NWCC NATIONAL WIND COORDINATING COMMITTEE

HIGHLIGHTS

November 1, 2006

DATES TO REMEMBER

NWCC Midwest Transmission Workshop VI is just around the corner! – Don’t miss out! Register now to join regional and national leaders for this workshop on Dec 4-5, 2006 in Bloomington, MN (Twin Cities). The agenda, logistics, and registration are online. The hotel room block closes on Nov 12th; please make your reservations soon.

NWCC CONFERENCE CALLS

Wildlife Workgroup Call
November 8 @ 2:30 pm ET

Steering Committee Call
November 30 @ 1:00 pm ET

Working Groups

Midwest Transmission Planning Call
November 16 @ 1:00 pm ET

NWCC MEETINGS

Wildlife Interaction with Wind Developments: Research Meeting VI
November 14-15, 2006 -
San Antonio, TX

Wildlife Workgroup Core Group Meeting
November 16, 2006 -
San Antonio, TX

Midwest Transmission Workshop
December 4-5, 2006 - Minneapolis, MN

MAGIC MOMENTS

Updated Calendar of 2006 Events: click here

NWCC STAFF CONTACTS

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

Madeleine West
Program Associate
(202) 965-6216
mwest@resolv.org

Jason Peller
Executive Assistant
(202) 965-6387
jpeller@resolv.org

NWCC WORKGROUP UPDATES

6th NWCC Wildlife-Wind Research Meeting, Nov 14-15, San Antonio, TX – Advance materials for this meeting go out to registrants soon; for registration and other meeting details click here. Topics to be covered in San Antonio include:

• Interaction of wind power facilities and birds pre- and post-construction;
• Interaction of wind power facilities and bats pre- and post-construction;
• Applicable methods and study designs specialized for birds, bats, and common to both;
• Assessing impacts and risk to wildlife;
• Identification of critical gaps in knowledge related to wind project decision-making. Attempt to identify what is needed to fill these gaps.

The next NWCC Wildlife Workgroup Core Group meeting will be Nov 16th. For more information about these events, contact Madeleine West at mwest@resolv.org.

Recent Wildlife Workgroup subgroup activities include:

Gaps Subgroup – The Subgroup and Core Group held a conference call on Oct 30th to review and update the draft white paper on research priorities (drafted at the June Core Group meeting). The draft white paper is part of the San Antonio advance materials; meeting participants will be asked to read the paper and engage in discussion about it at the conference. Following the meeting, the Wildlife Workgroup plans to refine the white paper and finalize it in 2007 as a consensus on research priorities.

Grassland and Shrub Steppe Species Collaborative (GS3C) – On the GS3C’s Oct 25 call, the group prepared to report on collaborative projects in San Antonio. GS3C members also talked about the funding status for prairie chicken research in Kansas. The KSU research team is submitting a grant proposal to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF). A proposal was submitted by RESOLVE on behalf of the GS3C last year for this work, prior to selection of the KSU team by the GS3C. Although a 2006 NFWF grant was not awarded, the GS3C was encouraged to reapply in 2007 and KSU has taken the lead on this task. NWCC staff is working with KSU to make sure funding is in place for the 2007 research season.

The draft grassland songbirds monitoring protocol has been revised based on Wildlife Workgroup technical advisor feedback; the new draft is under review by the authors before going to the GS3C for additional feedback.

The second draft of the literature review on avian grassland/shrub steppe species and wind projects is expected soon and will be sent to the GS3C members for comment.

Nocturnal Methods and Metrics – The first draft of the primer on nocturnal methods and metrics for studying wind interaction with birds and bats is nearly complete. A subgroup conference call will be scheduled for November to review the draft primer.

Mitigation Toolbox - The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) Siting Subcommittee has provided additional funds for expansion of the draft “toolbox” of possible mitigation options related to wind project impacts on wildlife. An update on the toolbox will be presented at the Wildlife Research Meeting VI in San Antonio. A panel on mitigation is also part of the San Antonio agenda.

Risk Assessment – The Risk Assessment Subgroup has been reconvened and will meet again for a conference call after the Wildlife Research VI Meeting. To become involved, contact Madeleine West, mwest@resolv.org.

For the NWCC draft white paper on ecological risk assessment, click here.

Wind/Wildlife Activities and Events Electronic Table – For the latest on wind/wildlife related research, meetings, papers, and more, check out our electronic table available here. If you have a new item or update to add to this table, please contact Madeleine West, mwest@resolv.org.

The next Wildlife Workgroup call is scheduled for November 8, 2:30pm ET. Please mark your calendars.

NCSL and NWCC staff are continuing dialogue about collaborating on regional siting workshops in the Midwest and Northeast. As these opportunities solidify, the NWCC Siting Workgroup will be approached for further guidance. The next workgroup conference call will be scheduled as needed.

To join the Siting Workgroup listserve, please contact Jason Peller at jpeller@resolv.org.

NWCC Midwest Transmission Workshop VI is scheduled for December 4-5, 2006 in Bloomington, MN (Twin Cities). This event provides an opportunity to:

• Discuss policy and market drivers for building transmission (RPS, transmission authorities, REOs, etc) and their implications for wind energy in the Midwest
• Provide updates on regional and state transmission activities
• Review progress to date on transmission planning for wind energy in the Midwest
• Identify priority actions for moving forward with wind energy transmission.

Make your hotel reservations soon; the room block closes on Nov 12th. The draft agenda, logistics, and online registration for this workshop are online.

On its conference calls, the Midwest workshop planning committee has taken the list of obstacles it compiled and shifted it into a set of priority activities. The committee foresees using this compilation of priorities as a basis for discussion in Bloomington.

The meeting summary and presentations from the NWCC / WGA Leadership Forum: Implementing Transmission Recommendations in the West are online. The presentations section includes a video clip of Senator Pete Domenici’s taped remarks from the event. A strategy session on action plan implementation efforts is happening Nov 2nd; an update on action plan progress and next steps will be distributed afterwards. For more information on Western transmission activities, contact Katie Kalinowski, kkalinowski@resolv.org.

The October 10th Transmission Update call featured David Hurlbut from the Texas PUC talking about the PUC’s draft rules on competitive renewable energy zones and Elliot Mainzer from Bonneville Power Administration discussing a recently formed wind integration working group in the Pacific Northwest. A written brief based on this call is currently under development. Updates are available on the web. To join the Transmission Update listserve, contact Jason Peller, jpeller@resolv.org.

The next Transmission Workgroup call is scheduled for November 21 at 2 pm ET; please mark your calendars. The next Transmission Update call will be announced at a later date.