Project Vitals

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First Solar Development, Inc. (First Solar) proposes to construct and operate a 550-megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant project known as the Desert Sunlight Solar Farm (DSSF or Project). The DSSF would include three main components 1) the Solar Farm site, 2) a transmission line, and 3) a Southern California Edison (SCE) owned and operated substation, Red Bluff Substation.

The Solar Farm site is on land administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) six miles north of the rural community of Desert Center, which is adjacent to the I-10 freeway in eastern Riverside County, California.

The Project includes a 230-kV transmission line that would extend south from the Solar Farm site and interconnect to the planned Red Bluff substation near I-10. The Red Bluff Substation would interconnect with the existing SCE Devers-Palo Verde 1 transmission line. The three main project components will require a total of about 4,410 acres – 4,090 acres for the Solar Farm, 230 acres for the transmission corridor, and 90 acres for the substation.

Public Comments

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Comments on this project are welcome at anytime during the environmental review process. However, to ensure that comments will be addressed in the Final EIS/SA, the BLM must receive written comments on the Draft EIS/SA and Plan Amendment within 90 days following the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes its Notice of Availability (NOA) in the Federal Register. 

Comments addressed to BLM can be sent by e-mail  CAPSSolarFirstSolarDesertSunlight@blm.gov, fax (760) 833-7199, or in writing to:
 
Regular Mail: BLM Director (210), Attention: Brenda Williams, P.O. Box 71383, Washington, DC 20024-1383;

Overnight Mail: BLM Director (210), Attention: Brenda Williams, 20 M Street, S.E., Room 2134LM, Washington, DC 20003.

Correction -- please note:

The Dear Reader Letter in the Desert Sunlight Solar Farm Final Environmental Impact Statement includes an incorrect address for Protest mailing. Please send protests to:

Regular Mail: BLM Director (210), Attention: Brenda Williams, P.O. Box 71383, Washington, DC 20024-1383;

Overnight Mail: BLM Director (210), Attention: Brenda Williams, 20 M Street, S.E., Room 2134LM, Washington, DC 20003.

This address was listed correctly in the Federal Register Notice of Availability , dated April 15, 2011 (Volume 76, Number 73, Page 21402-21403).

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. A copy of the Federal Register Notice.

Public Meetings and Hearing

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The EIS process is initiated with publication of a Notice of Intent (NOI) and requires public scoping. A NOI was published for this project on January 13, 2010. A public scoping meeting was subsequently held on January 28, 2010 at the University of Riverside Palm Desert Graduate Center located at 75-080 Frank Sinatra Drive in Palm Desert, California.

Future meetings,  hearings and any other public involvement activities will be announced at least 15 days in advance through public notices, media releases, and/or mailings.

For more information please contact the Bureau of Land Management Project Manager Allison Shaffer at (760) 833-7100

Construction and Compliance Monitoring

First Solar Development Updates

Authorization Documents

Record of Decision

Appendix 1 - Protest Resolution Summary

Appendix 2 - Adopted Mitigation Measures

Appendix 3 - Biological Opinion

Appendix 4 - Memorandum of Agreement

Appendix 5 - Environmental Construction Compliance Monitoring Plan

Appendix 6 - Maps

Final EIS

Chapter One Executive Summary; Introduction; 97 pages; 3.5 MB

Chapter Two Description of Proposed Action and Alternatives; 135 pages; 6 MB

Chapter Three  Affected Environment;  242 pages; 9 MB

Chapter Four Environmental Consequences; 629 pages; 11 MB

Chapters Five to Eight Consultation, Coordination, and Public Participation; References; Glossary and List of Acronyms; Index; 51 pages; 340 KB

Appendices A to E Public Scoping; Construction Schedule for Solar Farm and Gen-Tie Lines; CPUC's CEQA Environmentally Superior Alternative; Air Quality Analysis; Noise Analysis; 187 pages; 2 MB

Appendix F Geotechnical Studies; 105 pages; 5 MB

Appendix G Water Resource Studies; 193 pages; 14 MB

Appendix H Biological Resources; 338 pages; 13 MB

Appendices I to L Traffic Study; Environmental Site Assessment; Cultural Resources; CPUC Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting; 259 pages; 10 MB

Appendix M Comment Letters; 720 pages; 39 MB

Appendix N to O Responses to Comments; Accounting Surface Technical Memorandum; 172 pages; 1 MB

Draft EIS

Cover Cover sheet, Signature Page, Dear Reader Letter, Executive Summary, Table of Contents, 63 pages; .98 MB

Chapter 1 Introduction 22 pages; 894 KB

Chapter 2 Project Description 128 pages; 11.6 MB

Chapter 3 Affected Environment 246 pages; 8.34 MB

Chapter 4 Environmental Consequences 600 pages; 9.2 MB

Chapters 5,6,7,8 Consultation, Coordination, and Public Participation; References; Glossary and List of Acronyms; Index 45 pages; 296 KB

Appendix A Public Scoping 19 pages; 1.23 MB

Appendix B Construction Schedule for Solar Farm and Gen-Tie Lines 3 pages; 1.05 MB

Appendix C CPUC’s CEQA Environmentally Superior Alternative 16 pages; 585 KB

Appendix D Air Quality Analyses 100 pages; 3.64 MB

Appendix E Noise Analyses 41 pages; 1.28 MB

Appendix F Geotechnical Studies 107 pages; 6.72 MB

Appendix G Water Resources Studies 196 pages; 30.1 MB

Appendix H Biological Resources 293 pages; 26.05 MB

Appendix I Traffic Study 160 pages; 1 MB

Appendix J Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment 134 pages; 7.05 MB

Appendix K Cultural Resources 15 pages; 2.82 MB

Related Links

Biological Assessment

Appendix A - Desert Tortoise Translocation Plan

Appendix C - Common Raven Management Plan

Appendix D - Habitat Compensation Plan

Appendix E - Integrated Weed Management Plan

BLM CDD Renewable Energy

Understanding the NEPA Process