Interior holding up
renewable energy
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June 26, 2011 |
Washington, D.C. – A bipartisan group of 21 U.S.
Senators say that the Department of the Interior
(DOI) is curtailing renewable energy development
and job creation by adding unnecessary obstacles
to the permitting process.
Idaho Senator Mike Crapo and Oregon Senator Jeff
Merkley authored the letter, which was signed by
Idaho Senator Jim Risch and 18 additional
senators from both parties and from across the
country.
The letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar
claims that DOI ignored the professional counsel
of its own stakeholder-driven advisory
committee—created to guide wind development in
an environmentally sustainable manner—and
instead released guidelines that are onerous and
cost prohibitive for wind energy projects. The
senators claim that these guidelines have
already stalled many wind energy projects at a
time when renewable energy and the jobs that
follow its development have been prioritized by
the Administration.
“These guidelines differ substantially from the
recommendations made by the Wind Turbine
Guidelines Federal Advisory Committee (FAC)
submitted to you in March 2010,” the senators
wrote in their letter to Salazar. “Although
these guidelines are voluntary, they could still
set a precedent for standards that will create
unnecessary complications for wind energy
projects. The differences are significant and
potentially troubling for the continued
development of wind resources in America.”
The senators note that the advisory committee’s
recommendations had been researched and
peer-reviewed by representatives from state
governments, wildlife conservation
organizations, scientists, and the wind energy
industry, who participated for more than two and
a half years to provide advice to DOI on wind
energy guidelines.
“These guidelines were meticulously drafted and
based on peer-reviewed science. They embody a
balanced approach to managing wind-wildlife
interaction, and in so doing represent an
appropriate approach with respect to this
nationally important industry,” the senators
added. The senators also urged that eagle permit
rules more closely reflect the less restrictive
permit rules that existed while the Bald Eagle
was listed under the Endangered Species Act of
1973 (ESA).
In addition to Crapo, Risch, and Merkley, the
letter to Salazar was signed by Senators Mark
Begich (D-Alaska), John Barrasso (R-Wyoming),
Max Baucus (D-Montana), Mike Enzi (R-Wyoming),
Al Franken (D-Minnesota), Dean Heller
(R-Nevada), John Hoeven (R-North Dakota), Tim
Johnson (D-South Dakota), James Inhofe
(R-Oklahoma), Mark Kirk (R-Illinois), Lisa
Murkowski (R-Alaska), John Thune (R-South
Dakota), Mark Udall (D-Colorado), Claire
McCaskill (D-Missouri), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Mike
Enzi (R-Wyoming), Dianne Feinstein
(D-California), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York),
Michael Bennet (D-Colorado), and Patty Murray
(D-Washington). |
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