Rail Tie Wind Project enters pre-construction phase

The planned wind farm has secured county, state and federal approval. Its representatives and supporters say the project will bring tax revenue and help combat climate change.

The Rail Tie Wind Project is moving from a development stage to a pre-construction phase, bringing the planned 26,000-acre wind farm one step closer to fruition.

Project Coordinator Amanda MacDonald said the company behind the Rail Tie — ConnectGen — needs to secure a power purchase agreement before it can break ground.

“That is the long-term contract that we will enter into,” MacDonald said. “We will need to have the power purchase agreement to move forward with construction.” 

The Rail Tie Wind Project will tie into the already existing Ault-Craig 345-kilovolt transmission line. The wind farm would be set on private and state land around Tie Siding in southeastern Albany County, extending south to the Colorado border.

“ConnectGen has identified Albany County as an ideal location for wind development,” the wind project’s website states. “The project will tap into Albany County’s incredible wind resource, which is one of the strongest in the western United States.”

The project went through a lengthy — and at times controversial — approval process.

• In 2019, ConnectGen introduced the project to the Department of Energy’s Western Area Power Administration, which allowed them to conduct a scoping period the following year.

• In 2021, WAPA produced an environmental impact statement with help of third-party environmental consultants. The project secured approval from the Albany County Commissioners and from the state’s Industrial Siting Council.

• Just last month, the project won federal approval when its interconnection request was approved by WAPA.

Despite some of the community being against the project, it has gained county, state and federal approval. Since gaining those three major approvals, the project can now move on to the next step. 

MacDoanld said the project is now entering a pre-construction phase. At this point the team will start finalizing their engineering and start looking for a power purchase agreement.

MacDonald said ConnectGen is hoping to start construction by spring 2023, but the exact date will depend on weather.

MacDonald said the project would create both temporary construction and permanent maintenance jobs. 

“Construction workers will increase the demand for hotels and food service,” MacDonald said. “After construction there will be 20-25 permanent jobs created to operate the wind project. The project will come with tax revenue for the county and state. Allowing the county and state to diversify their economy’s revenue. During the construction period, we estimate that the project would pay $12.5 million in taxes to the state and $14.6 million would be paid to the county.”

MacDonald said, over the life of the project, it was estimated to pay a total of $176 million in tax revenue alone. The wind farm will also provide lease payments to the state for land within contract. 

“That will create revenues for Wyoming public schools.” MacDonald said.

Environmental impacts

The Environmental Impact Statement, or EIS, was finalized last year and approved by the Western Area Power Administration this year. 

Major impacts are listed on the document. The project could damage the visual aesthetic of the area, lead to the potential loss of eagle populations in the area, lead to potential harm for protected species, and interfere with cultural or archeological sites. 

“The large wind turbines would result in an obvious man-made change to the existing visual environment that would be seen for a considerable distance, depending on the viewer’s location and intervening topography,” the EIS states.

WAPA outlined ways to mitigate these effects. ConnectGen agreed and adopted WAPA’s environmental policies, which are set by a federal standard.

For example, one endangered species may inhabit the area where the project is designated — Preble’s meadow jumping mouse. 

“Suitable habitat exists, although the presence of this species has not been established and the suitable habitat may not be occupied,” the EIS states. “Consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service resulted in ‘may affect, but is not likely to adversely affect’ determination for this species.”

The Fish and Wildlife Service set a species conservation standard that ConnectGen has agreed to maintain to create a safe environment for any future mouse population. 

Political fights

Opponents of the wind farm — many of them landowners near the project’s planned locations — led a campaign against Rail Tie directly and indirectly. They opposed the project with billboards and mailers, and lobbied the county government to rewrite the siting regulations that dictate how and where energy companies can build infrastructure.

Rail Tie supporters pointed to the need to take action on climate change and the limited impacts on local natural resources as reasons for moving ahead with the project. Some activists involved in the push for Rail Tie accused its opponents of “NIMBYism” — in other words, being more concerned about one’s property value than supporting green energy and enlarging the county’s tax base.

In the end, a variety of factors led to the Rail Tie’s various approvals — as illustrated in the three very different reasons county commissioners gave for their support. When the project came before the Albany County Commissioners, one cited young people’s demands for action on climate change, one cited the project’s potential to do good for the community, and one cited his belief that government should not stand in the way of a business that is following established regulations.

This story is supported by a grant through Wyoming’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) and the National Science Foundation.