Southern Nevada District Office
| Contacts: | Hillerie C. Patton | , 702-515-5046 | , hillerie_c_patton@blm.gov |
BLM Seeks Comments on Proposed Solar Energy Project
Las Vegas, Nevada.--The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Southern Nevada District, Pahrump Field Office is soliciting public comments to identify issues and concerns that should be analyzed in an environmental impact statement (EIS) on the proposed Solar Millennium, LLC Amargosa-Farm Road Solar Energy Project, which would be located in the Amargosa Valley south of Highway 95 in Nye County, NV.
A Notice of Intent was published in the July 13 Federal Register formally opening the 30-day public comment period for the EIS. All comments should be sent by email to solar_millennium@blm.gov, by fax dial 702-515-5064 Attn: Gregory Helseth, Renewable Energy Project Manager, or by mail to Gregory Helseth at 4701 N. Torrey Pines Drive, Las Vegas, NV, 89130. More information is available at www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/lvfo/blm_programs/energy/proposed_solar_millenium.html.
All comments must be post-marked or hand delivered by 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, August 12, 2009, to be considered for incorporation into the Draft EIS. Scoping comments are important as they help identify issues and concerns that will be analyzed during the preparation of the draft and final environmental impact statements.
BLM plans to hold open houses to provide more information about the project and to answer questions.
Solar Millennium, LLC submitted a right-of-way application to BLM to construct two concentrated solar thermal parabolic trough power plant facilities on public lands, approximately 80 miles northwest of Las Vegas, in Nye County, Nevada. The Project site would encompass approximately 4,350 acres of public land in the Amargosa Valley south of Highway 95, and have an operation of approximately 30 years. Each plant would generate 242 megawatts of power.
For more information regarding the public comment meetings or the proposed project contact Gregory Helseth at 702-515-5173.
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.
Southern Nevada District Office 4701 N. Torrey Pines Dr., Las Vegas, NV 89130