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27 SOW hosts wind energy development town hall meeting

  • Published
  • By Desiree Ann Montenegro
  • 27th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  Approximately 150 regional residents and landowners attended a town hall meeting at the Cannon Air Force Base Theater Jan. 30, 2013, to discuss wind turbine development near the base.

The meeting was organized by the 27th Special Operations Wing per request of the Curry County Commission after a Local Growth Management Committee meeting in December 2012. Col. Buck Elton, 27 SOW commander, explained Cannon's role in assessing wind turbine development proposals in the local area.

Elton took the opportunity to clear up misconceptions regarding Cannon's alleged objection to wind energy development and reinforced the fact that the 27 SOW, the U.S. Air Force and the Department of Defense are staunch supporters of the robust development of renewable energy sources.

During the meeting, the Federal Aviation Administration and DoD process for vetting wind energy proposals was covered. Elton explained that, upon request, Cannon would evaluate a proposal based on a set criteria provided by the FAA. After coordination with Higher Headquarters, the base would return its findings to the requesting authority noting any potential impacts a proposal may have on 27 SOW operations.

Elton stressed that Cannon has absolutely no decision making authority to stop or deny any development projects.

Some common questions from the meeting have been included below:

What area surrounding Cannon should be considered "off limits" for wind turbine development?

- There is no specific area or distance because each case is dependent upon the specific development being proposed. The FAA provides a notional circumference that extends 12 miles around the base. However, that circumference is not an all-encompassing boundary. There are multiple factors, such as aircraft holding patterns and established military training routes that extend well beyond the boundary of the base, that may have to be considered depending on the aspects of development being proposed.

What is the minimum altitude that Cannon planes fly?

- Five hundred feet is the general rule, with the exception of flying in non-populated or undeveloped areas. In those cases, 27 SOW aircraft may operate at lower altitudes in accordance with FAA guidelines.

If the base does assess that a project may present a potential impact to operations, how does the mitigation process work?

- Mitigation for Cannon is not the same as mitigation for an individual land owner. What Cannon would try to do is provide a list of steps that could be taken to alleviate potential impacts to training and mission readiness. In some cases it may be as simple as shortening a turbine's blade height by 50 feet, or moving out a mile from an area which the base would need to access. Some recommendations made may not be acceptable to the developer, land owner, or the base for that matter. In those cases, the process would transition from informal to more formal and involve coordination with higher levels of government.

Will the DoD Clearinghouse directly communicate with developers or landowners?

-Yes. The Clearinghouse will engage directly with developers, landowners and local government to communicate further information. They have an email, website and several other venues to make them publically accessible. Formal or informal, there are many ways to contact the DoD Clearinghouse. The Office of the Secretary of Defense Clearinghouse website has many useful tools, briefings and links.

Is the description available on the FAA Obstruction Evaluation Airport Airspace Analysis website regarding safe, efficient use of the navigable airspace current?

-Yes. Some of these tools online can be used to make initial and preliminary impact assessments such as Long Range Radar, Next-Generation Radar and impact to military operations. These three different categories are helpful tools, but by no means definitive. Additional factors may or may not be included in preliminary assessment tools.

For more information about what was covered in the town hall meeting click here.

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