NWCC NATIONAL WIND COORDINATING COMMITTEE

HIGHLIGHTS

June 1, 2005

DATES TO REMEMBER

NWCC Business Meeting 35: Registration for Business Meeting 35 closes this week; be sure to register online. Join a panel of experts at the Business Meeting to learn how wind energy can play a role in balancing natural gas market changes. The Business Meeting will be held June 9, 2005 at the Commonwealth Park Suites Hotel in Richmond, VA.

NWCC Midwestern Transmission Workshop: The Midwestern Transmission Workshop will be held June 22, 2005 at the MISO Center in St. Paul, MN. If you have not done so yet, please register online. This site also has the meeting agenda and logistics information.

Economic Development Brief Vol. 2: The NWCC ED Brief Vol. 2 is being made available on June 1, with the next economic development call on June 8, 2 pm ET.

NWCC CONFERENCE CALLS

Economic Development Brief Conference Call
June 8 @ 2:00 pm ET

NWCC Transmission Update Call
June 14 @ 1:00 pm ET

Siting Workgroup Call
June 15 @ 2:00 pm ET

Wildlife Workgroup Call
June 16 @ 1:00 pm ET

NWCC Steering Committee Call
June 30 @ 1:00 pm ET

Working Groups

Midwest Transmission Subgroup
June 6 @ 11:00 am ET

SPP Transmission Subgroup
June 14 @ 2:00 pm ET

NWCC MEETINGS

NWCC Business Meeting 35 and Natural Gas / Wind Energy Forum
June 9, 2005 - Richmond, VA

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

SPP Transmission Issue Forum
Sept.19, 2005 - Topeka, KS

NWCC Business Meeting 36
October 20, 2005 - Lansing, MI

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

The Wildlife Workgroup subgroups are:

Risk Assessment - The Risk Assessment Subgroup is planning a paper defining risk assessment, what related models are available, and how to apply risk assessment tools to wind development including wind development case studies.

Grassland/Shrub Steppe Species - A summary and meeting materials from the initial meeting of the Grassland/Shrub Steppe Species Subgroup in Wichita, Kansas are available here. Currently Wichita meeting participants are drafting separate research protocols for prairie grouse and other grassland birds. The Subgroup is seeking funding to conduct research and plans to hold a fall workshop to finalize research plans with technical experts in the field.

Nocturnal Methods and Metrics - The Subgroup is reviewing alternatives for providing additional information on methods and metrics for studying the nocturnal activity of birds and bats to complement the NWCC publication Studying Wind Energy/Bird Interactions: A Guidance Document.

Mitigation Toolbox - As was decided at the Wildlife Workgroup meeting, this Subgroup is not active at this time.

The next Wildlife Workgroup call is Thursday, June 16 at 1 pm ET. Note this is one hour earlier than previously scheduled.

The NWCC Siting Case Studies: Community Response document has been made available for comment and those submitted are being incorporated. Any further comments on the document should be sent to Miles Keogh at mkeogh@resolv.org before June 9th.

In coordination with NCSL, the NWCC staff will be developing a series of state-by-state siting fact sheets that illustrate the variety of approaches taken at the state level to wind energy facility siting. This will be a topic at the June 9 Business Meeting in Richmond.

A planning committee is creating an agenda for the proposed November Technical Siting meeting, focusing on sound, visuals, and property impacts associated with wind development.

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, logistics, and online registration are available here. There is no registration fee for this meeting.

The April 26th Transmission Update briefing is available here. The next Transmission briefing will be on June 14 at 1 pm ET and will focus on wind and transmission issues in the West, Midwest, and Texas.

Transmission case studies for Lamar, CO, McCamey, TX, and Buffalo Ridge, MN are being reviewed by Transmission Workgroup members and will be available for review by the Business Meeting in Richmond on June 9th.

A meeting is being organized in Kansas for September 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.

The NWCC ED Brief Vol. 2 is being released on June 1. The Economic Development call is June 8 at 2 pm ET.

ED Brief Vol. 1 can be found here.