”
Idaho AG Raul Labrador might have managed to get the last word on Friday, releasing a statement opposing the project and describing it as an assault on Idaho’s sovereignty that would harm wildlife, hunters, waterways and people – all to sell off power to California.
“The federal government has once again acted on behalf of corporate interests instead of the people,” Labrador said in the release. “My office will work within the confines of the law to fight this project.”
While Labrador’s abbreviated track record as AG is questionable at best, seeming more interested in grandstanding for political points and his hard-right friends and allies than working for all Idahoans, he got this right. His job, in part, is to represent the public interest, and Labrador took the sort of stance that’s wholly appropriate in this situation.
The voice of Twin Falls and the Magic Valley: Here's what the Times-News Editorial Board has said in 2023.
What happens next won’t likely happen soon, though.
The BLM has thousands of comments to review — Rep. Jack Nelsen, R-Jerome, told the Times-News this week he heard that number was over 6,000 — but even the cataloging and recording of those comments won’t immediately lead to a resolution.
It could, in truth, be years before we hear another word of significance from the federal government about Lava Ridge. Years.
The process figures to be all the more confounding because President Joe Biden and his administration has spent two years sending mostly mixed messages about reconciling a vision for public lands and renewable energy development.
As part of Biden’s 30x30 goal announced in January 2021, an order to conserve at least 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030, the administration pledged to “honor the nation’s conservation traditions, private property rights, the sovereignty of Tribal Nations, and the values and priorities of local communities.”
If that’s the measuring stick, Lava Ridge must be thrown out.
Yet, in other recent conservation planning, the Biden administration has seemingly come into conflict with its own stated mission for renewable energy development on public lands.
There’s also the pleasant thought that Biden won’t be president when it’s time to make a decision on this project.
But, for now, the time for stewing and frothing is over. Anything else at this point is simply wasted energy.
So, again, take a breath. Let the people at the BLM do their jobs — and remember, too, that they’re not the ones deciding a course of action — and allow time for this convoluted process of governance to work itself out.
You’ve said your piece. Now we wait.
County commissioners from the surrounding area come together to sign a resolution decrying the Lava Ridge Wind Project on Thursday, April 6, 2…
The public attends a rally decrying the Lava Ridge Wind Project on Tuesday evening, April 11, 2023, at the Downtown Commons in Twin Falls.