“Lucky Star,” transmission on BLM land
December 27th, 2024
Recent alert came over the wire about a transmission project on BLM land, this one in Wyoming, and yes, that map is fuzzy, no details, and it’s direct from the application on the BLM site, awful!
Here’s the BLM page for the project — a rather short line in the cosmic realm of things — and there’s little info to go on. There’s a 15-day public scoping period prior to preparing an environmental assessment (EA), and comments are open until 4 p.m. on January 7, 2025:
BLM Lucky Star Transmission Page
Per the press release:
And there are these emails listed on their page, I’d send to these plus snail mail (this is 2024/2025 — comments by snail mail?):
It’s a pretty small project, 24.8 miles:
And the full application, PRELIMINARY application:
And as usual, the maps suck. How can one effectively submit a scoping comment “prior to preparing an environmental assessment (EA)” when there’s this timeline that shows the “Draft EA done 1/6/2024, and the EA was STARTED five days after it was DONE. From TIMELINE PAGE:
And they acknowledge the error and fixed it!!!
GOOD!
Transmission corridors on BLM land
December 26th, 2024
Recent alert came over the wire about a transmission project on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land, this one in Wyoming, and it’s to be built “mostly” on BLM transmission corridors. WHAT? Yup, here’s the main page. BLM transmission corridors And yeah, it’s grim. That map above shows how grim it is.
So before I get into Lucky Star Transmission, we need to get familiar with the BLM set up… and there’s a LOT. It’s originating with the “Energy Policy Act of 2005” There’s so much info that the BLM Lucky Star Transmission Project will be the next post. Lots of ground to cover — and they’re sure working on covering it with transmission. Ya wonder why challenging transmission projects feels hopeless, other than minor route changes…
Did you know the feds designated the “West-Wide Energy Corridor, a BLM-designated energy-transmission corridor,” over a decade ago? This is another aspect of the “Energy Policy Act of 2005.”
That Energy Policy Act of 2005 is the law that triggered the coal gasification rush that thankfully was brought to a halt, particularly thanks to everyone of “No New Coal Plants,” challenging every one of them, and helping establish that coal gasification was nothing more than “Pipedreams of Green and Clean,” and that claims of feasible carbon capture and storage was not happening on a level to be even close to a CO2 climate change miracle.
As for CO2… CO2 capture and storage is a recurring nightmare, a red herring that keeps coming back.
It’s so disturbing to see the same ol’ thing coming around, after the intense challenge to the Excelsior Energy Mesaba Project, where Xcel Energy, of course, and our local advocates mncoalgasplant.com(pre 2012 captures) and Citizens Against the Mesaba Project (CAMP)(pre 2012 captures) worked together to tank Micheletti’s boondoggle. At the last minute, Excelsior Energy camp up with a CO2 capture and storage plan, where it would capture a minute percentage of CO2 and then transfer it to the PLANT GATE!Their plan? Read it and guffaw, snort, hoot and holler: Ex_EE1067_Plan for Carbon Capture and Sequestration
From nearly 20 years ago, that was a nightmare I don’t really want to remember: Pipedreams-of-Green-Clean-IGCC The Excelsior Energy Mesaba Project was an all encompassing HUGE project for me and all of us challenging coal gasification, time wise, technically, and the sheer room for all the boxes of crap taking up an entire wall in my office… and OH MY DOG, I missed a lot that grew from that Energy Policy Act of 2005.
The current push for CO2 capture, pipelines, and storage a la Summit Carbon Solutions, is another pipedream/nightmare, proof that “we” don’t learn anything. The Iowa parts of Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline project was APPROVED (!) by the Iowa Utilities Board f/k/a Board of Public Utilities last summer, and the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission recently approved a very short part of Summit’s pipeline, I’d guess a Summit trial balloon for Minnesota, as a much larger pipeline project is proposed for southern Minnesota. Sooooo… we’re off to the races.
And that brings us to the transmission part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors we know about. The original three are now joined by others, also receiving a big push right now by the Biden Administration adding some additional corridors, and dropping others proposed.
But these BLM “energy corridors” are a whole ‘nother kettle of fish. When first established, they were challenged, with Plaintiffs arguing it wasn’t enough, hence a “Settlement Agreement.” Y’all know what I think of “Settlement Agreements” and this one seems no exception — look at all the groups blessing this BLM facilitation of another massive transmission buildout:
Here’s the BLM’s “Regional Report” with links to the documents:
Regional Review Final Report
And the map of the corridors:
Here’s their guidance for siting transmission in these corridors:
Interim Directive 2726.43k – Use of 368 Corridors in Siting Energy Projects
And here’s their study, which supposedly evaluates whether the Section 368 corridors are achieving their
purpose to promote environmentally responsible corridor-siting decisions and to reduce the proliferation of dispersed ROWs crossing Federal lands.
From this, the “priority corridors” map:
Ain’t this just delightful??
On to the Lucky Star Transmission Project
Overland’s Lava Ridge DEIS Comments
April 19th, 2023
Whew! Got this done early too!
And that noise modeling that is SO off, really, p. 18 & 19, they did this, 0.6 and 1.0 ground factor!!!
Nope, not OK, this needs a do over, resubmit corrected modeling, with notice for public review and comment.
Here’s a post with the primary documents for you to check out and COMMENT ON!
Lava Ridge wind DEIS deadline now 4/20
Lave Ridge DEIS comments due 4/20 (not 4/5!)
April 2nd, 2023

Comments are due on Magic Valley’s Lava Ridge wind project adjacent to the Minidoka National Historical Site. I’d thought the due date was still April 5, and am SO relieved that it’s not until April 20! Still need to get them in so others will know what’s been done in Minnesota, increased setbacks near Jeffers Petroglyphs historic site. Despite the reprieve, it’s time to get on it, have a good start, but not enough.
Friends of Minidoka have done a good job of raising issues and awareness:
The debate begins: The Lava Ridge Wind Project would double the amount of wind energy produced in Idaho. But at what cost?
Lava Ridge Wind Project faces criticism
As always, working from home, but today home is a bit down the road, 60s-70s, gentle breeze and lots of sun. Is this beautiful or what! Well, GUSTS if serious wind, the tent poles are coming out of the snap holes AAACK!
It was a rough trip down, I’m feeling all the years and can’t drive all night anymore. The 13.5 hours down to Liberal was a stretch. And something I’d forgotten, if I’ve not done serious driving for a while, my eye muscles hurt, too much to even read. It took two days to recover from that. Joys of oldfartdom. Couldn’t focus to read, couldn’t work even if I wanted to!
Super high winds through KS and OK were reminiscent of dustbowl days, a flap of trim under the doors almost came off, so belted it on. It is SO dry there, extreme fire danger. Another thing, very few cows, comparatively, and it doesn’t smell like it used to. Way back when, if I just couldn’t go further and I’d park the truck to snooze, truck off and windows cracked open, even if just for a few hours, it would take a week to get all the flies and the stench out.
Through Kansas and Oklahoma at night, the numbers of FAA lights visible was stunning, thousands, and I’m not exaggerating. Need to find a map of turbines, it’s so extreme, as far as the eye can see, both ways.
Anyway, Lava Ridge DEIS is out, see link below for the docs. Comments are due, and here’s a link to the primary documentation (the project developer is sending regular emails, a “what we’re really saying” and “here’s the REAL poop” sort, which I save, and will use to review what’s important to them. Here’s the DEIS on Legalectric:
Lava Ridge wind DEIS deadline now 4/20
I hear breakfast calling, gotta let everything charge up. And then back to the office:
As if it were that easy — I was inside and the wind suddenly picked up and instantly the whole tent was flapping violently and tipped at a 45+ degree angle! I jumped in the bigger room and pushed it back in place and held it for a few seconds until the wind died down. The ranger was raking the site next door, and he said it was a dust devil, usually they come from the west and don’t get this far, and he couldn’t tell where this came from. Oh, was that unnerving. Had to run around and stake everything back down again, glad I’d spent the time to add extra stakes and guy everything down yesterday! Poor Sadie is awfully nervous. That was an awfully close call!
Lava Ridge wind DEIS deadline now 4/20
March 15th, 2023
The deadline for Comments on the Lava Ridge wind project Draft Environmental Impact Statement has been extended to April 20, 2023. This is the wind project near, or nearly surrounding, the Minidoka National Historical Site, depending on the siting allowed.
Want to make a comment? Here’s how:

Here are links, starting with the Executive Summary and in order of appearance (there’s really no easy way to do this, and be prepared, just that first one with the narrative, it’s 578 pages long, and it’s the most important for the overview):
- https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/2013782/200493266/20072054/250078236/Lava_Ridge_DEIS_V1_ExecSum-Chapters.pdf
- https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/2013782/200493266/20072051/250078233/Lava_Ridge_DEIS_V2a_App1_POD_(1%20of%202).pdf
- https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/2013782/200493266/20072053/250078235/Lava_Ridge_DEIS_V2b_App1_POD_(1%20of%202).pdf
- https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/2013782/200493266/20072055/250078237/Lava_Ridge_DEIS_V3_Apps2-4_and_6-11.pdf
- https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/2013782/200493266/20072050/250078232/Lava_Ridge_DEIS_V4a_App5_(1%20of%2013).pdf
- https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/2013782/200493266/20072052/250078234/Lava_Ridge_DEIS_V4b_App5_(2%20of%2013).pdf
- https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/2013782/200493266/20072056/250078238/Lava_Ridge_DEIS_V4c_App5_(3%20of%2013).pdf
- https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/2013782/200493266/20072057/250078239/Lava_Ridge_DEIS_V4d_App5_(4%20of%2013).pdf
- https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/2013782/200493266/20072061/250078243/Lava_Ridge_DEIS_V4e_App5_(5%20of%2013).pdf
- https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/2013782/200493266/20072058/250078240/Lava_Ridge_DEIS_V4f_App5_(6%20of%2013).pdf
- https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/2013782/200493266/20072059/250078241/Lava_Ridge_DEIS_V4g_App5_(7%20of%2013).pdf
- https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/2013782/200493266/20072060/250078242/Lava_Ridge_DEIS_V4h_App5_(8%20of%2013).pdf
- https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/2013782/200493266/20072062/250078244/Lava_Ridge_DEIS_V4i_App5_(9%20of%2013).pdf
- https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/2013782/200493266/20072063/250078245/Lava_Ridge_DEIS_V4j_App5_(10%20of%2013).pdf
- https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/2013782/200493266/20072064/250078246/Lava_Ridge_DEIS_V4k_App5_(11%20of%2013).pdf
- https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/2013782/200493266/20072065/250078247/Lava_Ridge_DEIS_V4l_App5_(12%20of%2013).pdf
- https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/2013782/200493266/20072101/250078283/Lava_Ridge_DEIS_V4m_App5_(13%20of%2013).pdf
Go to the “Friends of Minidoka” for some guidelines and suggestions for comments: