20110315Comments.pdf

Jean Jewell
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Sent:
To:
Subject:
joshbeardall~gmail.com
Monday, March 14, 2011 1 :06 PM
Jean Jewell; Beverly Barker; Gene Fadness
PUC Comment Form
A Comment from Josh Beardall follows:
Case Number: IPC-10-E-59/IPC-10-E-60 (Rainbow Ranch Wind/Rainbow West Wind)
Name: Josh Beardall
Address:
Ci ty: Rexburg
State: Idaho
Zip:
Daytime Telephone:
Contact E-Mail: joshbeardall~gmail.com
Name of Utility Company: Idaho Power
Acknowledge: acknowledge
Please describe your comment briefly:
My name is Josh Beardall. I have been an Idaho resident for my entire 25 year life. Though
I am young, I am a very driven and progress oriented person. Throughout my life I have
watched renewable energy become a valuable resource allover the World. I feel like the
United States has been a bit behind the curve when it comes to
renewables, especially wind. I am writing you this today concerning
two projects: (1) Rainbow Ranch Wind, (2) Rainbow West Wind. I have been personally and
professionally involved with these projects since their birth. It seems there is infinite
opposition from the powers that be when one is trying to put projects like these together.
Somehow by the grace of God we have seemingly trudged through all opposition, there is though
sometimes it has been neck deep. There is one thing I want to convey before I get into the
speci fics of why I
believe these PPA i S should be approved. Our team is not interested
in having a negative, rough road (fight) type of story. We want to look back on this and say
that our team and the utilities came together to find a solution that benefits us the
consumer, the planet now, and the future.
These two projects are very unique in how they are structured from a financial/investment
prospective as well as the overall business model. Other states such as Minnesota
successfully installed projects like these and it has proven to work very well for the
landowner as well as the local community. Rainbow Ranch Wind and Rainbow West Wind are not
the typical wind proj ects that you see in Idaho. Normally, a developer comes in and ties up
the land via land lease with a rancher or farmer, puts all the necessary pieces together,
then flips the project to the so called "giants" of the wind industry. The "Giants i
then can come in with all of their resources and horse power and get the project/projects to
commercial operation. They bring in the equity, the long term money, and contractors from
out of state (or even out of country) to build these projects. All the profits go elsewhere
and don i t stimulate the local economy much at all, besides maybe some property tax. Which
don't get me wrong, prop. tax is worth something; but imagine a pair of proj ects totally
geared towards stimulating the local economy. Local tax equity to local bank financing all
the way down to local contractors and even turbines made in the USA. Also it is actually
owned by the rancher who currently runs a cattle operation on it to this day. All of that
literally brings a tear to my eye to think of how the trickledown effect will help so many
people not just in Cassia County but all around the state of Idaho. It would prove that a
business plan that involves a local rancher actually owning their own wind project can and
will work and help the local community tremendously. We can break the typical business and
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ownership structures of wind projects in Idaho with these two projects and we can stop
watching $$ flow out of our state and out of our country for that matter. Let's just face
it, the better the middle class rancher, the local contractor, the banker or whomever, the
better a large circle of people around them grow and do better as well. To me that sounds
like economic stimulation. It's music to my ears as a young business man trying to do my
part to help the economy.
In addition to all the benefits previously noted, there are countless environmental reasons
as to why we should install as many wind turbines, hydro dams, geothermal plants, and solar
panels as we can.
I am young, but I remember a day when the United States was the ultimate power house when it
came to many things. In my eyes we still are in many areas but there are a few we have
fallen behind in:
ECONOMY and RENEWABLE ENERGY. President Obama said, in the most recent state of the union.
We have to step our game up and be more innovative and creative and begin to find new ways to
grow small business and focus more on education. We have planned from day one to put a new
research center. A center with dormitories and all the tech trimmings needed for local
schools and universities to study turbines, wind forecasting, energy storage, weather, and a
whole list of other educational benefits. We would love nothing more than to help further
educate my generation and my children i s generation on usage of the clean resources and to use
knowledge given to us by God to its full potential.
In Addition to all of the positive things about these two projects, the bottom line is that
these two PPA'S were signed before December 14th by our team, and signed on December 14th by
the utility. The odd thing about it is that they waited tell the 16th to submit them to you
~ the ¡PUC. There is something not right about this. All parties involved know it.
In closing, please approve these proj ects for the reasons listed as well as for our planet.
I' m fairly confident that the earth will be able to absorb more of the same garbage and
gasses we are putting in the air we breathe and the land we eat & drink for at least for the
rest of my life. I am not so sure that it is resilient enough to handle it at the rate
pollution and population is growing throughout my children i s and their children i s lives. If
we don i t start being as innovative as possible right now then who will? Like IBM said 'let i s
build a smarter planet' and let' s work together to find solutions... I trust the IPUC will
take all things into consideration on these two projects and make the correct ethical
decision.
Respectfully,
Josh Beardall
(Rainbow Ranch Wind/Rainbow West Wind)208.419.9510
Joshbeardall~gmail. com
The form submitted on http://www. puc. idaho .gov/forms/ipuc1/ipuc. html
IP address is 174.45.46.222
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Jean Jewell
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Sent:
To:
Subject:
bdbeardall~q.com
Tuesday, March 15, 2011 2:59 AM
Jean Jewell; Beverly Barker; Gene Fadness
PUC Comment Form
A Comment from Bryce B. follows:
Case Number: IPC-10-E-59/IPC-10-E-60
Name: Bryce B.
Address: p.o.box 695
City: Rexburg
State: Idaho
Zip:
Daytime Telephone:
Contact E-Mail: bdbeardall~g.com
Name of Utility Company: Idaho Power
Acknowledge: acknowledge
Please describe your comment briefly:
To whom it may concern;
The rainbow ranch wind projects need their PPA contracts to be approved. These projects are
the vision of a local cattle rancher on his private property, which will remain a dual use
property.
Cattle ranching and clean and green energy! The location of the said projects will not
affect any home owners or neighboring land owners.
These wind farms can only be viewed as a positive impact on IDAHO'S economy, and as a leader
for clean energy projects as far as breaking the standard mold they are usually built with.
All of the contractors, turbines, and financing, are produced in the U. S. not many wind
projects get put together like that, especially in Idaho. This project is going to employ
100' s of local people during the pre-construction process as well as the actual construction
process, and will require many full time jobs for Idaho residents as well as incredible
learning opportunities for local students in the future. I i m in total support of these wind
projects. Please approve these contracts.
Bryce B.
Rexburg, ID.
208.356.4345
The form submitted on http://www.puc.idaho.gov/forms/ipucl/ipuc.html
IP address is 174.45.37.165
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Jean Jewell
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
piketeinert~appraisal-resource. com
Monday, March 14,201111:21 AM
Jean Jewell; Beverly Barker; Gene Fadness
PUC Comment Form
A Comment from Pike Teinert follows:
Case Number: .zPc.-£ -/0 -5"1 :;Pc.-f5 -10 - ~O
Name: Pike Teinert J
Address:
City: Boise
State: Idaho
Zip:
Daytime Telephone:
Contact E-Mail: piketeinert~appraisal-resource.com
Name of Utility Company: Idao Power COmpany
Acknowledge: acknowledge
Please describe your comment briefly:
Your approval of the American Wind Group' s community wind energy projects at Rainbow Ranch
is critical for the local community and Idaho rate payers. These two community renewable
energy projects are Idaho owned, the local land owners are helping develop the projects and
they will be part owners when the two projects are complete and operating. These two projects
offer a significant benefit to the Southern Idaho regional economy.
The Rainbow Ranch projects also provide locations for additional renewable resources like
solar, and bio-fuel and these and possibly other future renewable projects will already have
grid connections and some delivery capacity from the Rainbow Ranch site. Overall, these and
other renewable energy projects throughout Idaho provide new and more grid capacity for Idaho
Power and offer some relief for Idaho Power's constrained delivery system.
Idaho currently imports more energy than it exports thus making it an energy dependent state.
Communi ty wind farms help Idaho move towards energy independence and allows Idaho to better
control its energy future.
Existing nuclear capacity in the US may be negatively impacted by Japan's nuclear problems
subsequent to the recent earthquake. Now is not the time for Idaho to scale back qpportuni ty
to increase its proven renewable wind energy capacity.
The form submitted on http://www . puc. idaho. gov /forms/ipuc1/ipuc. html
IP address is 96.18.111.189
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Jean Jewell
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
hcarpent~atcnet. net
Tuesday, March 15, 20117:57 AM
Jean Jewell; Beverly Barker; Gene Fadness
PUC Comment Form
A Comment from Heber Carpenter follows:
Case Number: IPC-E-10-59 RAINBOW RANCH WIND
Name: Heber Carpenter
Address: Box 617
City: Malta
State: ID
Zip: 83342
Daytime Telephone: [phone]
Contact E-Mail: hcarpent~atcnet.net
Name of Utility Company: Raft River Rural Electric Co-op
Acknowledge: acknowledge
Please describe your comment briefly:
To Whom it may concern:
Raft River Rural Electric is the electrical utility which serves the area that the above
mentioned projects are located. We would like to offer our support for both of these local
projects and the economic development that it would bring to the area.
The form submitted on http://www . puc. idaho. gov /forms/ipucl/ipuc. html
IP address is 216.180.179.10
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