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NWCC NATIONAL WIND COORDINATING COMMITTEE |
HIGHLIGHTS
November 15, 2006
DATES TO REMEMBER
NWCC Wildlife-Wind Research Meeting VI Presentations Online – Over 150 people attended NWCC Wildlife Research Meeting VI and covered a great deal of material in two days’ time. Meeting proceedings are under development; meeting presentations, final attendees list, and next steps will be posted by Nov 22nd here.
NWCC CONFERENCE CALLS
Transmission Workgroup Call
November 21 @ 2:00 pm ET
Steering Committee
Call
December 1 @ 1:00 pm ET
Working Groups
Midwest
Transmission Planning Call
November 22 @ 1:00 pm ET
Western
Transmission Planning Call
December 13 @ 1:00 pm ET
GS3C Call
December 18 @ 12:00 pm ET
NWCC MEETINGS
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 – Presentations from this meeting are on the NWCC website. Proceedings are being written and will be posted at this site once completed.
On November 16th, the NWCC Wildlife Workgroup Core Group met for updates on subgroup activities and to discuss plans for 2007. The workgroup blueprint is being revised based on participants’ input and will be submitted to the Steering Committee for approval.
Recent Wildlife Workgroup subgroup activities include:
Gaps Subgroup – The Wildlife Workgroup plans to refine the white paper as a 2007 activity.
Grassland and Shrub Steppe Species Collaborative (GS3C) – At NWCC’s meeting in San Antonio, an update on the research project in Kansas investigating the potential impacts of wind power on prairie chickens was provided by the project’s technical monitor, Karin Sinclair from NREL. NWCC staff and KSU researchers are working together to ensure funding is in place for the 2007 research season.
The draft grassland songbirds monitoring protocol authors finished their second round of revisions. The latest draft will go to the GS3C Oversight Committee for review.
The second draft of the literature review on avian grassland/shrub steppe species and wind projects has been provided by the Ornithological Council and will be send to the GS3C 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 December or January to review the draft primer.
Mitigation Toolbox - NWCC staff are soliciting comments on the mitigation "toolbox" which is now located online. Please review this first draft document and send any comments to Madeleine West, mwest@resolv.org, no later than November 30.
Risk Assessment – A conference call will be scheduled for the Subgroup to discuss how to finalize the Ecological Risk Assessment white paper, and plan for a 2007 Risk Assessment workshop. To become involved, contact Madeleine West, mwest@resolv.org.
For the current draft of the NWCC 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 January 10, 2007 at 2:30pm ET. Please mark your calendars.
NCSL and NWCC staff are in contact about collaborating on regional siting workshops in the Midwest and Northeast. As these opportunities mature, 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 will be 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.
The draft agenda, logistics, and registration for this workshop are online.
The Midwest workshop planning committee continues to refine its list of research priorities on wind energy and transmission for use at the workshop.
On November 2, 2006, a newly formed Western Transmission Leadership Group convened and agreed to a list of next steps to implement Action Items 1-10 agreed to at the NWCC / WGA Leadership Forum in July 2006. On a regular basis, members of the Leadership Group and others on the NWCC Western Transmission Workgroup will report to WGA on accomplishments to implement the CDEAC recommendations. Progress will be tracked on recommendations and actions WGA or others can take. NWCC, in cooperation with WGA, will release a quarterly newsletter on the progress made. 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 has been drafted and is under review by the speakers. 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 and the next Transmission Update call is scheduled for December 12th at 1 pm ET. Please mark your calendars.