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NWCC NATIONAL WIND COORDINATING COMMITTEE |
HIGHLIGHTS
October 15, 2005
DATES TO REMEMBER
Nov 30, NWCC Business Meeting 36. Mark your calendars—this business meeting is an opportunity for NWCC members and associate members to shape blueprints for 2006 activities and think strategically about the future beyond 2006. More details coming soon on our website.
Dec 1-2, Washington, DC: Technical Considerations in Siting Wind Energy: NWCC Research Meeting. (New date!) The meeting will engage researchers and those involved in the permitting process for wind energy to review and discuss existing research, methods, and tools available to address non-wildlife related technical issues associated with siting and operation of wind energy systems.
NWCC CONFERENCE CALLS
Siting Workgroup
Call
October 25 @ 2:00 pm ET
Steering Committee Call
November 3 @ 1:00 pm ET
Wildlife Workgroup Call
November 16, 1:00 pm ET
Transmission Workgroup Call
November 17 @ 2:00 pm ET
Working Groups
Grassland/Shrub Steppe Species Subgroup Call
October 24, 2:00 pm ET
Risk Assessment
Subgroup
October 25 @ 11:00 am ET
Environmental Caucus Call
November 2 @ 2:00 pm ET
NWCC MEETINGS
NWCC
Air Quality Issue Forum
Oct. 20, 2005 - Lansing, MI
NWCC Business Meeting 36
Nov. 30, 2005 - Washington, DC
NWCC Technical Siting Research Meeting
Dec. 1-2, 2005, Washington, DC
MAGIC MOMENTS
Updated Calendar of 2005 Events: click here
NWCC STAFF CONTACTS
Katie Kalinowski
Outreach Associate
(202) 965-6383
kkalinowski@resolv.org
Madeleine West
Research Fellow
(202) 965-6216
mwest@resolv.org
NWCC WORKGROUP UPDATES
The Wildlife Workgroup core group next scheduled call is Nov 16. Nominations for the technical advisory committee (TAC) are invited at any time; send names and contact information to Katie Kalinowski at kkalinowski@resolv.org. All interested parties will continue to be invited to participate in the Wildlife Workgroup.
The 6th NWCC Wildlife-Wind Research Meeting is proposed for Fall 2006. Anyone interested in participating with the planning committee, please contact Katie Kalinowski at kkalinowski@resolv.org.
Recent Wildlife Workgroup subgroup activities include:
Grassland/Shrub Steppe Species - Outreach for funding to carry out the Effects of Wind Power Facilities on Prairie Chickens research plan drafted by the subgroup is on an upswing. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation has asked for a full proposal and we are working with Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation on opportunities for in-kind support. Subgroup members are reviewing a RFQ for the prairie chicken project. Individuals interested in receiving the RFQ when it is completed should contact Katie Kalinowski at kkalinowski@resolv.org.
Many comments have been received from subgroup members on grassland songbirds monitoring protocol. The protocol authors now have an opportunity to update the protocol based on this feedback.
A contract should be finalized soon with the Ornithological Council to write a literature review on avian grassland/shrub steppe species and wind projects.
Operating protocols for this subgroup have been drafted and are being revised based on member comments.
Risk Assessment - Further revisions are underway on the subgroup’s draft white paper describing risk assessment applications to wind power. When the white paper is complete, a conference call or meeting will be convened to present it to the Wildlife Workgroup and the workgroup will decide how it wishes to proceed in this area.
Nocturnal Methods and Metrics - The request for letters of intent to write a companion document to the NWCC publication Studying Wind Energy/Bird Interactions: A Guidance Document is now available. To obtain a copy of the request, contact Katie Kalinowski at kkalinowski@resolv.org. Letters are due Friday, October 21st.
The next Wildlife Workgroup call is Wednesday, Nov 16, 1 pm ET. Please mark your calendars.
Factsheets on state siting guidelines are being jointly developed by NWCC and NCSL. The factsheets will provide an overview of each state’s guidelines, model rules, or regulations that govern wind energy. For information about this project, please contact Madeleine West at mwest@resolv.org.
On Dec 1-2, NWCC is hosting a workshop in Washington, DC on technical considerations for siting wind facilities. The meeting will bring together researchers and those involved in the permitting process for wind energy to review and discuss existing research, methods, and tools available to address non-wildlife related technical issues associated with siting and operation of wind energy systems. Panels on sound, visual, safety, communications interference, and other impacts associated with wind development will be featured. For more information on this meeting, contact Katie Kalinowski, kkalinowski@resolv.org.
The next Transmission Workgroup conference call has been rescheduled for November 17, 2 pm ET. Please update your calendars.
The latest Transmission Update on October 11th focused on low voltage ride-through interconnection standard for wind turbines and on the Wyoming Infrastructure Authority's recent announcements on financing transmission. A related briefing is under development and will be posted on the NWCC homepage.
The meeting summary for NWCC’s “Wind Energy and Transmission in the Southwest Power Pool” workshop, held September 19th in Topeka, Kansas, is being prepared. Presentations and other meeting materials are already available online.
On October 20th, join the NWCC for an afternoon issue forum that explores the relationship between wind energy and air pollution reductions. Speakers from the EPA, state of Michigan, Environmental Resources Trust, and other experts will be on hand in Lansing, Michigan to discuss how wind energy can be used to help local communities meet Clean Air Act requirements and other air quality and climate change goals. There are two ways to take part—in person or via webcast—and both are free. If you plan to attend in Lansing, please register online today at www.nationalwind.org. Webcast details are being emailed to NWCC’s listserve and can also be obtained by contacting Madeleine West at mwest@resolv.org.