U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Barack Obama (D-IL) told Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld last Thursday that they would hold up a key administration nomination until Rumsfeld released a long-overdue report that is delaying the construction of wind farms across the Midwest.
In a letter to Rumsfeld, Senators Obama and Durbin promised to continue their block a Senate vote on the nomination of Mr. Robert L. Wilkie to be Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs until the DoD issues the report which was supposed to be completed by May 7, 2006. The report would determine whether wind farms interfere with military radar systems.
“The delay of the Defense Department report on wind farms is costing Illinois businesses and potential investors every day. It could also jeopardize the development of one of our nation’s best sources of clean alternative energy,” said Durbin. “If there are real problems caused by wind farms, we should find ways to mitigate, reduce or eliminate them, but our wind farm owners deserve an answer today.”
“Because this report is months overdue, investors and landowners in the Midwest who see the promise of wind farms are taking their money elsewhere,” said Senator Obama. “I take very seriously concerns that these structures could interfere with military readiness, but I also strongly believe that with gas prices reaching record highs and mounting instability in the Middle East, America should start investing in alternative energy sources immediately.”
In the letter, the Illinois lawmakers also asked that the DoD report meet “the requirements of the National Defense Authorization Act by identifying any technologies that could mitigate any adverse effects on the military operations identified”. The 2006 Defense Authorization Act called for DOD to submit a report to Congress on the effects of windmill farms on military readiness. In particular, the report sought to determine whether wind farms could interfere with military radar.
On March 21, 2006, DOD and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a joint interim policy on the proposed windmill locations which states, “The DOD/DHS Long Range Radar Joint Program Office Interim Policy is to contest any establishment of windmill farms within radar line of site of the National Air Defense and Homeland Security Radars.”
Shortly thereafter, the Midwest Regional Office of the FAA sent “notice of presumed hazard” letters to wind farm sites that they had determined are in the line of site. The FAA defined “in the line of site” as any windmill within a 60-mile radius of a radar center or radar tower.
By this definition, much of the nation is now in the radar line of site, and this interim policy had a sweeping effect that stalled or stopped wind energy projects across the country, including more than a dozen in the Midwest.
On June 2, 2006, Senators Durbin, Obama, Russ Feingold (D-WI), Herb Kohl (D-WI), Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Byron Dorgan (D-ND) wrote letters to officials at DOD and FAA voicing their support for the responsible development of wind power.
Although Wilkie is currently serving as the Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs, Durbin and Obama said they will block his official confirmation until DOD clarifies whether these sites will be able to operate. Without this certainty, potential investors fear that their resources could be lost.
[text of letter below]
September 7, 2006
The Honorable Donald H. Rumsfeld Secretary of Defense 1000 Defense Pentagon Washington, DC 20301-1000
Dear Secretary Rumsfeld:
We are writing concerning the ongoing study on the effects of wind energy projects on military readiness that the Department of Defense (DoD) is performing in response to Section 358 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006 (P.L. 109-163). The study was due no later than May 7, 2006, yet the Department has missed this deadline and no report, to date, has been released.
In March 2006, the DOD and Department of Homeland Security released an interim policy that resulted in the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) issuance of “Notices of Presumed Hazard” to wind projects located within a radar line of site of the National Air Defense and Homeland Security Radars. Many of the projects that received these notices are located in the Midwest.
Each day this report remains delinquent, these wind energy projects lose opportunities for new investment, and may not be able to meet deadlines for completion. Additionally, due the limited number of companies with expertise in windmill farm construction, the delay involving current projects indirectly affects a large number of proposed projects. As a result, wind development has been halted in its tracks, with the threat of permanent derailment.
Although we eagerly await the findings of the DOD study, we are concerned that the study will report on interference from wind turbines on radar systems, but will not adequately examine effective mitigation opportunities. Therefore, we are concerned about the impact of the report on overall wind production.
We ask that you immediately expedite the completion of this report and that the report include a clear articulation of any conflict between the windmill farms and military radar installations. This is necessary to provide clarity for the industry and allow these companies to move forward with their projects. We also ask that you ensure the report meets the requirements of the National Defense Authorization Act by identifying any technologies that could mitigate any adverse effects on the military operations identified.
We understand that the nomination of Mr. Robert L. Wilkie to be Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs for the Department of Defense (DoD) is pending before the Senate. We have placed a “hold” on this nomination because of the Department’s failure to meet the deadline for completion and release of the aforementioned congressionally mandated report.
We would appreciate your effort to release this long-awaited report prior to consideration of this nomination.
Sincerely,
Richard J. Durbin – United States Senator
Barack Obama – United States Senator
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