Carson City District-Stillwater Field Office
| Contacts: | Mark Struble | , Public Affairs Officer | , 775-885-6000 |
BLM Signs Decision Record for Coyote Canyon Geothermal Utilization Project
Carson City, Nev.--The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Carson City District-Stillwater Field Office has approved the Coyote Canyon Geothermal Utilization Project proposed by TGP Dixie Development Company, LLC, by issuing a Decision Record on the environmental assessment (EA) for the project. The Coyote Canyon project in the western portion of Dixie Valley, northeast of Fallon in Churchill County.
TGP proposes to construct a 70 megawatt geothermal power plant and associated production/injections wells, pipelines, and support facilities. Power generated by the plant will be delivered to an existing transmission line via a short tie-in line from the power plant.
The Coyote Canyon geothermal project is one of the BLM’s recently announced priority renewable energy projects. The priority renewable energy projects are "smart from the start" and will help diversify this country’s energy portfolio in an environmentally responsible manner according to the BLM Director Bob Abbey.
The EA evaluated the impacts on the natural and human environment that could result from implementation of this geothermal development project on federal land. The impact analysis in the EA characterized the potential for impacts for each resource in the project area. The determination of environmental risk is resource specific and is based on a number of factors, including the presence and extent of resources within the proposed lease section, the extent of resources in the surrounding area, and the quality of existing data.
The Proposed Action and Conditions of Approval meets the criteria described in the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to prevent undue and unnecessary degradation of public land. The Proposed Action is in conformance with the Carson City Field Office Consolidated Resource Management Plan which states that the BLM desired outcome is to encourage development of energy and mineral resources in a timely manner to meet national, regional and local needs consistent with the objectives for other public land uses. The action must comply with the conditions of permit for the Nevada Division of Minerals Geothermal Resource Development Permit Application and with applicable rules and regulation of other local, state, and federal agencies.
The Decision Record, Finding of No Significant Impact, and EA are posted on-line at: www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/carson_city_field/blm_information/nepa/tgp_coyote_canyon.html
Further inquiries should be directed to Desna Young, Planning and Environmental Coordinator, 775-885-6000 or e-mail: desna_young@blm.gov.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
Carson City District-Stillwater Field Office 5665 Morgan Mill Road Carson City, NV 89701