DoD Regional Wind Work Group Update

Nevada Joint Military Affairs Committee

January 16, 2007

DeEllen Brasher
Department of Defense
Regional Environmental Coordinator Officer
Navy Region Southwest
 DoD Regional WWG
Accomplishments
• Interagency Coordination
– Bureau of Land Management
– Utility Commissions
– USDA, Forest Service
– States
– Counties
• Extensive Outreach
• GIS-Based Red, Yellow, Green Mapping Tool
• Wind Proposal Process and Wind Industry
Coordination

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 2006 COMPLETED OUTREACH

• State of Nevada Wind Work Group (Updates continued through 2006)

• Joint Military Affairs Commission – (Updates 3/16/06 and 7/17/06)
• Nevada Bureau of Land Management Annual Meeting – 7/24/06
• Bureau of Land Management (Las Vegas Field Office) Meeting – 3/06
• State of Nevada Wind Forum – 7/25/06
• Nevada Wind Coordinating Committee (Department of Energy) Wind Power & Radar Issue Forum
7/27/06
• San Bernardino National Forest – 1/17/06
• Desert Managers Group – Kern County, CA State Parks, Desert Environmental Mgrs - 1/18/06
• USAF Western Pacific Airspace and Range Counsel - 1/19/06
• Tribal Relations Symposium – 1/24/06
• Arizona Commanders Summit – (3/1/06 and 9/6/06)
• Joint Services Environmental Management – 3/22/06
• Bureau of Land Management Phoenix State Office visit – 8/06
• Bureau of Land Management California Meetings – various throughout 2006
• Department of Energy – Washington, DC – Steve Lindenberg and Phil Dougherty 7/06 and 8/06
• National Research Environmental Lab – Larry Flowers
• San Diego Gas & Electric – Ongoing updates
• AWEA National Conference in Pittsburg – 6/06
• AWEA Fall Symposium in Phoenix – 11/06
• National Association of Counties in Sacramento – 5/11/06
• Southwest Defense Alliance – Chicago – 7/12/06
• Long Range Radar JPO/JNDPG Annual Meeting in Las Vegas - 11/06
• Range Commanders Conference – Ongoing updates
• Joint National Air Space System Defense Planning Group
• Long Range Radar Technical Work Group – San Diego – 8/06
• Wind Industry (KWEA, Oak Creek, others) Ongoing updates
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 DoD Regional Wind Work Group
Goals for 2007
• Continue to be proactive on wind generated energy facility issues;
• Pursue validation, charter and champion at the Washington level
for the group;
• Continue coordination with California, Nevada, and Arizona land
management agencies, wind industry, and others;
• Allow dedicated time for individual states (NV and AZ) either at the
end of each wind work group meeting or on a separate day;
• Continue Red, Yellow, Green strategy map preparation and
distribution and maintain consistencies across states, boundaries,
and services. Specifically, completion of draft San Bernardino
County and draft State of Nevada maps;
• Continue using DoD Regional Wind Work Group Wind Proposal
Process to answer wind industry with one voice; and
• Strive to institutionalize our process with land management
agencies.
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 RYG MAPPING TOOL UPDATE

RED-YELLOW-GREEN STRATEGY MAP UPDATE

• Draft Nevada RYG Map – 1/07

• Draft Nevada BLM ROW Application Maps – 1/3/06
• Draft Arizona Map – 2007
• Draft California BLM ROW Application Maps – 10/10/05
• Draft California Map – 8/9/05
• Ventura County Map – 7/15/05 (Part of Planning Procedures)
• Draft San Bernardino County Map – 5/24/05 (working with wind
industry)
• Draft Los Angeles County Map – 5/2/05
• Kern County Map – 2/05 (Part of Zoning Ordinance)

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 DoD Wind Work Group Process Flow Chart
(WWG Projects Only)

NAVAIR receives NAVAIR maps

data for analysis NAVAIR Yes project & sends to
from proponent decides if
primary POCs. Cc:
adequate to
1 map? to Core WWG &
2
Long Range Radar
No

Request 4

more data
3

NAVAIR sends most POCs distribute further,

restrictive response to analyze impacts, & get
proponent & finalizes DoD impacts to NAVAIR
response through (approximately a 2
industry/DoD communications week turnaround)
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 Current Action Items
Continue to:
• Integrate long-range radar evaluation into proposal process;
• Attend/Coordinate Interagency Meetings:
– Work specific wind projects with wind industry, BLM, and other land
management agencies
– Coordinate DoD response to BLM showing military impact for Wind
Right of Way Pending and Authorized Permit Application locations
– Participate on transmission corridor PEIS planning and continue to
coordinate projects with utility commissions
• Prepare and distribute Draft Red-Yellow-Green Maps to military,
wind industry, and agencies;
• Monitor, coordinate, and later implement the DoD/BLM MOU for
wind energy;
• Coordinate with land management agencies to include military
language in land management plans; and
• Provide outreach internally, and other agencies and the wind
industry.

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Questions?
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 Mission
• Maintain our capability to fulfill national security obligations
– Military Readiness
– Training and Testing Ranges
– Installations and Facilities
– Military Training Routes and Special use Airspace

• Promote highest level of environmental stewardship consistent with

national security mission requirements

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WGEF’s & Military Ops
Some things just don’t mix!!

Two Primary
Safety Issues

Obstruction

Radar Interference

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 DoD Regional Wind Work Group
(Region IX)
• Established 2003 to address Kern County challenges, expanded
to Region IX, and now recognized as model for other regions

• Mission Statement: Support renewable energy development

while protecting military mission and maintaining access to
critical land, sea, and air space

• Purpose of the Group

– Familiarize each partner with respective missions, priorities,
and processes relative to land planning and air space
management
– Share resources and information
– Analyze, discuss, and resolve areas of concern
– Implement and sustain effective implementation of each
agencies’ respective mission and operations

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 DoD Regional Wind Work Group
(Region IX)

• Participants include:
– Internal Region IX Military (Nevada, California, Arizona)
– Bureau of Land Management
– Utility Commissions
– Forest Service
– State Parks

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