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NATIONAL WIND
COORDINATING COMMITTEE

HIGHLIGHTS

April 15, 2005

DATES TO REMEMBER
NWCC Siting Case Studies: The NWCC Siting Workgroup has recommended the NWCC Siting Case Studies: Community Response for adoption by the NWCC membership as a resource document. Please provide comments on this document by April 29th. The draft of the case studies is available online. Please forward comments to Miles Keogh at mkeogh@resolv.org.

NWCC Business Meeting 35: The next NWCC Business Meeting will be held June 9, 2005 in Richmond, VA. An agenda, logistics, and online registration are available here.

NWCC Wildlife Workgroup Meeting: The NWCC Wildlife Workgroup will meet May 4-5, 2005 in Aurora, Colorado at the DoubleTree Hotel Denver Southeast to update participants on subgroup activities, review the workplan, and present new research. The agenda, logistics, and online registration are available here.

NWCC Midwestern Transmission Workshop: The Midwestern Transmission Workshop will be held June 22, 2005 at the MISO Center in St. Paul, MN. Agenda, logistics, and online registration are available here.

NWCC CONFERENCE CALLS

Transmission Update Briefing
April 26 @ 1:00 pm ET

NWCC Steering Committee Call
April 28 @ 1:00 pm ET

Transmission Workgroup Conference Call
May 24 @ 2:00 pm ET

Subgroups

Risk Assessment Subgroup Call
April 18 @ Noon ET

NWCC MEETINGS

NWCC Wildlife Workgroup Meeting
May 4-5, 2005 - Aurora, CO

NWCC Business Meeting 35
June 9, 2005 - Richmond, VA

Midwestern Transmission Meeting
June 22, 2005 - St. Paul, MN

NWCC Business Meeting 36
October - Lansing, Michigan

MAGIC MOMENTS

Updated Calendar of 2005 Events: click here

NWCC STAFF CONTACTS

Miles Keogh
Outreach Coordinator
(202) 965-6209
mkeogh@resolv.org

Katie Kalinowski
Outreach Associate
(202) 965-6383
kkalinowski@resolv.org 

NWCC WORKGROUP UPDATES
Wildlife:

The four Wildlife Workgroup subgroups are continuing to develop action plans and determine directions forward:

Ecological Risk Assessment- The next Risk Assessment Subgroup call is April 18th at noon ET to prepare for the upcoming Wildlife Workgroup meeting in Aurora, CO. The subgroup is developing a white paper on risk assessment for the full workgroup and is trying to help define risk assessment in terms of wind power development.

Grassland/Shrub Steppe Species - An in-person meeting of the Grassland/Shrub Steppe Species Subgroup was held March 29-30 in Wichita, Kansas. The meeting included presentations on wind project site selection and grassland species and their habitat, as well as discussion of study protocols and site field trips. The subgroup will present on its progress at the Wildlife Workgroup meeting.

Mitigation Toolbox - A workplan is being drafted for the subgroup to discuss.

Methods and Metrics for Nocturnal Bats and Birds - A research outline is currently being revised with additional content for the consideration of the subgroup. The research outline will focus on research methods and tools for nocturnal birds and bats.

All comments have been incorporated into the Wildlife Research Meeting V proceedings; they are being made available online and to participants and speakers via CD.

The NWCC Wildlife Workgroup will meet May 4-5 in Aurora, Colorado to update participants on subgroup activities, review the workplan, and present new research. The agenda, logistics, and online registration are available at here.

The proposed date for the next Wildlife Workgroup call (originally scheduled for May 18th) is Thursday, June 16 at 2 pm ET; please let us know of any conflicts with this date by contacting Katie Kalinowski at kkalinowski@resolv.org.
Siting:

The NWCC Siting Workgroup has provided comments on the NWCC Siting Case Studies: Community Response. Per NWCC resource document adoption groundrules, these case studies are being made available for comment by the NWCC membership until April 29th. The draft of the case studies is available online. Please forward comments to Miles Keogh at mkeogh@resolv.org.

The Siting Workgroup is assembling a planning group to develop a draft agenda for a fall Technical Siting meeting, focusing on sound, visuals, and property impacts.
Transmission:

The next call on April 26th at 1 pm ET will focus on transmission issues in SPP, the legislative proposal for a North Dakota infrastructure authority modeled after the Wyoming Infrastructure Authority, and other regional transmission activities. The call will also continue to track developments at FERC and a briefing will be distributed after the call.

The Transmission Workgroup is preparing for the June 22, 2005 Midwest Transmission Workshop in St. Paul, MN to discuss activities in the MISO region that affect wind energy. The agenda, logisitics, and online registration are available here.

Transmission case studies for Lamar, CO and McCamey, TX are being reviewed by Transmission Workgroup members. Transmission case studies on Buffalo Ridge, MN and Tehachapi, CA will be available in the coming weeks. Comparative analysis for the four cases is being considered. All four case studies and this analysis will be complete by the Business Meeting in Richmond on June 9th.

A meeting is being organized in Kansas for Fall 2005 to discuss transmission issues in the SPP. If you are interested in being on the planning committee, please contact Miles Keogh at mkeogh@resolv.org.
Economic Development:

The NWCC ED Brief Vol. 2 is due out June 1. The Economic Development call is June 8 at 2 pm ET. Anyone with information on recent developments regarding economic development and wind power including conferences, papers, reports, models, news, activities, or laws is encouraged to contact Katie Kalinowski at kkalinowski@resolv.org.

ED Brief Vol. 1 can be found here.