BLM Approves First 500 Turbines for Wyoming Wind Project

Jan. 18, 2017

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recently announced the approval of the first 500 wind turbines for the Chokecherry Sierra Madre Wind Energy Project, the first phase of a two-phase proposed project that would build up to 1,000 wind turbines on almost 220,000 acres south of Rawlins, Wyoming. The project is expected to support 1,200 jobs at peak construction and is also expected to create more than 100 permanent positions in operations and maintenance. Phase I of the project is estimated to generate almost $200 million in property tax revenue during construction and over the first 20 years of operation. The project is also estimated to contribute $116 million from sales taxes and $118 million from a state wind-electricity tax over 20 years.