NWCC NATIONAL WIND COORDINATING COLLABORATIVE

HIGHLIGHTS

June 1, 2008

DATES TO REMEMBER

Wind and Wildlife Key Research Topics now available! – The Wildlife Workgroup has developed a summary of key research topics noted in a number of recent wind-wildlife publications. This document is intended to provide stakeholders and decision makers with a sense of the consensus on research recommended by the National Academy of Sciences, The Wildlife Society, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, the California Energy Commission, NWCC members and others. The document is available for free download on the NWCC Wind/Wildlife Publications page: http://www.nationalwind.org/publications/wildlife.htm.

NWCC Business Meeting #39 – The NWCC Steering Committee met on May 22nd at the Department of Energy in Washington DC for Business Meeting #39. Next steps from that meeting are under development and will soon be available on the meeting site.

NWCC @ Windpower 2008 – Anyone attending the Windpower 2008 meeting in Houston is invited to stop by the NWCC booth, #3017, and say hello! We will be distributing copies of our new Publications Catalogue and NWCC Brochure, which are also available through our homepage. Hope to see you in Houston!

New NWCC Mailing Address – The NWCC is moving on up – to the 8th floor. Our new mailing address, as of June 1, is: National Wind Coordinating Collaborative, c/o RESOLVE; 1255 23rd Street NW, Suite 875; Washington, DC; 20037. This is a new suite number but the same street address. All other contact information will remain the same.

ONLY ONE MONTH LEFT FOR Wind Wildlife Research Meeting VII ABSTRACTS! - Abstracts for proposed Wind Wildlife Research Meeting VII presentations are due on June 30th! The call for abstracts is available on the meeting website.

Interconnection Queue Brief – If you missed our Transmission Update on the California ISO and Midwest ISO interconnection queues, then we recommend the written brief available online here.

NWCC CONFERENCE CALLS

NWCC Steering Committee
June 26, 1:00pm ET

Working Groups

Western Transmission Leadership Group call
June 9, 3:00 pm ET

NWCC WORKGROUP UPDATES

Outreach Audit - The NWCC Steering Committee approved the Wildlife Workgroup’s proposal for improving Wildlife Workgroup outreach. Participants in the Wildlife Workgroup will soon receive a questionnaire for assessing outreach tools and opportunities currently available.

Grassland Shrub Steppe Species Collaborative (GS3C) – The GS3C plans to hold a side meeting coincident with the October Wind Wildlife Research Meeting VII to discuss whether to pursue any sage grouse-related activities. A briefing on the second-quarter prairie chickens and wind report from Kansas State University will be scheduled for August.

Habitat Subgroup - 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 complete and is available on the NWCC’s Wind/Wildlife Publication site.

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

Wind Wildlife Research Meeting VII - Planners will convene the next Wind Wildlife Research Meeting VII call on June 10th to discuss an updated draft agenda for the plenary as well as a proposed agenda for Wind and Wildlife 101, the optional introductory workshop to be held October 27th. Wind Wildlife Research Meeting VII will be hosted by We Energies in Milwaukee, WI and co-sponsored by NWCC, BP Alternative Energy, Horizon Wind 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 30th.

Wind/Wildlife Activities & Events Table - 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 - The list of co-sponsors for the July meeting Midwestern Wind Energy: Moving It to Markets continues to grow; in addition to Midwestern Governors Association and the NWCC, we are joined by CapX 2020; Western Area Power Administration; the American Wind Energy Association; Otter Tail Power Company; Varnum, Riddering, Schmidt, Howlett; the Great Lakes Wind Collaborative; the National Conference of State Legislatures; NextEnergy; and the National Association of State Energy Officials. Other parties interested in co-sponsorship are encouraged to contact Katie Kalinowski at kkalinowski@resolv.org. The meeting on 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. An optional Wind Power and Transmission 101 workshop will be held on July 30th for those new to these topics. Registration for the plenary and workshop will open in June.

SPP - The NWCC will likely hold webcasts on SPP-related transmission topics during this calendar year, but an in-person meeting is not planned at this time. More details on webcasts will be provided in future updates. If you have a webcast suggestion, please contact Katie Kalinowski at kkalinowski@resolv.org.

West - The Western Governors’ Association held its first meeting of its Western Renewable Energy Zones (WREZ) effort on May 28th. The NWCC Western Transmission Leadership Group is reconvening on June 9th to discuss how to build on WREZ through the NWCC’s work.

The 6th volume of NWCC’s Implementing Wind Energy & Transmission in the West quarterly newsletter is being drafted for distribution in June.

Layperson’s Guide to Wind Integration - TA portion of the draft layperson’s guide is ready for review and is being distributed to the NWCC review committee members for their feedback. Writing is ongoing for the remainder of the guide.

Transmission Updates - The Interconnection Queue Transmission Update brief is complete and online. This update features the California Independent System Operator’s (CAISO) and the Midwest Independent System Operator’s (Midwest ISO) initiatives on reforming their respective generator interconnection queues. Thanks again to our speakers, Dennis Peters and Jennifer Curran.

A summary of the recent Transmission Financing Update is being drafted for review by the speakers prior to publication. The next Transmission Update has not yet been scheduled but is anticipated in the June/July timeframe and more information will be provided as plans solidify.