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After a period of litigation a federal
court has halted a wind energy project
in southeast Oregon following concerns
about the area’s declining sage grouse
population.
The project proposal was for development
on 10,500 acres of private land in Harney
County near Steens Mountain, calling
for 40 to 69 wind turbines and a 230kV
transmission line to bring the energy to
the electrical grid. The US bureau of land
management approved the project, and
Harney County granted a key permit,
but environmental groups, including
the Oregon Natural Desert Association
and the Audubon society of Portland,
challenged the BLM’s environmental
review. The environmental review was
needed because the transmission line’s
right of way would cross public lands.
After an appeal court ruling last year,
siding with opponents of the scheme, the
federal court has withdrawn approval of
the development. Greater sage grouse
need sagebrush all year round for mating,
nesting and rearing their broods, and for
food through the winter. Loss of sagebrush
habitat has contributed to the decline of
the sage grouse population in Oregon.
Bob Sallinger, conservation director of the
Audubon Society of Portland, responded:
“Steens Mountain never should have
been considered for industrial wind
development. We strongly support the
transition to renewable energy sources,
but it needs to be done in a responsible
manner.”
Development
ended by
conservation
concerns
Image By Pacific Southwest Region
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
wiredInUSA - May 2017
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