Camas Prairie, Elmore County, Idaho

Category Archives: Wind Turbines

WHO’s Health Hazard Warning Prompts Demand for Immediate Wind Farm Moratorium

With Cat Creek Energy on the verge of getting final approval to build 39 wind turbines on Camas Prairie, the Elmore County Commissioners need to hear from you and all members of the public that you do not approve of this mega project in our backyard.

FYI:
1. 320-foot tall wind turbines are the type located just east of Mountain Home, Idaho and along the I-84 corridor.
2. 500-foot tall, space needle sized turbines were mentioned by the Cat Creek Energy developers.
3. BUT … state-of-the-art 780-foot tall turbines could be built on Camas Prairie. We just don’t know and we should by now.

Why?

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a health hazard warning for critical noise threshold problems created by wind farms. WHO “found wind power turbines have the potential to cause serious health problems – including hearing loss, tinnitus, high blood pressure and even heart problems.

This type of continuous noise and racket in the middle of an elk, mule deer, and pronghorn migration corridor will create problems for decades to come. The wildlife could easily be pushed closer to vehicle traffic on Highway 20 and the Pine-Featherville Road. Or the herds of these majestic animals may just decide to move eastward and avoid the huge new turbines completely.

Will the big game herds that have thrived on Camas Prairie and GMU 44-45 be pushed east into Units 48 and 52 by the Cat Creek Energy project?

Cat Creek Energy hasn’t specified the type and size of wind towers they would use on Camas Prairie, even at this late date into the planning stages. We know John Faulkner has indicated he would like to see the 500-foot tall wind towers built along the Highway 20 corridor and the Pine-Featherville Road.

However, in Southern Austrailia, a developer is trying to fit out a wind farm with newly developed 240 meters (780 feet) tall towers. The local resident are firmly against that project, in part because of the noise hazard but also the sheer size of those monsters.

Choice Your Poison

The Cat Creek Energy project is bad for the wildlife and residents of Elmore County. The wind farm will change the migration patterns of our big game herds. The proposed 100,000 acre-foot reservoir will be bad for the local sage grouse population, plus has the potential to damage the fishery and water quality in Anderson Ranch Reservoir. The 590-acre solar farm will also change the migration patterns for deer, elk, and pronghorn. The huge electrical transmission lines that will be built across most of the Highway 20 and Pine-Featherville corridor will ruin what international tourism experts call “one of the best drives in Idaho.

Cat Creek Energy wants to give Elmore County citizens a project full of figurative poison. You just need to tell our elected officials you want nothing to do with that toxic mess Cat Creek Energy Project will leave for you and your grandchildren.

Reference: View or download the article HERE … Wind Turbine Time-Out: WHO’s Health Hazard Warning Demand for Wind Farm Moratorium or at the direct link found at http://catcreek-energy.com/download/721/

Link to elected officials who will listen to your opposition to the Cat Creek Energy projecthttp://catcreek-energy.com/mailing-addresses-for-cat-creek-energy-issues/

The Future of Camas Prairie With/Without 500-Foot Tall Wind Turbines

This peak is just west of the Pine-Featherville Road on Camas Prairie.

The corporation that is planning to build out the Cat Creek Energy project has indicated they want to use the largest land-based wind turbines for their wind farm on Camas Prairie in Elmore County. Those wind tower would be 500-feet tall or just a big as the Seattle Space Needle or a 50 story tall building. Crazy, right?

There have been studies done that prove wind towers built in a scenic corridor will drive tourist away. Let’s face it, Elmore County’s beautiful backcountry could be a prime time tourist mecca and we believe tourism would be a job and economic force multiplier in the coming years if left undisturbed.

“Spanning 3,750 acres along Highway 20 and the Pine-Featherville Road, this energy project will threaten tourism efforts, stifling growth in local jobs and tax revenues.”

International tourism expert Roger Brooks was hired by the Mountain Home City Council and the county commissioners to evaluate tourism possibilities within Elmore County. Mr. Brooks said the corridor from Mountain Home to our mountain community of Pine, Idaho was one of the best drives in Idaho and it should be advertised as such.

Current view of Camas Prairie from just above the Pine-Featherville Road.

Putting it another way, Washington’s Tourism Office wants to promote natural wonders, hiking, and outdoor recreation opportunities throughout their state. However, they went on to say tourism assets become liabilities when energy developments dominate the landscape. This is the type of thinking our local leaders need to be listening to before allowing Cat Creek Energy, LLC to drive a spike into the economic heart of Elmore County.

Reference: http://catcreek-energy.com/wind-turbines-are-bad-for-tourism/