BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — Senator Risch joined the Nate Shelman show on Wednesday to discuss the ongoing controversy over the Lava Ridge Wind Farm.

Lava Ridge has seen widespread pushback and dissent from across Idaho since its first proposal. The site, which is near Minidoka, is a historical site where the American Government locked up Japanese Americans during WWII in an internment camp.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recently released a finalized report approving a modified plan for the wind farm, reducing the size of the structures to 660 feet tall, and reducing the total number of wind turbines. Idahoans, including Senator Risch, have been outspoken in opposing the project, which many say would harm public lands and wildlife, not to mention the descendants of families from Minidoka.

Further cementing opposition to the project is the fact that none of the power created by the wind farm will stay in Idaho. The power will be sent on to California, not benefiting Idahoans. Proponents of the project point to hundreds of high-paying jobs that will be created, though most of those jobs are only during the construction phase. The number of full-time employees once operational drops drastically to roughly 20 people.

Senator Risch tells Nate Shelman that if Trump is elected President, this plan will be stopped on day one by executive order. The next step for the project is the Record of Decision, where Senator Risch says "That is when the fists will start to fly, that is when the lawsuits will start to fly."

Senator Risch says "This thing is far from over," though with seemingly full support from federal agencies and the government only time will tell.

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