April 17, 2024 |
Photo – Jim Bridger Power Plant – Bigfoot99 file photo
The Bureau of Land Management announced on Monday that it is extending the public scoping period for the Jackalope Wind Energy project in Sweetwater County to May 2nd.
The proposed 213-wind generator project is planned on 293,000 acres of private, state and public lands in a checkerboard section of lands south of the Table Rock townsite west of Wamsutter. Less than half of the land, 146-thousand acres, is federal and administered by the BLM.
At full capacity, the project could generate up to 600 megawatts of power—enough for 250,000 homes, according to documents. Power generated at the site would be sent to the Jim Bridger Substation near Rock Springs.
The project includes a single, overhead 345-Kilovolt power line running the 25-mile stretch to Jim Bridger.
Several wildlife considerations will be impacted by the project. The configuration of the turbines in the Jackalope Wind project bisect the Salt Wells Core Area for the Greater Sage Grouse. The project area also overlaps, or is near, Critical Winter and Yearlong habitat for pronghorn antelope, deer, and elk.
Several species of birds, given special federal status, habitat in the area, including the burrowing owl and Mountain Plover.
A powerline associated with the project is also mapped to cross the northern route of the Cherokee Trail near Point of Rocks on the way to the connection point with the Jim Bridger substation.
Other environmental impacts include the project’s overlap with the BLM’s Back Country Byways program because it overlaps the Fort La Clede Loop. The turbines are also mapped to be inside a potential fossil yield Class 5 area.
The project’s estimated construction timeline calls for a two-year build-out with power generation operations beginning in 2027. The project is owned by Jackalope Wind LLC, a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources LLC.
The public comment deadline on the project was originally set for today, April 17th. The BLM has extended the comment period for two more weeks, with a new deadline of May 2, 2024.
