RAWLINS — The massive Chokecherry-Sierra Madre wind energy project proposed by the Power Company of Wyoming will be the subject of two upcoming public open house meetings hosted by the Bureau of Land Management. The development, which encompasses two sites, would comprise the largest commercial wind generation facility in North America when completed.

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The public meetings are scheduled from 4-7 p.m.: in Rawlins on Aug. 22 at T Jeffrey Memorial Community Center, 315 East Pine St., and in Saratoga on Aug. 23 at the Platte Valley Community Center, located at 210 W. Elm St.

The BLM is encouraging everyone to attend and will be making project documents available to review by attendees. Enhancing the education of those who attend, agency personnel and PCW staff will be on hand to explain details of the project and discuss the analysis contained in the recently released Draft Environmental Impact Statement, which is open for public comment until Oct. 19.

The scale of the project can be found in the details. PCW is proposing 1,000 turbines on the two sites. The largest section of the project is the Sierra Madre section which would cover 117,270 acreas. The Chokeberry portion northeast of the Sierra Madre would emcompass 105,419 acres. Roughly five miles divides the two sites. A project of this size would obviously require new access roads be built, along with an
above-ground transmission line and substations. Completion date is pegged at up to four years, according to PCW.

There are well-known resources that would be impacted by the CSW wind project, including the Overland and Cherokee trails, both of which are currently being evaluated for eligibility as National Historic Trails.

For additional information, WEN readers may contact Pam Murdock, project manager, at 307-328-4200.