Compromise
saves habitat
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 ASSOCIATED
PRESS
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A
male sage grouse displays his plummage to attact a
female.
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Some good for habitat conservation on behalf of threatened species
will come from two of the Northwest's monuments to poor power planning
25 years ago — two unfinished nuclear power plant sites in Benton
County.
The
shrewd and farsighted compromise trades off restoring the sites to
pristine conditions for preservation of at least 10,000 acres of
shrub-steppe habitat, which is increasingly rare and fragmented in
Washington
.
Officials
for the Bonneville Power Administration and Energy Northwest, formerly
the Washington Public Power Supply System, agree to give the state
$3.5 million for the habitat acquisition. Although the sandy and
sagebrush-dotted habitat can look desolate, it is a vital home to elk
and several threatened species, including the sage grouse, the
Washington
ground squirrel and the pygmy rabbit.
The
two sites, which have no radioactive contamination, will be tidied up
— including removal of such things as shovels pitched by workers
when the WPPSS projects were suddenly canceled. At Washington Nuclear
Plant No. 1, which was about 60 percent complete, a vast concrete dome
will be sealed and secured. Development at site No. 4 was far less
advanced.
The
money is coming from the sites' no-longer-needed construction fund,
which means the deal will cause no pressure on Bonneville's power
rates.
Only
one of the five planned nuclear plants was completed and is operated
near
Richland
by Energy Northwest. The state's Energy Facility Site Evaluation
Council will work with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, the
Nature Conservancy and other groups to identify the land acquisitions.
The
landmark agreement helps close a difficult chapter in
Washington
state history that resulted in what was, until the 1990s, the largest
bond default in
U.S.
history.
It
also helps to preserve more shrub-steppe lands so habitat can continue
as an important part of the state's natural history.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2001806946_energy04m.html
Chapter
is closed on nuclear power
By
David Ammons
The Associated Press
OLYMPIA
— Gov. Gary Locke and top energy officials yesterday officially
marked the demise of the state's one-time grand vision of five
nuclear-power plants.
They
signed an agreement for eventual reclamation of the sites of two
never-completed nuclear plants at the
Hanford
nuclear reservation. Locke said the region now can move beyond
memories of the 1983 bond default on several of the plants.
An
upbeat Locke, joined by leaders of the Bonneville Power
Administration, Energy Northwest, state regulators and the Nature
Conservancy, said the pact "ties up some of the loose ends"
of closing down the ill-fated plan for a massive nuclear-power
program.
Energy
Northwest is a public power consortium formerly known as the
Washington Public Power Supply System (WPPSS).
WPPSS
planned five nuclear projects in the state in the 1970s, four of which
eventually were scrapped in a huge energy-planning debacle that
included a $2.25 billion municipal-bond default in 1983. The
nuclear-power industry was under assault, and both cost and projected
electricity demand were factors.
"This
agreement allows us to close this chapter in our history," said
Vic Parrish, chief executive officer of Energy Northwest.
The
one completed nuclear plant, Columbia Generating Station at
Hanford
,
is operating with one of the best safety and reliability records in
the country, Locke said. The site at Satsop,
Grays
Harbor
County
,
of two other partially completed WPPSS plants is now home to "a
thriving industrial and technology center," he said.
The
two Satsop plants have been transferred to
a local public-development authority, meaning the state and Energy
Northwest only had to deal with the two sites at
Hanford
.
Under
terms of the new agreement, the two unfinished
Hanford
projects, plants 1 and 4, will be sealed and secured, and the rest of
the site will be restored to its original condition.
Some
critics had wanted the buildings removed and the landscape restored to
sagebrush, but the compromise is environmentally sound, the governor
said.
BPA
and Energy Northwest will pay $3.5 million for offsite habitat and
conservation land, mostly in
Benton
County
.
The Nature Conservancy, a private nonprofit group, already owns 30,000
such acres in Douglas and Grant counties and will help to identify the
new parcels, perhaps 10,000 acres or more, said Len Barson,
the group's federal-relations director.
The
agreement says the site must be fully restored by 2026. The cost is
estimated at $45 million. The two plants were never finished or
fueled, so no nuclear-waste cleanup is involved.
Copyright
© 2003 The Seattle Times Company
http://www.bpa.gov/Corporate/KC/home/nreleases/01nr/nr050401X.shtml
Bonneville
Power Administration
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
FRIDAY, May 4, 2001
PR 29 01
CONTACTS:
Tom Osborn, BPA (509) 527-6211
PORTLAND,
Ore. – The Bonneville Power Administration and
Washington Winds Inc. announced today they are working together to
develop and build a 150-megawatt wind farm that will generate enough
electricity on average to serve more than 36,000 Northwest homes. The
Maiden Wind Farm would be located about 15 miles north of
Prosser
,
Wash.
, in Benton and
Yakima
counties.
"This
is one of several wind projects BPA is looking to acquire," said
BPA Acting Administrator Steve Wright. "Harvesting the strong,
steady winds of the
Columbia
River Basin
works especially well with our hydro power base," Wright said.
"When the winds blow, we can save more water in reservoirs. When
the winds are still, we can release the river’s power. Wind farms
add to our local renewable resources."
Washington
Gov. Gary Locke said of the project, "The Maiden Wind Farm will
help alleviate the current energy crisis and provide clean, renewable
energy for
Washington
. And because a portion of the project is located on state land, it
also will help fund our schools. It’s a double win for
Washington
."
Under
a predevelopment agreement, Washington Winds Inc. will secure the
necessary permits for the wind farm. BPA will prepare an environmental
impact statement. Public involvement is slated to begin this June,
when BPA will invite landowners, citizens and governments to suggest
issues that should be addressed in the EIS.
"We
are excited about the opportunity to bring a world class wind ranch to
the Pacific Northwest and provide clean, low-cost, renewable energy to
enhance our quality of life which we have come to expect," said
Rick Koebbe, president of Washington Winds
Inc.
BPA
will purchase 150 megawatts of power from the wind farm for 20 years
with an option for up to another 250 MW if siting
and environmental reviews prove successful. The first turbines could
begin producing power in late 2002. Power would be integrated into the
BPA power lines that already cross the project site.
Each
wind turbine would produce approximately 1 to 2 megawatts and sit atop
a 200-foot tower. The three-bladed turbines spin at 20 to 30 rpm and
are easy to construct and maintain. Each $1 million machine will have
its own computer to keep the turbine facing into the wind for maximum
efficiency.
"Wind
power finally has traction in the Northwest. Today's announcement
affirms that wind will be supplying several thousand megawatts of
clean electricity to our region within the next few years. BPA
deserves credit for realizing this potential sooner than almost any
other regional player," said Angus Duncan, president of the
Bonneville Environmental Foundation.
Chuck
Dawsey, manager of Benton Rural Electric
Association said, "Bonneville and co-ops need to work together to
bring more cost effective renewable power resources to the
region."
"This
project is yet another example of BPA's
significant leadership on wind energy and its commitment to bring new
renewable energy resources to the Northwest," said Peter West,
Green Program director for the Renewable Northwest Project, a regional
environmental group. "We look forward to participating in the EIS
process."
Gary
Ballew, Benton County Sustainable Development manager, added,
"The Maiden Wind Farm not only helps the local economy through
the creation of 100 construction jobs and highly skilled permanent
workers, but the addition of wind energy also supports Benton County's
efforts to become a regional leader in energy production and energy
research."
"This
project will help build local infrastructure and expertise to enable
the development of thousands of megawatts of wind generation in
smaller-scale installations throughout the region – locally owned
clusters or single turbines providing clean, affordable energy for
irrigation, ranches and rural utilities," noted Heather
Rhoads-Weaver of Northwest Sustainable Energy for Economic Development
(SEED). "Mid-Columbia may well become the hub for construction,
operations and maintenance of satellite wind turbines across the
Pacific Northwest
."
Ed
Prilucik, mayor of Sunnyside added,
"Modern wind projects are a great way to diversify Sunnyside’s
economic base. This area of the state has an abundance of wind energy,
and we welcome efforts to utilize the renewable resource in a manner
that will add capacity and diversity to the
Pacific Northwest
’s electrical distribution system."
Washington
Winds Inc. is a subsidiary of Pacific Winds Inc., based in
Boise
,
Idaho
. The company owns and operates over 900 wind turbines in
California
.
CONTACTS
FOR MORE INFO:
Tom
Osborn, BPA; 509-527-6211, e-mail trosborn@bpa.gov;
Rick Koebbe, Washington Winds Inc.;
(208).853.4602, e-mail rskoebbe@powerworksinc.com;
Angus Duncan, Bonneville Environmental Foundation, (503)
248-1905;
Heather Rhoads-Weaver, NW SEED 206-755-2064;
Pete West, Renewables NW Project
503-223-4544;
Ed Prilucik, Mayor or Dave Fonfara,
City of
Sunnyside
, (509) 837-3997;
