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A controversial Idaho wind farm was OK’d last month: Now it’s on hold

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A controversial Idaho wind farm was OK’d last month: Now it’s on hold


Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

President Donald Trump signed dozens of executive orders shortly after his inauguration, including one that rolled back the recent approval of a controversial wind farm in south-central Idaho.

Trump signed a temporary order that prompted an immediate review of federal wind leasing and permitting regulations, and specifically halted any activity on the Lava Ridge Wind Project north of Twin Falls. The order said the project, which the Bureau of Land Management approved in December after more than three years of discussion and analysis, “is allegedly contrary to the public interest and suffers from legal deficiencies.”

The order directed the new Interior secretary to review the final BLM analysis and conduct any additional review or environmental impact studies as needed. Trump’s pick for that post, former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, has not yet been confirmed.

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The Lava Ridge project, which proposed building as many as 230 wind turbines up to 660 feet tall to provide clean energy, was proposed by Magic Valley Energy. The company said the project could power half a million homes and create jobs for Idaho residents. Magic Valley Energy has also proposed a wind farm on federal land southwest of Twin Falls. That project, Salmon Falls, is still in early stages.

The Idaho Statesman reached out to Magic Valley Energy for comment on the executive order.

The project was criticized by multiple groups and politicians. Perhaps the most outspoken was the Friends of Minidoka, a nonprofit focused on the preservation of the Minidoka National Historic Site, which was an internment camp for imprisoned Japanese Americans during World War II.

The group said the wind turbines—which would be visible from the historic site northeast of Twin Falls—disturbed the historic view-shed and made it impossible for visitors to understand the true isolation of the camp. In a statement Tuesday, Friends of Minidoka Executive Director Robyn Achilles told the Statesman the group is “pleased” that the project is on hold.

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“The proposed Lava Ridge wind development should be stopped and the area outside of Minidoka should be protected from future energy development that harms the viewshed of the park,” Achilles said.

Lava Ridge also drew criticism from local politicians in Twin Falls and Jerome, as well as ranchers with existing grazing leases on the proposed wind farm site. Idaho’s congressional delegation, all Republicans, were also outspoken critics.

In a statement, Idaho Sen. Jim Risch’s office said the longtime lawmaker co-wrote the executive order with the Trump administration.

“I made a promise to Idahoans that I would not rest until the Lava Ridge Wind Project was terminated. On day one, President Donald Trump took action to keep that promise,” Risch said in a news release.

Sen. Mike Crapo, as well as Reps. Mike Simpson and Russ Fulcher, also applauded the executive order.

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“The Lava Ridge Wind Project is unwelcome and has zero place in our state,” Simpson said in a statement.

Not all Idahoans opposed the project. The Idaho Conservation League, a longtime environmental advocacy group, backed the project last year after the BLM opted for a scaled-down version of the wind farm amid complaints. Adrian Gallo, the group’s climate program manager, said in a report that Lava Ridge “is not perfect, but it is necessary.”

2025 The Idaho Statesman. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Citation:
A controversial Idaho wind farm was OK’d last month: Now it’s on hold (2025, January 22)
retrieved 22 January 2025
from https://techxplore.com/news/2025-01-controversial-idaho-farm-okd-month.html

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Idaho

Idaho is in for a streak of clear skies next week

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Idaho is in for a streak of clear skies next week


After a round of showers came through this week, the Gem State is staying dry and clear for next week.

Temperatures finally started to feel winter-like as we take a tumble this weekend. Consistent 40’s the highs, and 20’s the lows.

Conditions on the valley floors are not expected to get past the mid 40’s. Showers appear to be nonexistent for the next 7 to 10 days.

We will also see some air stagnation in our area, meaning that as a high-pressure ridge moves in, not too much change is expected in the air. So, air quality may take a bit of a fall.

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Not much more than cold and dry air is on the way for Idaho, but at least the sun will shine for most of the forecast.

Have a great weekend and stay warm!





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Interstate 84 near Mountain Home back open after utility work

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Interstate 84 near Mountain Home back open after utility work


MOUNTAIN HOME, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — Interstate 84 near Mountain Home is back open after crews closed the freeway due to utility work.

Crews closed westbound and eastbound lanes on Saturday morning from milepost 90 to milepost 95 due to Idaho Power working on power lines in the area, according to the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office. All lanes are now back open in both directions.

The sheriff’s office and the Mountain Home Police Department apologized for the inconvenience, saying they were just informed of the closure on Saturday morning.

More information regarding road closures and traffic conditions can be found at the Idaho Transportation Department’s 511 map.

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Idaho murder victims’ families file wrongful death lawsuit against Washington State University

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Idaho murder victims’ families file wrongful death lawsuit against Washington State University


The families of the four University of Idaho students killed in a brutal 2022 stabbing attack have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Washington State University (WSU), alleging the school ignored repeated warning signs about Bryan Kohberger.

The civil complaint, filed Jan. 7 in Skagit County Superior Court, was brought by Steve Goncalves, father of Kaylee Goncalves; Karen Laramie, mother of Madison Mogen; Jeffrey Kernodle, father of Xana Kernodle; and Stacy Chapin, mother of Ethan Chapin.

The lawsuit accuses WSU of gross negligence, wrongful death and violations of federal education laws, including Title IX. The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified monetary damages.

Attorney Robert Clifford, senior partner at Clifford Law Offices, said that the decision to leave damages “unspecified” is a strategic norm in high-stakes litigation because it prevents the focus from shifting towards sensationalism and keeps the decision firmly in the hands of the jury.

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“Ultimately, that’s to be determined and answered by the jury,” said Clifford, who is not involved in the lawsuit. “But you have some compelling facts and the liability is going to depend on the strength of what the school knew.”

The brother and parents of Kaylee Goncalves speak after Bryan Kohberger’s sentencing hearing at the Ada County Courthouse on July 23, 2025. Reuters
Bryan Kohberger in police custody after his arrest in December 2022. Moscow Police Department
Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle were found dead inside an off-campus apartment in Moscow, Idaho.

Despite Kohberger’s guilty plea in the murders, Clifford explained the civil case remains strong because the families face a lower burden of proof – requiring only a preponderance of evidence to establish the university’s liability.

“The mere fact that he pled guilty might not even be admissible in the civil proceeding because he’s not the defendant, right? If he is a defendant in the civil proceeding, then his plea of guilty will be important. And indeed, this school might try to use that to say, ‘See, it wasn’t our fault. He admits that it was his fault.’ But the bar is different for someone in a criminal proceeding than it is in a civil proceeding.”

According to the lawsuit, WSU hired Kohberger as a teaching assistant in its criminal justice and criminology department and provided him with a salary, tuition benefits, health insurance and on-campus housing.

The victims’ families allege the university had extensive authority over Kohberger’s conduct but failed to act despite mounting concerns.

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Here’s the latest coverage on Bryan Kohberger:


The complaint says WSU received at least 13 formal reports accusing Kohberger of threatening, stalking, harassing or predatory behavior toward female students and staff during the fall 2022 semester. The families argue university officials did not meaningfully investigate those complaints or remove Kohberger from campus before the murders – even though they had the authority to do so.

The lawsuit also alleges that the university failed to use its own threat-assessment systems designed to identify individuals who pose a risk of violence, even as concerns about Kohberger escalated. Instead, the families claim, the university continued to employ him, house him and give him access to students.

“The murders were foreseeable and preventable,” the complaint states, alleging WSU prioritized avoiding legal and reputational risk over student safety.

Madison Mogen’s mother, Karen Laramie, and stepfather, Scott Laramie, leave the courthouse after Bryan Kohberger’s sentencing hearing. Reuters
Bryan Kohberger appears at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho, on July 23, 2025. Getty Images

The lawsuit also alleges broad failures within the public university, including alleged dysfunction within campus police and compliance officers who are responsible for handling accusations of misconduct, including sexual harassment and stalking.

Kohberger pleaded guilty in July 2025 to four counts of first-degree murder and burglary. He was sentenced to four consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole.

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Prosecutors said Kohberger stabbed the four students in the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022, inside an off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho, just miles from the WSU campus in Pullman, Washington.

Karen Laramie, mother of Madison Mogan, and Kristi Goncalves, Kaylee Goncalves’ mother, embrace after the sentencing hearing for their daughters’ murderer. Reuters
Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania in December 2022 following a multi-state investigation.

Authorities linked him to the crime through DNA evidence, surveillance video and cellphone data showing repeated late-night trips near the victims’ home.

WSU has not yet filed a response to the lawsuit. Fox News Digital has reached out to WSU for comment.

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