Wyoming wind project approval faces scrutiny over eagle fatality data

The Wyoming Industrial Siting Council is scheduled to hold a formal hearing on August 31, 2026, regarding the application for the Laramie Range Wind Project. This proposed 650-megawatt project involves hundreds of turbines.

Concerns have been raised that an approval decision would be premature because essential environmental data regarding projected eagle fatalities is still being processed. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is responsible for predicting these numbers using a Collision Risk Model, but has not yet released the findings for this specific project.

The potential impact on golden eagles is a primary concern, as Wyoming is central to their population. Reports indicate that the golden eagle population in the region has declined by approximately 30% since wind development began two decades ago. There are calls for the Siting Council to wait for verified FWS calculations rather than relying on data provided by the project developer.