Save Our Desert: BLM Form Letter

FORM LETTER TO BLM

Two easy ways to write BLM:

1. Email the prepared message to the right by copying the text and pasting it into an email to wquillma@blm.gov. Add your name and address to the bottom of the message before sending the email.

2. Print a prepared letter by clicking here, fill in your information, sign the letter, and mail.

Dear Mr. Quillman:

I have learned recently that BLM has granted permission to Element Power/Desert Mesa Power, LLC, to erect four wind measurement towers on Black Lava Butte and Flat Top Mesa in Pipes Canyon as a feasibility study for the construction of wind turbines on these two buttes. The first indication we received of this project was a helicopter flying over Pipes Canyon delivering construction materials to the tops of the buttes, and no local residents received any information or warning.

I wish to protest in the strongest possible terms against your actions and against this project on the following grounds:

·  The public, and particularly local residents, should have been informed and consulted. At the very least, it is discourteous to keep taxpayers in the dark concerning construction on nearby public lands. It is also a breach of safety--during construction of the first two wind measurement towers, two 8-ft steel pipes were dropped by helicopter onto the areas below, at the foot of the buttes, close to a trail where residents hike each day.

·  The U.S. Department of Interior/BLM and U.S. Department of Energy in their report of February 2003, "Assessing the Potential for Renewable Energy on Public Lands," clearly states that sites must be "compatible with wind energy development; scenic areas, view-sheds, and non-development regions must be eliminated." By these criteria, Black Lava Butte and Flat Top Mesa are not suitable sites for wind energy projects.

·  On both buttes, there are many species of native flora and fauna and Native American cultural sites and artifacts. All of these would be impacted by the construction of wind turbines if this project was to proceed to development.

·  There are numerous negative aspects to wind turbine sites, many of which increase the dangers for local residents. Increased risk of fire is of major concern here in an area badly damaged by fire in recent years. The building of access roads and increase in traffic are also of particular importance here, as they diminish the quality of life for residents.

·  If the wind energy project is developed, local property values would be severely impacted--who wants to live below wind turbines? Not only would the residents of Pipes Canyon and nearby communities be adversely affected by the visual impact of the turbines on their horizon, they would also be adversely affected by plummeting property values.

There are several alternatives to locating wind turbines in a rural area with valuable flora, fauna and cultural sites. Many of these alternatives are faster, cheaper, cleaner, and do not destroy our taxpayer-owned public lands for the sake of energy profits and speculators.

I note that the applicant for this project has altered several times. Why is this? Under what premise has BLM assured itself that this is a suitable applicant for such a major project, which would fundamentally alter the landscape of the area and the lives of the people who live here?

Why is the applicant spending a large amount of money on feasibility studies for wind energy production without a grid connection for the energy to be generated? Thanks to fierce local opposition, there will be no Green Path North transmission towers in our area. Is there a replacement for Green Path North waiting in the wings?

I would appreciate your prompt answer to all these important questions.