Texas regulators OK transmission
line
Nov 29, 2007 -The Associated Press
Texas public utility regulators have approved plans
for a $60 million transmission-line project in South
Texas, a victory for two proposed wind farms that
have placed two of the nation's biggest ranches at
odds.
The state's Public Utility Commission on Tuesday
OK'd the application of AEP Texas, a division of Ohio-based
American Electric Power, to build a 21-mile transmission
line and switching stations that would interconnect
the two wind farms in Kenedy County, Texas.
AEP filed the application in June, according to the
PUC's approval notice, to build the line on the sprawling
Kenedy Ranch, which has given its go-ahead.
But the prospect of hundreds of turbines and their
massive blades -- structures that can stand 400 feet
tall -- doesn't sit well with Kenedy's even-larger
neighbor, the storied King Ranch.
After a century and a half as cordial neighbors,
the two ranches have vastly different views of wind-generated
power. Together, they cover nearly 1.3 million acres
in sparsely populated South Texas.
The King Ranch, with 825,000 acres near the Texas
Gulf Coast, says the turbines will interfere with
migratory birds' flight patterns, threaten other wildlife
and create an eyesore.
King Ranch is part of a coalition of 12 conservation
and other organizations that oppose the transmission
line and plan to sue the PUC for not allowing it to
intervene in the case.
Elyse Yates, spokeswoman for the Coastal Habitat
Alliance, said the alliance has research that shows
the potential impact of the line on migratory birds,
bats, butterflies and other species.
The PUC's approval says an evaluation of the property
by the environmental consulting firm PBS&J revealed
the line is not expected to adversely affect any threatened
or endangered plant or animal species. It also notes
the construction will cause "only short-term impacts
to soil, water and ecological resources."
Managers of a charitable trust and a foundation that
oversee the Kenedy Ranch have said the companies leasing
their land for the wind farms have spent two years
studying migratory birds' flight patterns and are
convinced the environmental impact will be minimal.
AEP spokeswoman Melissa McHenry said the company
hopes to start work on the line as soon as possible
and complete it by next September. She said the company
eventually will recoup the roughly $60 million price
tag via a wire charge billed to electric customers.
The approval notice says AEP will consult with the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers before construction begins
to ensure compliance with wetland regulations and
with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on permit
requirements related to the possible effect on endangered
and threatened species.
Wind farms generate electricity by using wind to
turn giant blades that rotate on turbines, an alternative
to power created by utilities using coal, natural
gas and other sources.
Representatives of the two companies developing the
farms -- Babcock & Brown Ltd., an Australian outfit,
and PPM Energy of Portland, Ore. -- were not available
Tuesday to comment on progress of the projects. They've
said they hope to have the turbines spinning and producing
power sometime next year. The initial combined investment
for the two farms is expected to top $1 billion.
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