September 26, 2022 |
The Carbon County Commissioners will submit comments to the Federal Aviation Administration regarding a too tall wind tower east of Medicine Bow that is part of the Boswell Springs project.
Commissioner Sue Jones brought the matter up at the board’s meeting last week, saying that the FAA had reached out for comment over the tower.
The 170-turbine project is located on a roughly 21,600-acre parcel of land east of Medicine Bow and 10 miles north of Rock River, near the Wheatland Irrigation District. The installation is accessible via Fetterman Road.
Commissioner Jones said that the tower should be made to comply with FAA rules because of the small aircraft that use the airport at Medicine Bow or which are flying routes across southern Wyoming. Commission Chairman John Johnson agreed that small planes fly the area.
Pictured above: File photo of wind turbines in Carbon County, Wyoming. Photo by Cali O’Hare/Bigfoot 99.
Commissioner John Espy also expressed concerns about the risk that Tower 52 poses to aircraft. Espy seconded a motion made by Jones to respond to the FAA request for comment.
The Boswell Springs Wind Energy project has a spotted history. First developed by a Bouder, Colorado, company, Canada-based Alterra Power Corporation bought the uncompleted installation in 2017 with a 20-year agreement to sell all the electrical output to Rocky Mountain Power.
Alterra developed the site through a shell company, Boswell Springs, LLC. In 2019, Rocky Mountain sued Boswell Springs in 2019 claiming it was stiffed out on a $19.2 million project fee. Details of the lawsuit have been closely guarded by the two companies, although legal proceedings delayed construction.
Carbon County Commissioners unanimously approved the motion to respond to the FAA with the comment that the “too tall tower” be made to comply with legal standards for height.
