Protecting Minidoka from Commercial Energy Development:
Racial Justice & Renewable Energy
Minidoka National Historic Site is being threatened by a massive and dense wind project by LS Power, a New York private equity firm.
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For 20 years, Minidoka National Historic Site has told the painful stories of the forced incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II and serves as an important reminder of the fragility of our democratic values and ideals. Currently, park visitors experience an immersive learning experience and a sense of isolation and remoteness due to the sweeping vistas of surrounding lands and distant mountains.
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We strongly believe that Racial Justice & Renewable Energy can co-exist, but the proposed Lava Ridge project fails to provide a responsible and reasonable plan that respects and protects Minidoka and the lessons it imparts.
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Currently, Friends of Minidoka is following the policies and processes required by the National Environmental Protection Act when a proposal is submitted to the BLM. As a Consulting Party, we are engaged in the NEPA Section 106 process with multiple stakeholders to identify and assess the proposed project impact on Cultural & Historical Resources with the Bureau of Land Management.
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The National Park Service states that the proposed Lava Ridge project "will fundamentally change the psychological and physical feelings of remoteness and isolation one experiences when visiting Minidoka NHS."
Photo Courtesy: Minidoka Pilgrimage Planning Committee/Ryan Kozu
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The Threat to Minidoka NHS​
LS Power’s project encroaches on the historic footprint of Minidoka and will be one of the largest wind projects on US soil:
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400 wind towers, 340 of which would be visible from the park’s new visitor center.
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14 towers located on the historic footprint, including within two miles of the park.
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Each tower could be as tall as 740 feet (taller than the Seattle Space Needle), with turbine blades exceeding the wingspan of a Boeing 747 and would exceed the height of any existing towers in our country.
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Creating a visual wall of towers and spinning blades that would dominate 114 degrees of the park's 360 degree viewshed.
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Noise, light and other significant impacts on the park and other resources.
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LS Power’s project will forever alter the immersive, commemorative and healing experience of the site and dishonors the legacy of Japanese Americans who were wrongly incarcerated during WWII:
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The project will impair Minidoka's fundamental resources and values as a place to experience the incarceration story through the park's immersive setting.
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Minidoka is a sacred place for commemoration and healing -- survivors and their descendants from all over the country make a pilgrimage to Minidoka each summer.
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Seventy-six years after the closing of Minidoka, we continue to fight AAPI hate and systemic racism. Minidoka is vital to pass on these lessons in civil liberties to future generations.
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Righting a Wrong​
Since 1976, Congress and Presidents of both parties have taken official actions to acknowledge that the incarceration of Japanese Americans was a gross violation of civil rights. This includes the Civil Liberties Act signed by President Reagan in 1988 and the formal apology by President George H.W. Bush in 1990. Every President since President George H.W. Bush has taken action to preserve and interpret sites of incarceration.
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In 2020, President Biden ran for President on four pillars: Fighting climate change; Advancing racial justice; Creating jobs; and Defeating the pandemic. As expressed through multiple Executive Orders and policy statements in early 2021, President Biden stated his goals for clean energy and racial and environmental justice, along with process requirements to engage stakeholders in the process to ensure that Administration achieves both goals.
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Racial Justice & Renewable Energy
We believe that goals of racial justice and of renewable energy can co-exist. However, LS Power failed to follow Biden Administration policies and processes and did not engage with Friends of Minidoka or other members of the Japanese American community prior to submitting their proposal to the Bureau of Land Management. If LS Power’s project is approved, it will mark a step backward in the U.S. government’s acknowledgment that the incarceration was wrong.
Currently, Friends of Minidoka is following the policies and processes required by the National Environmental Protection Act when a proposal is submitted to the BLM:
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We are fully engaged in the NEPA Section 106 process as a Consulting Party with the BLM to identify and assess the impact on Cultural & Historical Resources.
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We urge BLM to work with the National Park Service to develop alternatives that preserve the fundamental resources and values and do not impair the commemorative, healing and immersive experience and lessons of Minidoka National Historic Site.
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We seek permanent protections for Minidoka National Historic Site’s viewshed and of the historical footprint to ensure this story of American history is preserved for future generations.
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