FAA Email Response 2013 Windfarm Flamenco

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wcollc2O12HoLmall.com, cguerrerodroa.gobleroo.pr, maryaoo.powellfaa.gov, maryaoopowellfaa.gov,
0eao.1orgercoofaa.gov, paLrlck.Llmmermaoaopa.org, fporLogmall.com,
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Ms. Lucking -
I've asked the staff office to look into this situation and advise me of their findings.
Elizabeth Ray
From: Mary Ann Lucking [maryann@coralations.org]
Sent: 03/25/2013 12:18 PM MST
To: Elizabeth Ray
Cc: "Hon. Alcalde Ivan Solis" <wsolis2012@hotmail.com>; Carmen Guerrero <cguerrero@drna.gobierno.pr>; MaryAnn Powell;
"maryannpowell@faa.gov" <maryannpowell@faa.gov>; Dean Torgerson; "patrick.timmerman@aopa.org"
<patrick.timmerman@aopa.org>; Jorge Fernandez-Porto <jfporto@gmail.com>
Subject: Culebra Windfarm FAA FOIA Request 2013-1202
(Pdf. letter attached)
Ms. Elizabeth L. Ray
Vice President
Mission Support Services
Air Traffic Organization
U.S. Dept of Transportation
Federal Aviation Administration
Mission Support Services
800 Independence Ave. SW
Washington, DC 20591
elizabeth.ray@faa.gov
Dear Ms. Ray:

CORALations is a non-profit coral reef conservation organization based on the island of Culebra, Puerto
Rico. Through our normal course of doing business, we discovered a serious concern regarding No
Hazard determinations to air traffic for a proposed wind farm located in, or adjacent to, the fly zone of the
airport on this small Caribbean island. Culebra is growing in tourism popularity. Visitors and locals
access Culebra using ferry service from Fajardo or via small planes from San Juan, Ceiba and the Virgin
Islands. There is no hospital on the island, and all serious medical emergencies depend on safe and
smooth air evacuation to the big island via small planes, and during varying weather and wind conditions.

Copies of No Hazard determinations were submitted by the Puerto Rico Administracin de Asuntos
3/27/13 9:31 AM Print
Energticos (AAE) in an environmental impact study (EIS) for a proposed wind farm project, Proyecto
Punta Flamenco Windfarm, DIA-2012-AAE-28. The proposed wind turbine project was moving through
an expedited planning process, after elections and during a local Government transition.

Upon communicating directly with FAA personnel, we learned that the No Hazard determinations
included in the EIS, had already been terminated and new numbers issued. The new determinations
were not available to the public.

On November 30
th
we sent an expedited request through FOIA to your office soliciting copies of any and
all records related to the terminated studies included in the EIS, specifically, Aeronautical Studies 2012-
WTE-1048-OE through 2012-WTE-1053-OE. On December 3
rd
, 2012 we received a letter from Douglas
C. Taylor, Manager of the FOIA program for FAA, indicting our request was assigned to Dean Torgerson,
FOIA coordinator. This letter denied an expedited FOIA process because:

you have not shown a compelling need based on imminent threat to life or physical
safety to an individual, nor an urgency to in form the public of an actual or alleged
FAA activity beyond the public's right generally to know about Government activity

We recently received a letter dated Feb 25
th
2013 with a CD that included digital documents. We took the
time to list these (please see attached) and post online. The list is attached to this communication. We
understand a decision was made to redact some of the personal information in this disclosure, and we
have no problem with that. Mary Ann Powell of the FAA, responded to a recent call about this FOIA
release, and is copied below.
This FOIA response does not appear to be complete:
The initial No Hazard determinations submitted in the above referenced EIS were not
based on the actual height of the proposed wind generators. The physical characteristics of
the wind generators were not included in the EIS submitted to Puerto Rico's Environmental
Quality Board. The FOIA response revealed no copies of initial applications, or re-
applications. The public only learns, at a short noticed public hearing moving through an
expedited planning process, that the proposed wind generators are in fact 370 feet tall. We
still do not know what was actually submitted to the FAA, who submitted the applications
and when which prompted us to submit a FOIA.
The No Hazard determinations included in the EIS had already been terminated at the
time of the public notice regarding the Environmental Quality Board (WQB) public's hearing,
and replaced by others not available to the public online at the FAA website, and not
included in this response. This raises serious questions and concerns regarding the
transparency of the planning process, and agencies involved.
The FOIA response failed to include any of our stated concerns and communications to
safety, public health and environment expressed to the FAA, and on record with your
agency prior to the date of the FOIA request. (see
http://www.scribd.com/doc/113516687/FAA-Response-Before-Hearing
While the FOIA request sent to FAA by our organization was comprehensive (any and
all), the FOIA response makes no mention of determinations involving wind meters already
3/27/13 9:31 AM Print
installed on the ridge above the airport approach and possibly not permitted. These could
currently be posing a risk and coordinates of these meters is critical to estimating the
efficiency of proposed turbines.
The FOIA response failed to include documentation of the public notice issued and
associated with any and all required determinations near Culebra's airport. While we
understand that to receive notice, there is a special list-serve that requires a subscription,
we were told by members of this list serve, no such notice was issued. Proposed is a major
energy project for the small island that will profoundly impact the small airport, and I am
confident that if notified, these participants would have remembered.
This intuitively seems reflexive of either a flawed or corrupted system, which warrants investigation by
experts familiar with FAA rules, and local Government abuse of an expedited permitting process for
renewable energies or otherwise, where the outcome could result in such obvious impacts to the safety of
the local islanders, Culebra's medical emergencies and tourists that depend on the small Culebra air port
for safe travel.
We are re-writing again for any and all documentation including a record of our email communications
with your personnel and documentation and or negative certification of public notice regarding the wind
farm project proposed by Puerto Ricos AAE (DIA-2012-AAE-28) Any inconsistencies regarding
documents included and transcribed in files on the CD the FAA provided, are noted and highlighted in the
enclosure entitled: List of Files Submitted in FAA FOIA on CD, Feb 25, 2013.
Sincerely,
Mary Ann Lucking
Director

c. Hon. Ivn Solis
Ms. Carmen Guerrero
Ms. Mary Ann Powell
Dr. Douglas C. Taylor
Mr. Dean Torgerson (hard copy)
Mr. Patrick Timmerman
Mr. David Enrique Bernier
Hon. Eduardo Bhatia Gautier
Mr. Jorge Fernandez Porto
Hon. Alejandro Garca Padilla
Hon. Pedro R. Pierluisi
Hon. Luis V. Gutirrez
enc. List of Files Submitted in FAA FOIA response to Lucking dated Feb 25, 2013.
-------------------------------------------
List of Files Submitted in FAA FOIA on CD, Feb 25, 2013.
2012 WTE_1048_OE (Lucking) FOLDER
Analysis Report Folder
DOD_DHS_LRR_158820875.pdf
DOD_MILOPS_158820889.pdf
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Military Conflicts_USA.pdf
Military Conflicts_USAF.pdf
Military Conflicts_USN.pdf
MVA_MIA_158820869.pdf
NASWATCH_AF_15_158820854.pdf
NASWATCH_DOD_155820865.pdf
NOAA_NEXRAD_158820886.pdf
POS_158820855.pdf
Traffic_PATTERN_158820861.pdf
Case Notes Folder
PRJT.pdf
**No CASE.pdf?
Division Responses.pdf
Documents Folder
159384400_12_1048-1053.pdf
159386375_12_1048 thru 1053.pdf
163369196_12_1048-1053-wte.pdf
178295679_BISCO...042019530012.pdf

Letters Folder
**NO CIR file?
DNH_167063337.pdf
NPH_161005630.pdf
TER_169026390.pdf

OeQuickView.pdf

Part 77 Analysis Reports
Part 77_CIV_158820842.pdf
Part_77_MIL_158820848.pdf
**Missing CIV file?
...............................................................
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POS_158820851.pdf
Case Notes Folder
No CASE.pdf ?
PRJT.pdf
**NO DOCUMENTS FOLDER
Letters Folder
**NO CIR file.
DNH_167063335.pdf
NPH_161005912.pdf
TER_169026394.pdf
OeQuickView.pdf
**Missing CIV file?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
POS_158820972.pdf
Case Notes Folder
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CASE.pdf
PRJT.pdf
LETTERS Folder
CIR_163371250.pdf
DNH_167062971.pdf
NPH_161006176.pdf
TER_169026395.pdf
**No Documents FolderDocuments
OeQuickView.pdf
Part 77_CIV_ 167062685.pdf
Part_77_MIL_158820963.pd
POS_158820979.pdf
Case Notes Folder
CASE.pdf
PRJT.pdf
LETTERS Folder **Same files as letters folder in 1050)
CIR_163370863.pdf
DNH_167061445.pdf
NPH_161004853.pdf
TER_169026391.pdf
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OeQuickView.pdf
Part 77_CIV_ 167069786.pdf
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
POS_158821089.pdf (same as 1051)

Case Notes Folder
** NO CASE.pdf
PRJT.pdf


LETTERS Folder
**NO CIR_file?
DNH_167062472.pdf
NPH_161004194.pdf
TER_169026392.pdf


OeQuickView.pdf

3/27/13 9:31 AM Print
Part 77_CIV_158821079.pdfgf
Part 77_CIV_160410142pdf
**Missing MIL file?
_______________________________________________________
POS_158821096.pdf
Case Notes Folder
** NO CASE.pdf?
PRJT.pdf
LETTERS Folder
**NO CIR_.pdf?
DNH_167062073.pdf
NPH_161004428.pdf
TER_169026393.pdf
**No Documents Folder
OeQuickView.pdf
"NOTE: comment indicates: Structure top exceeds horizontal surface."
http://www.scribd.com/word/document_edit/130398039?return_to_doc=true

Part 77_MIL_ 158821086.pdf
NOTE: concludes no runway found w/i 12.5 nautical miles of proposed obstruction? Not a traverse way?
http://www.scribd.com/doc/130398046/PART-77-MIL-158821086
3/27/13 9:31 AM Print

**Missing a CIV file?
Internal Project Documents File 58820030
Documents File
159886328_2012-WTE-1048thru1053-OELRR.txt
http://www.scribd.com/doc/130398761/159886328-2012-WTE-1048thru1053-OELRR

Mary Ann Lucking
Director
CORALations
P.O. Box 750
Culebra, PR 00775
www.coralations.org
787.556.6234
email: maryann@coralations.org

Trabajando con comunidades del Caribe para proteger y restaurar
sus arrecifes de coral.
<<><<<>>><>>
Working with Caribbean communities to protect and restore their coral reefs.

FAA Email Response 2013 Windfarm Flamenco

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