Wyoming archaeology and conservation groups, an eagle expert and two Albany County residents are asking a judge to stop a federal energy bureau and the U.S. Energy Secretary from advancing a vital step in building up to 149 wind turbines in the southeastern Wyoming county.

The critics say the devices will kill eagles and bats, harass wildlife, blast the locals with constant noise, and mar the landscape and the skyline of the Ames Monument National Historic Landmark.

The $500 million Rail Tie Wind Project is a proposed utility scale wind energy system scheduled to be built in southern Albany County, with its turbines measuring 500 to 675 feet tall — about the height of the Seattle Space Needle. It’s estimated to span across about 26,000 acres, prompt the construction of 60 miles of new roads and 109 stream crossings, court documents say.

The Wyoming Association of Professional Archaeologists and Albany County Conservancy on Monday asked a federal court to intervene in a critical step of the build, along with wildlife biologist J. Michael Lockhart and Albany County residents Michelle White and Natalia Johnson.

They filed their action in the U.S. District Court for Wyoming against Western Area Power Administrator Tracey LeBeau and U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.

The Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) in 2022 issued a decision that will allow the project to graft into its high-voltage transmission lines.

That was based on “shallow” analysis of the turbines’ potential to kill eagles and bats, among other environmental and cultural harms, the petition alleges.

Neither WAPA nor the U.S. Department of Energy responded by publication time to email requests for comment.

Repsol, the company developing the Rail Tie Wind Project, is not named in Monday’s court action. The company did not immediately respond Friday to a late-day voicemail.

Ryan Semerad of the Fuller & Semerad Law Firm filed the petition on the concerned parties’ behalf. It asks the federal court to declare that WAPA’s decision authorizing a major step in the project violates federal laws and regulations, and to set it aside. The petition also asks the court to block the project’s progress until the WAPA has taken a more public-facing, receptive approach.

The groups and people challenging the action claim WAPA has held meetings in “secret,” floated undefined plans, avoided consultation and dodged meaningful conservation studies.

The petition also asks that WAPA and the Secretary of Energy pay the challengers’ attorney fees and grant any other “just and proper” action.

More Litigation

Monday’s filing is the latest in a yearslong conflict between the Rail Tie project and local residents.

In July, a group of residents near Tie Siding told Cowboy State Daily that they’ve put together a war chest of money to fight the wind energy project.

Deep-pocketed donors who live in the 4,300-acre Fish Creek Ranch Preserve have kicked in money to pay the legal bills to halt the Rail Tie project.

Otterbox founder Curt Richardson, who owns a cattle ranch in the area, and others have shown interest in the litigation. There are other big-name donors from the preserve who have contributed to the litigation war chest to fight Rail Tie.

There’s John Davis, a retired certified public accountant and lawyer from an Indianapolis water utility who built his dream cabin less than a mile from the border of Colorado in the foothills above the Laramie Plains.

Jim Grant also wants to see the project go away. He’s a well-known author who writes the thriller Jack Reacher novels under the pen name Lee Child and also lives near Tie Siding.

Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.

Clouds/chance of snow in western Wyoming on Friday. Generally sunny in the east. Winter storm advisories in some areas. Highs from the mid 20s to upper 40s. Lows from the single digits to upper 20s. 

Central:  

Casper:  Slight chance of snow after 5 p.m., otherwise mostly sunny and windy today with a high near 41 and wind gusts as high as 41 mph. Mostly cloudy overnight with a slight chance of snow before 7 p.m., a low near 29 and wind gusts as high as 21 mph.

Riverton:  Partly sunny and breezy today with a high near 39 and wind gusts as high as 23 mph. Partly cloudy overnight with a low near 17.

Shoshoni:  Increasing clouds today with a high near 39 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph. Partly cloudy overnight with a low near 16.

Southwest:  

Evanston:  Breezy, up to 2 inches of snow likely today with a high near 35 and wind gusts as high as 38 mph. Mostly cloudy overnight with a chance of snow mainly before 8 p.m., a low near 23 and wind gusts as high as 32 mph.

Green River:  Chance of snow and rain, patchy blowing snow after 3 p.m., breezy and increasing clouds today with a high near 35 and wind gusts as high as 34 mph. Mostly cloudy and breezy overnight with patchy blowing snow before 2 a.m., a low near 20 and wind gusts as high as 33 mph.

Lyman:  Snow likely, mostly cloudy and breezy today with a high near 38 and wind gusts as high as 36 mph. Mostly cloudy and breezy overnight with a chance of snow mainly before 8 p.m., a low near 26 and wind gusts as high as 37 mph.

Western Wyoming:  

Pinedale:  Winter storm watch from 11 p.m. tonight through Monday morning. Up to 3 inches of snow near certain today with a high near 26 and mostly cloudy overnight with a chance of snow mainly before 8 p.m. and a low near 14.

Alpine:  Winter storm warning in effect until 11 p.m. Winter storm watch from 11 p.m. tonight through Monday morning. Up to 7 inches of snow, heavy at times, mainly after 8 a.m., patchy fog before 9 a.m. and breezy today with a high near 32 and wind gusts as high as 24 mph. Up to 4 inches of snow likely overnight with a low near 22 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph.

Big Piney:  Up to 2 inches of snow mainly after 10 a.m. likely today with a high near 28 and mostly cloudy overnight with a slight chance of snow before 11 p.m. and a low near 7.

Northwest:  

Dubois:  Chance of snow mainly after 10 a.m., otherwise partly sunny and breezy today with a high near 33 and wind gusts as high as 31 mph. Partly cloudy and windy overnight with a chance of snow mainly before 11 p.m., patchy blowing snow, a low near 24 and wind gusts as high as 38 mph.

Jackson:  Winter weather advisory in effect through 11 p.m. tonight. Winter storm watch in effect from 11 p.m. tonight through Monday morning. Breezy, up to 4 inches of snow near certain today with a high near 31 and wind gusts as high as 23 mph. Mostly cloudy and breezy overnight with a chance of up to 3 inches of snow mainly before 8 p.m., a low near 20 and wind gusts as high as 23 mph.

Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park:  Winter weather advisory in effect through 11 p.m. tonight. Winter storm watch in effect from 11 p.m. tonight through Monday morning. Up to 3 inches of snow likely, patchy fog before 9 a.m. today with a high near 28 and wind gusts as high as 21 mph. Mostly cloudy overnight with a chance of snow mainly after 2 a.m., a low near 16 and wind gusts as high as 21 mph.

Bighorn Basin:  

Thermopolis:  Increasing clouds and breezy today with a high near 42 and wind gusts as high as 26 mph. Partly cloudy overnight with a low near 20.

Cody:  Increasing clouds and breezy today with a high near 41 and wind gusts as high as 24 mph. Mostly cloudy and breezy overnight with a low near 28 and wind gusts as high as 26 mph.

Greybull:  Mostly sunny today with a high near 40 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 20.

North Central:  

Buffalo:  Mostly sunny today with a high near 42 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 27.

Sheridan:  Increasing clouds today with a high near 48 and mostly cloudy overnight with a low near 22.

Ranchester:  Increasing clouds today with a high near 45 and mostly cloudy overnight with a low near 23.

Northeast:  

Gillette:  Mostly sunny today with a high near 44 and wind gusts as high as 22 mph. Partly cloudy overnight with a low near 25 and wind gusts as high as 18 mph.

Sundance:  Sunny today with a high near 38 and wind gusts as high as 17 mph. Partly cloudy overnight with a low near 26.

Upton:  Sunny today with a high near 42 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 19.

Eastern Plains:  

Torrington:  Sunny and breezy today with a high near 48 and wind from 10-20 mph. Gradually becoming mostly clear overnight with a low near 26.

Douglas:   Mostly sunny and breezy today with a high near 44 and wind gusts as high as 35 mph. Mostly cloudy and breezy overnight with a low near 23 and wind gusts as high as 30 mph.

Midwest:  Mostly sunny and breezy today with a high near 42 and wind gusts as high as 33 mph. Partly cloudy overnight with a low near 25.

Southeast:  

Cheyenne:  Increasing clouds and breezy today with a high near 43 and wind gusts as high as 35 mph. Gradually clearing and blustery overnight with a slight chance of snow, a low near 28 and wind gusts as high as 35 mph.

Laramie:  Slight chance of snow after 4 p.m., increasing clouds and breezy today with a high near 38 and wind gusts as high as 35 mph. Breezy, gradually becoming partly cloudy overnight with a chance of snow, a low near 24 and wind gusts as high as 40 mph.

Pine Bluffs:  Sunny and breezy today with a high near 48 and wind gusts as high as 35 mph. Blustery, gradually becoming mostly clear overnight with a low near 25 and wind gusts as high as 30 mph.

South Central:  

Rawlins:  Chance of snow, increasing clouds and windy today with a high near 35 and wind gusts as high as 45 mph. Mostly cloudy and windy overnight with a chance of snow, a low near 26 and wind gusts as high as 45 mph.

Encampment:  Chance of up to 2 inches of snow mainly after 2 p.m., patchy blowing snow after 11 a.m., increasing clouds and breezy today with a high near 34 and wind gusts as high as 35 mph. Up to 2 inches of snow near certain, windy, patchy blowing snow after 10 p.m. overnight with a low near 26 and wind gusts as high as 40 mph.

Wamsutter:  Chance of snow mainly after 9 a.m., increasing clouds and breezy today with a high near 33 and wind gusts as high as 37 mph. Mostly cloudy and breezy overnight with a low near 22 and wind gusts as high as 34 mph.