<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)">
<!--[if !mso]><style>v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style><![endif]--><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#0563C1;
text-decoration:underline;}
p.MsoNoSpacing, li.MsoNoSpacing, div.MsoNoSpacing
{mso-style-priority:1;
margin:0in;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang="EN-US" link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style="word-wrap:break-word">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><img width="113" height="114" style="width:1.177in;height:1.1875in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01D93A2E.A2FD0DA0" alt="A picture containing logo
Description automatically generated"></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-align:center">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;font-variant:small-caps;letter-spacing:1.5pt">Office of Governor Brad Little<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-align:center">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;font-variant:small-caps;letter-spacing:1.5pt">Office of Lieutenant Governor Scott Bedke<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-align:center">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;font-variant:small-caps;letter-spacing:1.5pt">Office of U.S. Senator Mike Crapo<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-align:center">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;font-variant:small-caps;letter-spacing:1.5pt">Office of U.S. Senator Jim Risch<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-align:center">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;font-variant:small-caps;letter-spacing:1.5pt">Office of Congressman Mike Simpson<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-align:center">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;font-variant:small-caps;letter-spacing:1.5pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-align:center">
<b><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;font-variant:small-caps;letter-spacing:1.5pt">NEWS RELEASE<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Feb. 6, 2023<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><u><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Little, Bedke, Crapo, Risch, Simpson raise concerns about Lava Ridge wind farm proposal on federal land<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Boise, Idaho – Governor Brad Little, Lt. Governor Scott Bedke, U.S. Senator Mike Crapo, U.S. Senator Jim Risch, and Congressman Mike Simpson jointly communicated deep
concerns to Idaho’s head of the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) about the Lava Ridge wind farm proposed in south-central Idaho.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">In a letter to Karen Kelleher, Idaho State Director for the BLM, the Idaho elected officials reiterated the lack of community support for the project.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">“Idahoans cherish the concept of multiple and mixed uses on their public lands. This requires conservation, predictability of use and, most importantly, support from
the local communities. These deep-rooted values are compromised by a piecemeal approach to large-scale generation projects on public lands. Dedicating hundreds of square miles of public lands to a specific use will have a long-term effect on recreation, grazing,
sporting uses and the land in general,” they said.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Last month, the BLM proposed two preferred alternatives as part of its Draft Environmental Impact Statement. The public comment period is open until March 21, 2023, and
Idahoans can obtain more information here: </span><a href="https://www.blm.gov/get-involved/resource-advisory-council/near-you/idaho/lava-ridge-subcommittee"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">https://www.blm.gov/get-involved/resource-advisory-council/near-you/idaho/lava-ridge-subcommittee</span></a><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">“<a name="_Hlk126237188">Affected farmers, ranchers, tribes, the Japanese American community, and sportsmen have voiced legitimate objections. As it stands today, the
local community predominantly has not shown support for this development</a>,” they continued.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The Idaho leaders also pointed to concerns that the project compromises fire suppression and sage-grouse habitat and potentially could impact existing electricity customers
and the integrated resource plans of Idaho utilities. They said project construction could damage transportation infrastructure and may impact the availability of labor and construction materials for other projects in the area.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">“We urge the BLM to reassess and refocus the process on working with the local communities to address the concerns outlined above,” they wrote. “If all of these concerns
are not addressed, it is unlikely we will be able to support this project moving forward.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Read the full letter from Little, Bedke, Crapo, Risch, and Simpson here:
<a href="https://gov.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/02.06.2023-Joint-Little-Bedke-Crapo-Risch-Simpson-letter-Lava-Ridge_final.pdf">
https://gov.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/02.06.2023-Joint-Little-Bedke-Crapo-Risch-Simpson-letter-Lava-Ridge_final.pdf</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"># # #</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>