Finally, Idaho has an Attorney General who actually stands up for the rights of the people he serves. We have published several articles about the dangers and hazards of the Lava Ridge wind farm project and finally Idaho’s AG Raul Labrador has taken a stand on this issue. In a letter to Kasey Prestwich at the BLM Shoshone Field Office Labrador expressed his comment in opposition to Magic Valley Energy, LLC’s (“MVE”) Lava Ridge Wind Project and the agency’s preferred alternatives. In an eight-page letter to the BLM, AG Labrador expressed his serious concerns about this massive wind farm project and why it is problematic for our state. His conclusion was as follows.
MVE’s Project cannot be justified under the law. It represents a disregard for the environment and other vital interests entrusted to the agency’s safekeeping. The Project cannot be squared with Congress’s mandate in the FLPMA that the agency must manage all public lands to “protect the quality of scientific, scenic, historical, ecological, environmental, air and atmospheric, water resource, and archaeological values”. 43 U.S.C. 1701(8). The agency’s Draft EIS fails to take a hard look at the numerous sweeping environmental impacts the Project will cause. Ctr. For Biological Diversity v. Dept. of Interior, 623F.3d at 641 (9th Cir. 2010). It also fails to account for numerous other relevant interests. And the project would significantly intrude on Idaho’s residual and “inviolable” sovereignty, disrupting the critical federal-state balance that underlies our constitutional system of “dual sovereignty.” Printz, 528 U.S. at 918-19. On the other side of the balance sheet, only one private company will profit.
It’s no surprise that the agency’s failure here has catalyzed Idahoans from across the political spectrum to unite in opposition to the Project. The agency should listen to these voices and reject MVE’s attempt to capitalize personally at the expense of the public. The harms are overwhelming and are too great to ignore.
You can read the full 8-page report here:
We at the Gem State Patriot applaud AG Labrador for taking a stand with the people of Idaho to reject this proposed project as it is of no real benefit to our state and would do great harm to our environment. It is clear to us that Labrador has shown genuine leadership and was the right choice for Idaho’s Attorney General. We look forward to many more years of public service from this Idaho’s former congressman and wish him well in all his future endeavors.
Thank you, Raul Labrador, for your continued service to the people of Idaho.
