BLM Announces Scoping Meeting for Proposed Wind Farm in Kern County

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has announced a public scoping meeting for the proposed Rising Tree Wind Farm in Kern County, Calif. The joint BLM and Kern County public scoping meeting will be held on August 4, 2011, at the Veterans Building, Room 1, 15580 O Street, Mojave, Calif. from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. The BLM and the County will use the public scoping comments received to prepare the draft plan amendment and EIS/EIR to be available for public review later in 2011.

A Notice of Intent (NOI) to conduct an environmental review of the proposed project was published on January 31, 2011. The BLM is working closely with Kern County to prepare a joint Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to analyze the site-specific impacts of the proposed project. The project would also require amending the BLM’s California Desert Conservation Area Plan.

Horizon Wind Energy, LCC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of EDP Renewables, Inc., submitted a right-of-way application to construct the 234 megawatt Rising Tree Wind Farm about three miles west of the town of Mojave. The site includes 2,217 acres of private land under Kern County jurisdiction and about 528 acres of BLM-administered public land.
 
“The scoping process will help determine relevant issues that may influence the scope of the environmental analysis we will conduct in close collaboration with Kern County officials,” said Jeffrey Childers, BLM project manager.

Further details on the proposed wind energy project can be found online at http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/cdd.html   For information, contact Jeff Childers at (951) 697-5308, or e-mail jchilders@ca.blm.gov.

California Desert District Office – 22835 Calle San Juan de Los Lagos, Moreno Valley, CA 92553

California Desert District   22835 Calle San Juan de Los Lagos      Moreno Valley, CA 92553