NWCC NATIONAL WIND COORDINATING COLLABORATIVE

HIGHLIGHTS

May 1, 2008

DATES TO REMEMBER

Environmental Benefits & Costs Workgroup launched - The NWCC Steering Committee has approved formation of a new NWCC workgroup which will examine available models and literature assessing the environmental benefits and costs of wind development. This new workgroup would like to host an issue forum to share and discuss this information with NWCC members.

Save the Date for Wind-Wildlife Research Meeting VII! - Mark your calendars for Wind Wildlife Research Meeting VII, October 27-29 in Milwaukee, WI. Participants will hear presentations on the most recent wind-wildlife research on issues such as fatality impacts, cumulative impacts, impacts to habitat, and mitigation tools and techniques. A call for abstracts has been distributed. Abstracts are due June 30^th, 2008; please visit the meeting website for more details.

Save the Date - Midwest Transmission Meeting July 30 - August 1 - The Midwestern Governors Association and the NWCC will present the meeting Midwestern Wind Energy: Moving It to Markets on July 31 – August 1, 2008 in Dearborn, MI, following an optional introductory session to wind and transmission issues on July 30th. A big thanks to platinum sponsor CapX 2020, gold sponsor Western Area Power Administration, and our other co-sponsors, the Great Lakes Wind Collaborative and the National Conference of State Legislatures. More details and registration will be available soon, but please hold these days on your calendars!

NWCC Business Meeting #39 - The NWCC Steering Committee will meet on May 22^nd in Washington, DC for the NWCC’s 39^th business meeting. Members will evaluate progress to-date and think strategically about future directions. Space is limited but more details will be posted online after the Steering Committee’s May 1^st call.

NWCC CONFERENCE CALLS

NWCC Steering Committee call
May 1, 1:00 pm ET

Transmission Workgroup call
May 13, 2:00 pm ET

Wildlife Workgroup call
May 14, 2:30 pm ET

Environmental Benefits & Costs Workgroup call
May 15, 11:00 am ET

Transmission Update call
May 20, 1:00 pm ET

Working Groups

Wind Wildlife 101 Session Planning call
May 5, 3:00pm ET

NWCC WORKGROUP UPDATES

Outreach Audit - In November 2007, the Wildlife Workgroup Core Group directed a small group of volunteers to audit workgroup outreach tools and activities and to develop a proposal for improved outreach. Volunteers met on April 18^th to develop a proposal for Core Group approval. This proposal will be shared with the Wildlife Workgroup in advance of the May 14^th Wildlife Workgroup call.

Grassland Shrub Steppe Species Collaborative (GS3C) - Kansas State University researchers have provided a quarterly report to the GS3C Oversight Committee detailing progress on KSU’s study on potential impacts to prairie chickens from wind development. KSU researchers will summarize the report with the GS3C on May 12^th. On that call, the GS3C will also discuss whether to pursue activities relating to sage grouse.

Habitat Subgroup - The Habitat subgroup’s 2008 workplan has been approved by the Wildlife Workgroup Core Group and incorporated into the Wildlife Workgroup’s 2008 blueprint. As part of that workplan, the subgroup will assist the Wind Wildlife Research Meeting VII planning committee in developing a session on Cumulative Impacts and Impacts to Wildlife Habitat and Behavior. The subgroup will soon begin planning its next webcast on wind and wildlife habitat interaction.

Key Research Topics Subgroup - The Wildlife Workgroup’s Summary of Key Research Topics is undergoing one final edit. Once completed, it will be submitted to the Wildlife Workgroup for approval and publication.

Mitigation Toolbox - The Mitigation Toolbox is currently undergoing its first, bi-annual update process. Stay tuned for notice of the finalized, updated version.

Wind Wildlife Research Meeting VII - Wind Wildlife Research Meeting VII planners participated in an April 18^th call to continue preparing for the October 27-29 research meeting in Milwaukee. Abstract review panels are nearly final, and planners have agreed on criteria by which abstracts will be assessed. This meeting will be hosted by We Energies and sponsored by NWCC, BP Alternative Energy, NREL, Audubon Society, Union of Concerned Scientists, and AES Wind Generation, Inc. A call for abstracts of proposed presentations is now available on the meeting website. Abstracts are due on June 30^th.

Wind/Wildlife Activities & Events Table - The Bat Wind Energy Collaborative (BWEC) has launched a new website and resource for research, meeting proceedings and news. The NWCC wind power/wildlife studies, activities, and events table is available online. Please send information on wind-wildlife meetings, studies, or publications to Taylor Kennedy at tkennedy@resolv.org for inclusion in this table and the NWCC calendar.

Midwest - Speakers are being confirmed for the Midwestern Wind Energy: Moving It to Markets meeting hosted by Midwestern Governors Association and co-sponsored by the NWCC. New co-sponsors now include CapX, the Great Lakes Wind Collaborative, and the National Conference of State Legislatures. The meeting, July 31 - August 1 in Dearborn, Michigan, will focus on implementation of the MGA energy security and climate stewardship platform and planning for attaining 20% wind power in the region and nationwide. Registration will open in June.

SPP - NWCC staff is checking in with Southwest Power Pool staff about opportunities to assist with regional wind and transmission issues.

West - Western Transmission Leadership Group members will discuss their ideas for a 2008 regional wind and transmission meeting on their May 1^st call.

The 6^th volume of NWCC’s Implementing Wind Energy & Transmission in the West quarterly newsletter is due out in June. If you have article suggestions or would like to make a submission, please contact Katie Kalinowski at kkalinowski@resolv.org.

Layperson’s Guide to Wind Integration - The guide’s first draft is expected in time for the NWCC Business Meeting on May 22^nd.

Transmission Updates - The May 20^th Transmission Update call will explore transmission financing. Gregory Ioanidis of ITC and Julie Voeck of ATC will discuss FERC’s approval of their petitions related to cost allocation for interconnecting large generators. Then Southwest Power Pool’s Jay Caspary will provide a progress report on whether SPP will develop a portfolio of transmission projects that can create benefits to all members and is beneficial to SPP as a whole, which would mean that the costs of transmission expansion, if developed, could be allocated to all load in the Southwest Power Pool. Call-in info will be distributed to the Transmission Update listserv and posted on the NWCC website.

A summary of the recent California ISO and Midwest ISO Transmission Update is under development. Thanks again to our presenters, Dennis Peters, CAISO and Jennifer Curran, MISO. Stay tuned for notification when the brief is available online.

If you have not already, please take a moment to complete our short online survey on NWCC’s transmission update calls and webcasts; the survey is online here.