NWCC NATIONAL WIND COORDINATING COMMITTEE

HIGHLIGHTS

December 1, 2006

DATES TO REMEMBER

NWCC Wildlife-Wind Research Meeting VI Presentations Online – Presentations from the recent wind and wildlife meeting in San Antonio are now online. Meeting proceedings are under development; notification will be sent when the proceedings are available on the web.

NWCC CONFERENCE CALLS

Steering Committee Call
December 21 @ 1:00 pm ET

Working Groups

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

NWCC Wildlife-Wind Research Meeting VI – 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 was revised based on participants’ input and will be submitted to the Steering Committee for approval in early 2007.

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) – The next GS3C conference call is on December 18th. Collaborative members will discuss the 2nd quarterly report from the KSU research project on the potential impacts of wind power on prairie chickens, the second draft of the literature review on avian grassland/shrub steppe species and wind projects, and the second draft grassland songbirds monitoring protocol.

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 – The comment period on the mitigation “toolbox” closed on November 30th. The intern who compiled the toolbox is reviewing these comments and adding to the toolbox.

Risk Assessment – A conference call is being 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 is December 4-5, 2006 in Bloomington, MN (Twin Cities). Paul Bonavia, President of Xcel Energy’s Utilities Group, is delivering opening remarks and FERC Commissioner Suedeen Kelly is our keynote speaker. Presentations from the workshop will be posted after the event and a meeting summary will be developed by NWCC staff. Click here.

The Western Transmission Leadership Group conference call is on December 13th to provide updates and refine tools for tracking progress on the action items presented at the July NWCC / WGA Leadership Forum. For more information on Western transmission activities, contact Katie Kalinowski, kkalinowski@resolv.org.

The October 10th Transmission Update featuring briefs on the Texas PUC’s draft rules on competitive renewable energy zones and a recently formed wind integration working group in the Pacific Northwest is complete and online. To join the Transmission Update listserve, contact Jason Peller, jpeller@resolv.org.

The Transmission Update call is scheduled for December 12th has been cancelled; please update your calendars. The next Transmission Update call will be January 9th at 1 pm ET and the next Transmission Workgroup call is scheduled for January 16th at 2 pm ET.