Alternatives Overview

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires that Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) consider a range of alternatives that meet the purpose and need of the proposed action.  All EISs must include analysis of the Proposed Action and the No Action Alternative.  The No Action Alternative is an analysis of what would happen if the proposed action did not occur.  This can be the same as "baseline" but often times can be very different.  Baseline is a description of the setting at a specific point in time.  Because the human, physical, and natural environments are always changing, with or without the proposed project, the "no action" alternative does not necessarily mean that things will stay status quo.  In areas experiencing a high level of change, analyzing the no action alternative can be complex.  For more information on changes that are expected to occur in Lincoln County, please click here.

Beyond the proposed action and no action alternative, the EIS also considers a range of other alternatives.  This often starts by looking at a broad range of alternatives that meet the purpose and need of the proposed action.  The agency then determines which of those alternatives are reasonable.  Reasonable alternatives must be consistent with management guidance and BLM policy, meet the purpose and need, be feasible from technical and economic standpoints, be environmentally responsible, and capable of implementation in a timely manner.  Alternatives that are not reasonable are listed in the EIS as "alternatives considered but eliminated from detailed analysis". 

Lincoln County Land Act Groundwater Development and Utility Right-of-Way Project EIS Alternatives

Proposed Action: The proposed action is explained in detail within the Lincoln County Land Act (LCLA) Groundwater Development and Utility Right-of-Way Project EIS Overview.  The proposed action proposes to construct approximately 75 miles of main water pipeline, well field collection pipelines for up to 30 wells, up to five storage tanks, up to four water pipeline booster stations, approximately 23.5 miles of 138 kilovolt (kV) double-circuit overhead power lines, approximately 20 miles of 22.8 kV double-circuit overhead tansmission lines, 22.8 kV and 4.16 volt overhead transmission lines to provide electric service to wells, one electrical substation, a 16-inch natural gas pipeline with a new natural gas metering station, a fiber optics line, access roads, temporary workspace, and a storage yard. 

No Action Alternative: BLM would not approve the right-of-way and the groundwater development project would not be constructed on BLM lands.  Impacts associated with construction and operation of the Proposed Action on public land would not occur.  However, nothing in this alternative would prevent the Lincoln County Water District (LCWD) from making beneficial use(s) of their Tule Desert and Clover Valley water rights in accordance with any water rights permitted by the Nevada State Engineer.

Alternative 1: The groundwater facilities under this alternative would be the same as those described under the proposed action from the Clover Valley to MW-2.  From MW-2, the Alternative 1 ROW alignment would deviate from the Proposed Action alignment and would remain in the Lincoln County Conservation, Recreation, and Development Act (LCCRDA) corridor, continuing generally south-southeast, where it would terminate at the northwest corner of the Lincoln County Land Act (LCLA) development area. 

Alternatives Considered But Eliminated From Detailed Analysis: The following alternatives were eliminated from detailed analysis because they were not reasonable or feasible from a technical or economical standpoint:

• Locating the proposed terminal storage tank on public lands instead of private

• Burying the electrical lines

• Installing above-ground pipelines instead of burying the pipelines

The BLM has chosen the Proposed Action as the Agency Preferred Alternative.  The Proposed Action is summarized on the Lincoln County Land Act Groundwater Development and Utility Right-of-Way Project Overview web page, or it can be viewed in full in Chapter 2 of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement.