Antelope Ridge Energy
Project Has Been Stopped
The proposed Antelope Ridge wind power project has been stopped. Citing current market conditions, developer
EDP Renewables withdrew its application with Oregon Department of Energy to
build wind turbines and a new road system in important wildlife habitat
adjacent to the Ladd Marsh Wildlife Area.
This is very good news for local wildlife. Hells Canyon
Preservation Council strongly supports energy conservation
and responsible renewable energy development. However,
it's essential that renewable energy projects must be located on appropriate
sites and that wildlife and their habitat are protected in the process.
The Antelope Ridge project proposal certainly presented
significant threats to local wildlife.
Hells Canyon Preservation Council actively worked to address these
concerns through advocacy, education, and collaboration. We testified at a public hearing and
submitted detailed comments to Oregon Department of Energy on behalf of
wildlife and their habitat. We received
sign-on in support for our comments from Oregon Natural Desert Association,
Defenders of Wildlife, and the Audubon Society of Portland. We met with Oregon Department of Fish &
Wildlife, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Oregon Department of Energy, EDP
Renewables, and the local grassroots group Friends of the Grande Ronde Valley
as part of our efforts to protect wildlife and address the negative impacts of
the proposed project.
EDP Renewables had proposed to build 164 turbines over 47,000
acres of private land in the hills just south of the Grande Ronde Valley. Antelope Ridge would have been built
immediately north of EDP’s existing Elkhorn Valley wind facility where four
golden eagles have been found dead since May 2009, presumably killed by wind
turbines. Since Antelope Ridge would be
larger and located closer to eagle nesting areas, the likelihood of more golden
eagle deaths would be high, according to US Fish & Wildlife Service.
According
to comments from Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, “The Project is one
of the first wind power projects in Oregon proposed to be sited in critical big
game winter range and very productive wildlife habitat, resulting in the construction
of a large industrial structure that negatively affects Oregon’s wildlife.”
Burrowing
owls, Swainson’s hawk, and red-tailed hawks nest within the project area. Four species of bats were identified within
the proposed project area. A potential
sage-grouse lek is located near the southern end of the project. The sensitive plant species Douglas clover
and Oregon semaphore grass grow in the project area as well.
Antelope
Ridge would have been constructed just south of Ladd Marsh Wildlife Area,
northeast Oregon’s largest remaining wetland.
It would have been built about a dozen miles west of the Eagle Cap
Wilderness. Forests, sagebrush
/grasslands and wetlands provide key wildlife habitat in the project area. Wildlife travel through the project area, and
it’s an important wildlife connectivity corridor. In fact, the Washington Wildlife Habitat
Connectivity Working Group has identified the area as an important habitat link
between the essential habitats of the Wallowa Mountains and the Blue Mountains. A new road system would have fragmented
habitat, and birds and bats would have been killed by the blades of the
turbines. Locating a large wind power
project in critical big game habitat would be harmful to elk and deer and would
set a terrible precedent for future projects.
The Antelope Ridge project has been more or less on hold for the
past year. While the withdrawal of the application is welcome news, it's
worth noting the following statement in the letter from the developer:
"Although
current market conditions do not allow us to proceed with the application
process at this time, we look forward to building upon the strong precedent
that has been set in coordination with the Oregon Department of Fish and
Wildlife and the Oregon Governor’s Office to potentially restart project
permitting in the future."
So while the recent withdrawal of the application is very good
news, it's possible that a new application may be developed sometime in the
future.
For the time being, however, this is very good news for eagles,
elk, bats, hawks, owls, deer, and other wildlife species. It’s also good news for the protection of the
Ladd Marsh wetlands and the important wildlife connectivity corridors found
within the project area. And it’s good
news for people who care about wildlife.
Renewable energy is a
very good thing. The earth’s future hangs in the balance over
how well we are able to conserve energy and develop clean energy
production. However, renewable energy
projects must be developed on appropriate sites. And it’s essential that we protect wildlife
and their habitat in the process.
Story & photo by
Brian Kelly,
Restoration Director
