Media Advisory

Date: October 27, 2003
Contact: David Quick 202-452-5138

What: Bureau of Land Management to Host Regional Scoping Meetings: Wind Energy Development in the West

When: November 3, 2003 - Sacramento, California
Meeting Times: 1:00 to 4:00 pm; 7:00 to 10:00 pm

Where: Red Lion Hotel Sacramento
1401 Arden Way
Sacramento, CA 95815
916-922-8041

Why: In response to recommendations of the President's National Energy Policy that encourage the development of renewable energy resources, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has initiated efforts to support additional wind energy development on public lands. To apply the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the BLM plans to prepare a programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS). The PEIS will include public lands administered by the BLM located in the western United States, excluding Alaska.

This PEIS will provide the BLM with an unprecedented evaluation of the magnitude of potential wind energy development and associated issues, and will address possible amendment of land-use plans in relation to future development.

The purpose of the Sacramento Regional Scoping Meetings is to identify such issues and criteria that are important to the public.

Additional Involvement: The public is invited to participate in the scoping process by attending to Regional Scoping Meetings or obtaining information and submitting comments through the Web. The web site address is windeis.anl.gov.

Written comments also may be sent to: BLM Wind Energy Programmatic EIS Scoping, Argonne National Laboratory, EAD/900, 9700 S. Cass Avenue, Argonne, IL 60439