Local Resident Raising Concerns About Laramie Range Wind Project

At least one Cheyenne area resident says she has some concerns about the proposed Laramie Range Wind Project which is being proposed for an area of Laramie County northwest of Cheyenne.

Repsol Renewables says once it's completed the 650 megawatt project will generate enough electricity to power about 200,000 Wyoming homes annually, It also says the project will provide 300 family wage jobs  during peak construction and 23 long-term local jobs once it's up and running.

The project would be located on roughly 56,000 acres located between Wyoming Highway 211 and Interstat4e 25, not far from the Albany and Platte County in northwest Laramie County. Roughly 50,000 acres of that are privately owned, and 6,100 are state land.

Company Says The Local Economic Benefits Would Be Huge

The company says the project would have a big economic impact to the local economy and tax revenues.

The company also projects $194 million in property and production tax revenues to fund local schools and critical infrastructure. It cite another $58 million in sales tax revenues and $1.1 billion in capital investment.

So what could be the problem?

Wendy Volk Says There Are Questions That Need Answers

Local realtor Wendy Volk, whose family owns land adjacent to the project,  says that while she isn't flatly opposed to the project, she thinks there are a lot of questions that need to be answered. Volk appeared on the ''Weekend In Wyoming' program on am 650 KGAB on Saturday. You can hear the interview, in which she explains her concerns in detail, in the audio file attached to this article.

Volk says that while the roughly 50,000 acres of privately owned land are at the disposal of the respective property owners to do with as they wish, the 6,100 acres of public land "is one of the reasons I think everyone should be tuned in. Whether you live in proximity to this project or not, you own a part of this project."

Volk says one concern is traffic during construction. "What they are saying is during peak construction, they will have 305 construction workers a day driving our Horse Creek Road. They are saying, I think, 275 semi trucks a day." Volk says that is an important consideration, and that it wasn't initially disclosed in a letter the company sent out in June.

Volk says she also would like to see more detail on the claimed economic impact. In her words "show me the money."

Volk says another concern is that 496 pages of documentation on the project that is going to the County Planning Commission comes from the company and their consultants.

The Laramie County Planning Commission is slated to take up the proposed Wind Project at it's regular meeting on Thursday, Sept, 11 at 3:30 p.m.in the Laramie County Commission Board Room at 310 W 19th St, Suite 310.

You can hear the full interview with Wend Volk in the audio file below.