SLIB board vote 4-1 in favor of Pronghorn’s wind energy farm

The Wyoming State Loan and Investment Board voted 4-1 to approve Pronghorn Clean Energy / Pronghorn H2, LLC’s windfarm land lease application, Wind Energy Lease 1620 on April 3.

The acreage contains both public and private land, but the Duncan Ranch, previously a part of the land under consideration, was removed from the lease application, according to Focus Clean Energy’s Paul Martin.

Martin gave a presentation of the project under consideration in Converse County to the SLIB board members.

Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray was the only nay vote. Gov. Mark Gordon (chairman), Wyoming Treasurer Curt Meier, Superintendent of Public Education Megan Degenfelder and State Auditor Kristi Racines voted to move the project forward to the next stage, which will include Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality and Industrial Siting Council reviews and permits at some point in the future.

It was noted that this is only approval for the windfarm land lease portion of the project, not the full build-out. The $1.7 billion, 40,000-plus-acre behemoth endeavor in Converse County was contested by multiple Converse and Niobrara counties’ residents during the public comment portion of the April 3 meeting in Cheyenne. 

The reason for the speakers from Niobrara County was due to the multi-billion dollar Sidewinder project, 10 miles west of Lusk, also being on the agenda. Both Sidewinder and Pronghorn are backed by the same entities – Acciona and Nordex Green Hydrogen – businesses who are in partnership with developer Martin’s Focus Clean Energy on the projects.

Concerns surrounding the project’s “cons” had everything to do with ranchers and others having enough water for ag operations, the possibility of property values going down in the areas of the wind turbines, possible negative impacts to the natural beauty and viewscapes, to excessive traffic on area roads during the construction phases, and more.

But not all of the speakers were unhappy with the potential project, with others from Niobrara County commenting the money that the Sidewinder project would bring in, would keep Niobrara from being the “hardship county” in the state.

During discussion prior to the call for a vote, Gray stated his opposition.

“This whole thing is built on a fantasy. It’s built on an illusion, which is this green narrative that is totally faulty. We have a way of doing jet fuel in Wyoming, it’s called an oil and gas lease. And the notion that we’re gonna go through this whole process so that at United or some private company that is jetting around these billionaires are gonna be able to say that, ‘We bought synthetic jet fuel’ that costs more than it would to do it the good old fashioned way . . . I think that, you know, this is a really defining moment for our state. You know, I have a lot of concerns about water . . . I think there’s enormous problems with the contract,” Gray said.

Racines, prior to voting, said it is the board’s fiduciary responsibility to “fund our . . .  education system and private property rights. That’s really important to me. And, while I understand the environmental concerns that are generally broached with production, I’m pro-development . . . so while, you know, the blinking lights are atrocious and I don’t think you really get used to them, I’ve . . . I again (have) a lot of concerns with wind. You know, for me today, I have to consider the oath that I took to protect my fiduciary responsibility,” she stated.

“I’ve been very supportive of reducing property taxes for our citizens in the state. So in order to pay for our K-12 schools, we have to offset that through production.”

Racines also countered Gray. 

“I know what we are doing today – we are leasing the opportunity to perhaps put up a wind farm. We are not giving a blessing to this project in particular. Now does that mean I don’t care what the project is or don’t think about the potential impacts? Absolutely not. This is not an easy hoop to jump through, but it is probably by far the lowest and easiest hoop to jump through. 

“That’s why they do it first and get it taken care of first. I think one of the complaints that many of us hear often, and I can’t speak for my colleagues, but I bet they’ll agree, is our government is robust with bureaucracy and red tape. Sometimes it’s there for a reason. And the (Industrial) Siting Council and DEQ, and I think they do an excellent job, but they are particularly known for being pretty big hoops to jump through. 

“(This can be a) years-long process, not easy, not a rubber stamp. I trust their work and . . . they are the experts. As I mentioned before, I have immense respect for everybody up here. None of us are wildlife biologists, none of us are water engineers. So I want to make sure that those of you who spoke today about concerns for water and wildlife . . . I share your concerns,” she said before the vote.