Carpinteria, Calif.-based Clipper Windpower Inc. has entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation to pursue joint wind energy development activities within the Colville Reservation in Washington state.
Under the terms of the agreement, Clipper and Colville will work together to identify efficient wind energy resource areas within tribal lands with the intention of developing future wind energy generation projects.
The agreement also provides the tribe with an opportunity to participate fully in the development process. The benefits of the relationship include the potential to own a large part of the project and to employ tribal members in the operation of the facility.
‘Our goal is to bring benefit to Colville while protecting and preserving our lands’ says Ernie Clark of the Colville Reservation.
In July 2008, wind resource studies were initiated by Clipper and Colville on tribal lands, including the installation of three 60-meter anemometer towers that will provide wind speed and direction data necessary for the completion of wind development feasibility assessments. Further pre-development feasibility studies, including thorough environmental impact assessments, will be conducted as development activities progress.
The Colville Indian Reservation spans 1.4 million acres in north central Washington. It is bordered to the east by the Okanogan River and to the west and south by Lake Roosevelt and the Columbia River.
SOURCE: Clipper Windpower Inc.
