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Committee agrees to introduce bill letting wind farms use radar-activated aircraft lights
Summary
The House Transportation Committee voted to introduce RS 32‑138, a bill that would allow wind farms to use radar-activated lighting systems that keep obstruction lights off unless aircraft are nearby; the measure was introduced by Representative Jeff Ehlers and the committee approved introduction by voice vote.
Representative Jeff Ehlers, R‑Meridian, asked the House Transportation Committee to introduce RS 32‑138, a measure to permit wind farms to install radar‑activated aircraft lighting systems that keep red obstruction lights off until an aircraft enters a defined radius.
The proposal would allow wind projects to seek Federal Aviation Administration approval and would give operators up to 24 months to install the detection systems, Ehlers told the committee. "Imagine living in the same house for 40 or 50 years, and then a windmill farm is, placed very close to your house, and they have the blinking red lights that now come into your, windows in the evening," he said.
The bill’s sponsor said the technology uses radar to detect aircraft and then turns the lights on for safety only while aircraft are nearby. "There’s now technology using radar to detect that so they can leave the lights off. When a radar gets within the, proposed radius, the bridal lights will turn on for safety," Ehlers said. He added that 10 states have already allowed similar systems and that he would arrange for a company representative to answer technical questions at a later hearing.
Representative Nicholson moved to introduce RS 32‑138; the committee approved introduction by voice vote and no opposition was recorded in the committee transcript. The transcript does not record a roll‑call tally.
Why it matters: the bill attempts to balance aviation safety and local livability by allowing equipment that limits night‑time blinking lights while maintaining an FAA safety standard. If the committee holds a public hearing, the sponsor said he would invite a vendor to discuss how the radar systems operate and how FAA approval is obtained.
The committee did not take final action on the underlying policy; introduction sends the measure toward a future public hearing where technical details, FAA requirements and any fiscal impacts would be discussed further.
