Wind turbines can be loud and need to be kept away from sage grouse areas when new projects are developed in Wyoming, state wildlife officials say.

Any new wind energy projects proposed for Wyoming should be designed by the Bureau of Land Management to keep noise impacts away from sage grouse leks, especially during breeding season, according to Game and Fish Department directors.

The department joined 13 other agencies and individuals who offered comments on the BLM's draft environmental document that will determine the best management approach to wind energy development in the West. The document was issued in September.

Game and Fish Deputy Director Bill Wichers told federal officials the agency concurred with the BLM's preferred alternative for wind energy development, but had some concerns about its impacts to sage grouse.

Wichers said additional specific measures should be added to the plan to address the effects of noise on sage grouse.

He said the sage grouse has been petitioned by conservation groups as an endangered species, and recent science has indicated that noise can affect sage grouse during breeding.

"Since noise is not expected to be an issue other than immediately adjacent to turbines or overhead power lines, we recommend … (the) siting of turbines and power lines avoid sage grouse leks for an adequate distance to negate potential noise impacts," Wichers wrote.

The department's standard stipulation for lek protection is no surface occupancy or disturbance of sage grouse leks within a quarter-mile of the perimeter of a lek.

Wichers urged the BLM to include that stipulation in any development requirements for wind energy projects in Wyoming.

The BLM hired Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois to conduct a programmatic environmental impact study on wind energy. The document builds on an interim wind energy policy developed as part of the national energy policy recommendation.

The document's preferred alternative proposes a comprehensive wind energy development program. The policies would be applied to all wind energy development projects on public lands in 11 Western states, excluding Alaska.

The document says the program is expected to minimize some of the delays that now occur for wind energy development projects and reduce costs. In addition, the program would ensure consistency in the management of right-of-way applications and grants for wind energy development.

Commercial wind energy systems are installed in 27 states, including Wyoming, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. There are nine projects in Wyoming, either pending or already approved, related to wind power, mostly on federal lands.

Economics, trails

Gov. Dave Freudenthal's staff also submitted comments to the BLM noting that the document's "maximum potential development" scenario shows Wyoming to have the best wind potential among the 11 Western states.

The "total potentially developable" land was listed at 7.9 million acres, the largest among the states.

But the governor's energy adviser, Sadrul Ula, said the document's "total economically developable" land shows only 3,700 acres in Wyoming, one of the lowest on the list.

Wyoming, with nine projects, produces about 284 megawatts of wind energy annually, compared with Utah's annual wind power production of less than 1 megawatt, Ula said in the letter.

"The wind energy development so far is a clear indication of the economic viability of the wind projects under the existing conditions," Ula wrote. "It appears that Wyoming's proven record in wind energy development has been severely discounted in this model."

Lesley Wischmann with the nonprofit Alliance for Historic Wyoming said it is essential that any new wind energy project avoid pristine historic emigrant trails in the state.

"While your document makes reference to protection of the National Historic Trails themselves, we fear that you have not paid enough attention to their unique setting," Wischmann wrote.

"Wind energy generators have high potential for negatively impacting the setting … and we are especially concerned about the trails in Wyoming's Sweetwater Valley, which is shown as a high potential area (for wind energy development)," Wischmann wrote.

The federal government offers a 1.5-cents-per-kilowatt tax credit for wind energy production which is known as the production tax credit. The credit expired in 2003 but was reinstated by Congress last year as part of a major tax package.

What they said

Here's a look at some of the comments offered by Wyoming residents and organizations regarding the Bureau of Land Management's draft environmental impact statement on wind energy development for public lands across the West:

"At this time I don't think the government should get involved in wind energy. I don't feel it's fair to landowners who own land and are working on wind projects, and the government stepping in and taking up what little space is available on the power grid. When there is enough new transmission lines run through the country I believe that would be the time to get involved with doing it on BLM lands."

- Mike Gill, Cheyenne

"(We do) not believe that the probable interaction of wind energy projects and (oil and gas) development is clearly described and analyzed. The possible negative impacts (that) a wind energy project may have on the ability to develop leasable minerals is all but dismissed. The document fails to address the potential conflict between prior existing mineral leases and subsequent wind energy right-of-way requests."

- Tom Clayson, Anadarko Petroleum Corp.

"I have been a strong supporter of wind energy for many years and it is very gratifying to see the wind finally being used for something. It blows here a lot and the energy should certainly be used for a constructive purpose. I am very familiar with the project at Arlington, which has over 200 wind turbines. They operate quietly, do not create pollution, are not unsightly and their source of energy is free. I definitely feel you cannot beat this for a source of electricity."

- John France, Rawlins

"Currently, there is a great push to continue and increase oil and gas exploration in Wyoming. While this resource has been a boon to the state, it is not a renewable resource and it comes at the cost of environmental health. When the oil and gas (reserves) are depleted, Wyoming will have also lost our wilderness and wildlife resources. Wind power presents an opportunity to expand renewable energy in the state and minimize the threats to our great outdoors."

- Jodi Nelan, Jackson

"Having flown over large areas of both methane gas development and wind farms, I can tell you that the surface road damage from wind farming is far greater than that associated with coal-bed methane. Please do not permit further development of wind farms in this part of the country. Try the areas off Long Island and Cape Cod, which are ideally suited to this form of energy production."

- William Everett, Casper

Reporter Jeff Gearino can be reached at (307) 875-5359 or at gearino@trib.com.