U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT NEWS RELEASE
Las Vegas Field Office
Las Vegas Field Office
| Contacts: | Hilerie C. Patton | , 702-515-5046 | , hpatton@blm.gov |
BLM to Hold Information Meeting on Proposed Wind Energy Project
Las Vegas – The Bureau of Land Management Las Vegas Field office will hold an informal public meeting to provide information on a proposal by Pioneer Green Energy, LLC to develop a Type II Wind Energy project. The meeting will be held April 3, from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at the BLM, Southern Nevada District Office, 4701 N. Torrey Pines Drive.
The BLM received a Type II Wind Energy application from Pioneer Green Energy, LLC, to construct, operate, maintain, and terminate six meteorological towers (Met Towers) for testing and monitoring on 20,680 acres of public land located 22 miles north east of Las Vegas, Nev. between Interstate 15 and the Muddy Peak Wilderness Area. Each Met Tower would be approximately 197 feet tall if constructed.
The BLM will analyze the potential impacts associated with the construction, operation, maintenance, and termination of this project. The specific Met Tower locations were selected to measure a sample of the wind throughout the topographically varied site while minimizing the environmental impacts. This will be an open house session where the public may ask questions about the proposed project, and the BLM specialists will be available to answer questions. The BLM will not be taking formal comments, as this is not a public scoping meeting. BLM will likely schedule formal scoping meetings at a later date.
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.
Las Vegas Field Office 4701 N. Torrey Pines Drive Las Vegas, NV 89130