Senate committee advances bill to require radar‑activated red lights on commercial wind farms

The Senate Resources & Environment Committee voted to advance House Bill 146, which would require new commercial wind energy conversion systems in Idaho to install radar‑activated light‑mitigation systems that keep red obstruction lights off at night except when aircraft are present.

Representative Jeff Ehlers, sponsor of the bill, told the committee the technology is proven and in use elsewhere and that it uses radar to detect aircraft and activate flashing lights only when needed. He said the bill requires Federal Aviation Administration approval for each system, gives new projects 24 months to install the technology, and would apply different timelines for existing projects. He asked the committee to consider changing the compliance period for existing commercial farms from 24 months to 60 months on the amending order; members agreed to send the bill to the fourteenth order for amendment.

Committee discussion covered who must seek FAA approval, cost, coverage, and which projects would be covered. Members confirmed the operator, developer, or owner would be responsible for applying to the FAA; in other states FAA responses have taken roughly 60 days, according to the sponsor. The company estimates provided to the sponsor described a fixed base radar system that costs about $1,000,000 and can cover roughly an 18‑nautical‑mile radius; a single installation can cover most Idaho wind farms, while very large projects (sponsor cited Lava Ridge as an example) might require two systems.

The bill's definition of “wind energy conversion system” sets the commercial threshold at five or more turbines; the sponsor said the intent is to focus on commercial farms and not on single hobbyist turbines. Several senators, including Senator Hart and Senator Taylor, questioned whether very tall single turbines should be treated differently and whether retrofit costs would be higher than installing the system during initial construction. Representative Ehlers and other proponents said the bulk of the cost is fixed for the radar base system and that retrofit and new installations have similar total costs in their estimates. Committee members also noted FAA approval could be withheld in certain circumstances — for example, near airports or military installations.

Senator Hart moved to send House Bill 146 to the fourteenth order for amendment; Senator Van Orden seconded. The committee approved the motion on a voice vote; the chair recorded the motion as carried. One senator asked to be recorded as opposed and said he reserved the right to vote differently on the floor.