U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT NEWS RELEASE
Pahrump Field Office
Pahrump Field Office
| Contacts: | Hillerie C. Patton | , 702-515-5046 | , hillerie_c_patton@blm.gov |
BLM Publishes Record of Decision for Solar Millennium, LLC, Amargosa Farm Road Solar Project
The ROD, signed by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, approved the second large-scale solar energy project on U.S. public lands in Nevada. When completed, the project will consist of a 500-megawatt facility that provides electricity to about 150,000 homes and creates 1,500 jobs. The BLM, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Park Service worked closely with Solar Millennium to develop an innovative water mitigation plan that can serve as a model for future solar projects. The plan ensures the project will have a net neutral impact on the plant and animal species found at nearby Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge and Devil’s Hole.
Copies of the ROD are available from the BLM Southern Nevada District Office by calling 702-515-5173, or on the internet at www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/lvfo/blm_programs/energy.html. For more information, please call 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.
Pahrump Field Office 4701 N. Torrey Pines Drive Las Vegas, NV 89130