The Murphy Dome area may be the site of more than 60 wind turbines, as well as powerlines, a substation, roads, and other associated buildings and infrastructure. This would be a huge change to the area.
There was already a public comment period on the original land use request to the state back in January. You can see the original public notice HERE. It has associated documents describing the project. I wrote about the original proposal HERE.
On August 29, 2023, a Land Use Permit was issued, allowing for brushing an off-road vehicle trail, as well as conducting environmental, geotechnical, cultural, and meteorological studies related to the project.
Now, the company making the proposal, Shovel Creek Wind, has requested an amendment to a permit it was issued last year for work it is doing on Murphy Dome. The amendment would allow the company to expand the use area to the entirety of the Shovel Creek project area, as well as adding up to two additional towers. The public can comment on this. The deadline for comments is August 28. See the notice, which includes a map, HERE.
This project will have negative impacts, such as changing the viewshed and developing currently raw land, but it will also have positive impacts such as a projected lower community power costs and a reduction of fossil fuel emissions by the Golden Valley Electric Association. The project has caused a lot of heated discussion in Fairbanks. Whether you support it, oppose it, or support it with caveats, you should comment.
I am reluctantly supporting this proposal. While I hate the idea of the changes such a wind farm will bring to the area, I know that we need to make sacrifices to reduce our uses of fossil fuel and help reduce the future impacts of climate change. I wish there were better alternatives, but right now we don’t have any big alternative energy projects on the horizon in the Interior. We do have some that are coming, but none that would replace the energy output that this one is proposing to generate.
I am pleased to see Eric and I agree in reluctantly supporting this wind project. The location is in “my back yard,” my home’s view-shed, and an area I utilize frequently, so it will definitely impact me. This area also contains one of the best wind resources in the entire state. Research has documented the wind is consistent, and typically neither too fast nor too slow. You need to place turbines where the wind is, as you need to mine copper where the ore is. Unfortunately, as an avid trail user, I enjoy hiking in this area. The turbines will not block use of the area, but they will bring a little more traffic and will impact the great views of Minto Flats and the lower Chatanika River valley.
This project will provide significantly lower cost and cleaner energy to our community. Until there is no need for electricity in Fairbanks, wind is a much better resource than oil for its production. I guess I am willing to donate my back yard to the overall community good.
Thanks for your thoughts, Karl.
Thank you for keeping us informed!
What is never mentioned is doing with a little less. Conserve. Turn off lights. Smaller homes. Am not talking about living the life of an ascetic but many have huge homes lit up 24 7 and shops and even a connex or two to store even more. Toy haulers and trailers and boat slips in Valdez. Our transfer stations are overflowing everday. This is why I do not support the windfarm. There is no evidence to justify any meaningful savings to the community or less reliance on coal. With two military bases and the University all using coal it appears that this project could be like filling our utility bucket with a sieve.
I totally agree with the sentiment of using less. I try to follow that in my everyday life. I disagree that it is never mentioned. Conserving is often mentioned with things like improving energy efficiency, though it should be mentioned more. Unfortunately, we humans continue to use more energy despite advice to use less. And so people will continue to demand more energy from whatever sources are legal and cheap. If the only or main choices are fossil fuels, then we will use even more fossil fuels. I would agree with your approach more if fossil fuels were running seriously low, but the industry keeps finding more reserves or finding more ways to extract the reserves that are currently difficult to extract.