Lt. Governor Bedke addresses Lava Ridge Wind Project

JEROME, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — On the heels of the Lava Ridge Project being suspended via Executive Order from President Trump, Idaho Lt. Governor Scott Bedke visited Jerome to address constituents.

Lt. Governor Bedke touted the benefits of halting the Lava Ridge Wind Project, an initiative riddled with controversy.

“All the elected officials at the state level, local level, there was no one supporting this. They didn’t support the process of the federal government coming in and trying to force a square peg in a round hole,” Lt. Governor Bedke said.

There were plenty of concerns surrounding the project. This included environmental concerns, grazing concerns, even how the windfarm could have impacted the Minidoka Historical Site. But there were other concerns that the Federal Government didn’t even address, according to Ben Crouch, Chairman of the Jerome County Commissioners.

“What would have happened to our aquifer? You do all that dynamiting, all the construction going back and forth, if we had any issues with contamination, things caving in, nobody got on the record and said something like that, could not happen,” Crouch said.

Crouch said that there was also little concern from the Federal Government over the impact the Lava Ridge Project could have on airports in Jerome, Burley, and Sun Valley.

“They didn’t do any kind of study on how it would affect it, until we really made a stink about it,” Crouch said.

District 26 Representative Jack Nelson agreed, saying that the overall lack of Federal Government outreach to the community was a major problem, and he’s hopeful the halting of this project will change how they approach future initiatives.

“That’s the same on all federal lands, that they actually do listen to the people that live here and frankly, I think, know what they are talking about from forest management, to mining, to grazing on public lands,” Rep. Nelson said.

Lt. Governor Bedke reminds people the project is suspended for now, but he’s hopeful the new administration will take a more thoughtful approach to these kinds of projects.

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