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**c/o RESOLVE, Inc.**

**1255 23rd Street NW, Suite 275, Washington, DC 20037**

**202.944.2300 / 202.338.1264 fax**

**8 8 8 . 7 6 4 . W I N D**

**nwcc@resolv.org / www.nationalwind.org**

**COLLABORATIVE OBJECTIVES**

The National Wind Coordinating Committee (NWCC), a U.S. consensus-based
collaborative formed in 1994, identifies issues that affect the use of
wind power, establishes dialogue among key stakeholders, and catalyzes
activities to support the development of environmentally, economically,
and politically sustainable commercial markets for wind power. NWCC
members include representatives from a broad spectrum of interests (see
membership below). All NWCC business, including meetings and topic
specific workshops, white papers, member listings, and other wind
related events are available on the NWCC web site,
*[www.nationalwind.org]{.underline}*.

NWCC's activities are designed to explore and address issues. At this
time the NWCC focuses on:

-   Wind energy electrical transmission and utility system integration
    issues;

-   Opportunities for self-sustaining wind generation within the
    regulatory, legislative, power marketing, economic development, and
    agricultural communities;

-   Environmental and siting issues related to wind power, including
    wildlife impacts and land use considerations;

-   Opportunities for wind in the credit trading and green power
    markets.

**NWCC MEMBERSHIP**

The NWCC's broad, balanced membership is one of its key strengths. The
NWCC consists of\
supporters of wind energy as well as those who see potential concerns
with development. Members provide diverse perspectives and represent the
following sectors:

-   Electric Utilities & Support Organizations

-   Environmental Organizations

-   Power Marketers

-   Wind Industry

-   State Utility Regulators and Energy Officials

-   State Legislatures

-   Consumer Advocate Offices

-   Agriculture, and Economic Development Organizations

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-   Local, Regional, Tribal, State & Federal Agencies

Affiliations of current NWCC members are listed below. *RESOLVE
INC***,** a non-profit dispute resolution organization, manages and
facilitates the NWCC.

**CURRENT NWCC ACTIVITIES AND OUTREACH INITIATIVES**

The NWCC conducts research and workshops to promote dialogue on key
issues related to wind power. Current initiatives include exploring
economic development opportunities for rural wind power, addressing
electrical transmission issues, improving wind facility siting and
permitting standards, promoting dialogue and awareness of wildlife
impacts, and researching credit trading programs and providing education
on its potential to benefit wind energy.

The NWCC has published over a dozen different white papers, case studies
or resource documents. To obtain copies of any documents, see the NWCC
catalogue from the NWCC Web Site, *[www.nationalwind.org]{.underline}*
or contact NWCC staff at 1-888-764-WIND. All papers are free to download
off the website. Topics covered in these papers include:

-   Wind Energy Issues

-   Wind Energy Environmental Issues

-   Siting Issues for Wind Power Plants

-   Wind Energy Resources

-   The Effect of Wind Energy Development on State and Local Economies

-   Utility Procurement of Wind Resources

-   Wind in a Restructured Electric Industry

-   Incorporating Wind into Resource Portfolios

-   Wind Energy Transmission & Utility Integration

-   Wind Performance Characteristics

-   Wind Energy Costs

-   Economic Development opportunities and costs, and

-   Distributed Model for delivery of electricity

NWCC member organizations distribute these publications to their
constituent groups.

**ELECTRIC TRANSMISSION AND WIND ISSUES**

The NWCC explores issues associated with the rapidly changing rules on
electricity transmission, the affect on wind power development, and
opportunities for stakeholders from a cross spectrum of interests. The
NWCC has developed a set of consensus principles for regional
transmission organization planners as they adjust to the new regulatory
and decision making structure established under the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission's Order 2000.

NWCC has released a technical scoping paper, *Wind Energy System
Operation and Transmission Issues Related to Restructuring*, and a
follow-on report, *Transmitting Wind Energy: Issues and Options in
Competitive Electric Markets*. Together these papers raise electric
system operation and transmission-related issues of special importance
to existing and new wind resources and address how changing markets and
new policies challenge development of wind resources.

The Transmission Work Group has also released *Wind Power Transmission
Case Studies Project,* a series of cases studies focusing on three key
transmission issues for wind energy: Policy and Pricing in Texas ERCOT;
Virtual Wheeling; and Transmission System Improvements in the Upper
Midwest and Great Plains. The Work Group is currently working on a set
of transmission issue briefs that discuss time scheduling, balancing
markets, congestion management, planning and interconnection.

The Transmission Work Group is also engaging stakeholders in the FERC's
Regional Transmission Organization (RTO) rulemaking process. The Work
Group educates stakeholders on wind energy transmission issues through
expert workshops held in various regions of the country including the
west and Midwest, information dissemination, and bi-monthly issue
updates on wind-related RTO developments.

**WIND POWER FACILITY SITING**

The NWCC Siting Work Group has served as a forum for the discussion of
siting issues, such as environmental impacts, permitting approaches and
zoning questions. Addressing both process and substantive considerations
related to wind turbine siting; the Work Group has published the
*Permitting of Wind Energy Facilities: A Handbook*. This guide is
intended to help decision-makers assure necessary environmental
protection and respond to public needs -- thereby avoiding costly court
challenges and building a competitive environment for wind energy
generation.

The second edition of the \"Permitting Handbook," one of NWCC's most
popular publications, is available now available from NWCC's website and
hard copies can be ordered.

**WIND ENERGY- WILDLIFE INTERACTIONS**

The NWCC Wildlife Work Group, formerly the Avian Subcommittee, is a
forum to define, discuss, and address wind-wildlife interaction issues,
involving all stakeholders and focusing on public policy questions. The
work group has served as an advisory group for national research on
wind-avian issues. The work group has facilitated four National
Avian-Wind Power Planning Workshops to define needed research and
explore current issues. The work group has released the report *Studying
Wind Energy/Bird Interactions: A Guidance Document,* the first ever
comprehensive guide to metrics and methods for determining or monitoring
potential impacts on birds at existing and proposed wind energy sites.

The work group also has released *Avian Collisions with Wind Turbines*,
a report which compares avian mortality from wind turbines to mortality
caused by other human-made structures.

Recently the work group completed an Avian Fact sheet, a short summary
of research results and remaining questions.

Current activities include expanding the work group's focus to include
all wind-wildlife interactions and non-collision impacts.

**CREDIT TRADING**

The NWCC has examined electric sector restructuring impacts on wind
power, and evaluated options for fostering continued wind power market
developments. Three reports have been released: *Understanding Consumer
Demand for Green Power, New Markets for Wind: Creating Competitive
Advantage, and Understanding Non-Residential Demand for Green Power*.

The Credit Trading Work Group has released *Credit Trading: Issues and
Opportunities*, a report that discusses the development of credit
trading systems for wind energy resources. The report focuses on credits
that are derived from wind energy technology, but contains the same
concepts that would apply to other renewable energy technologies. Credit
trading can be applied to a wide variety of policies, programs and
private market activities and represents a means of tapping into revenue
streams that heretofore have largely excluded wind and other renewable
energy generation.

Current activities and prospects include developing and implementing a
credit trading outreach and communication strategy targeting
environmental and energy regulators, increased collaboration with
stakeholders to assist the development of the credit trading market for
green attributes, and investigation of green tags as a measure to
fulfill Supplemental Environmental Projects and State Implementation
Plans (SEPs and SIPs).

**WIND ENERGY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT**

The NWCC seeks to explore the economic development benefits and cost of
wind power for landowners and communities, particularly economically
challenged areas. The Economic Development Work Group has produced the
consensus *NWCC Guidelines for Assessing the Economic Development
Impacts of Wind Power*, which identifies criteria and guidelines for
assessing the economic viability of proposed wind energy development in
a manner that is valid, reliable, and robust. These guidelines were use
in three case studies on the economic impacts of wind, which covers a
variety of wind farm sizes, development history, and ownership within a
diverse range of geography and social demographics.

The NWCC's work is continuing to focus on these issues by summarize some
of the common trends realized from the case studies and developing fact
sheets outlining the findings about methodology, data needs, and impacts
of development.

*For more information, including copies of NWCC publications or to get
more information, write* [*nwcc@resolv.org*](mailto:nwcc@resolv.org)*,
call (888) 764-WIND or see
[www.nationalwind.org](http://www.nationalwind.org/) where NWCC
publications are posted and information on work groups and upcoming
meetings are available.*

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**The National Wind Coordinating Committee**

**Includes representatives from:**

Alliance of Energy Suppliers

American Electric Power

American Wind Energy Association

Atlantic Renewable Energy Corporation

Bonneville Power Administration

Bureau of Land Management

California Energy Commission

Center for Resource Solutions

City of Lake Benton, Lincoln County, MN

Community Energy, Inc.

CSG Services Inc.

EAPC Architects Engineers

Ed Holt & Associates, Inc.

Electric Power Research Institute

Emissions Marketing Association

Energy and Environmental Research Center

Environmental and Energy Study Institute

Environmental Protection Agency

FPL Energy, Inc.

Green Mountain Energy, Co.

GE Wind Power

Inter-Tribal Council on Utility Policy

Iowa Utilities Board

Kansas State Representative

Kansas Corporation Commission

Land & Water Fund of the Rockies

Lincoln County Enterprise Development Corporation

Massachusetts Technology Collaborative

Minnesota Environmental Quality Board

Minnesota Public Utilities Commission

National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners

National Association of State Energy Officials

National Conference of State Legislatures

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Natural Resources Defense Council

NE Public Power District

NEG Micon USA, Inc.

North Dakota Office of Community Assistance

North Dakota Resource Council

North Dakota State Representative

One World Energy

PacifiCorp

Powair, The Wakan Way

PPM Energy, Inc.

Renewable Energy Consulting Services, Inc.

South Dakota Governor's Office

Union of Concerned Scientists

US Department of Energy, Wind Energy Program

Utility Wind Interest Group, Inc.

Vermont Environmental Research Associates, Inc.

Vestas -- American Wind Technology, Inc.

Washington State Utilities and Transportation Commission

Western Resources

Wind Management, LLC

Wind on the Wires

Windpower, Inc.

Windustry Project

Wyoming Business Council, Energy Office

Xcel Energy