Letters and comments for June 3, 2011

Far from over

To the Editor:

It is ironic that an ad in The Observer by a Horizon-funded lobbyist group called Union County Wind can’t seem to get its facts straight regarding the Antelope Ridge wind factory.

The ad states there were numerous studies conducted regarding rare plants, golden eagle, sage grouse, wetlands and water, scenic analysis, noise modeling and land use compatibility.

In reviewing the application, it was found that most of these listed studies were very poorly done and most were incomplete. The studies failed to address the rare and endangered semaphore grass, which is a very rare plant found on Craig Mountain. In addition, the Ladd Marsh wetland is a federally mitigated BPA project, a fact that was completely ignored and cannot be mitigated further.

The golden eagle, sage grouse and many other wildlife issues were not addressed adequately per U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife as stated in their comments submitted to the Oregon Department of Energy in February and March 2011, respectively.

In the ad, it states the application was complete, which is false and misleading since an extensive list of issues were not addressed and left open-ended. The application is far from complete and is currently being evaluated for additional information as required by ODOE.

The claim that the application is now being reviewed by the siting council is blatantly false. The siting council will not review the application until such time as a draft order is prepared and presented for public review and comment.

Do not be fooled. This project is nowhere near being a done deal. This application has to go through the process of a contested case and will eventually end up in the Oregon Supreme Court where it will be tied up for years.

Linda Boettcher

Union