Rawlins Field Office
| Contacts: | Serena Baker, | |||
| 307-212-0197 |
Comment Period Opens on Sand Hills Wind Farm Environmental Assessment
The Bureau of Land Management Rawlins Field Office launches a 2-week public comment period on the Sand Hills Wind Farm Environmental Assessment (EA).
The Sand Hills Wind Farm is a proposal by Shell Wind Energy of Houston, Tex. to build 25 wind turbines, each with a tower height of 260 feet. Twenty-three of the turbines would be constructed on private land, and two wind turbines on public land located north of Interstate 80 near Rock River, Wyo., approximately 30 miles northwest of Laramie in Albany County. The wind farm would generate 50 megawatts of nameplate capacity electricity which would be carried by the Western Area Power Administration’s Miracle Mile to the Snowy Range Line. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2013. The applicant is currently drafting an Avian Protection Plan in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the project.
Public comments are most helpful if they cite specific actions or impacts, and offer supporting information. Comments are requested by June 14, and can be mailed, hand-delivered during regular business hours (7:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m.), faxed, or emailed to the following address:
Sand Hills Wind Farm EA Comments
Rawlins Field Office
1300 N. Third Street
Rawlins, WY 82301
Fax: 307-328-4224
Email: SandHills_WindFarm_RFO_WY@blm.gov
(Please list “Sand Hills EA Comments” in the subject line.)
Before including your address, phone number, email, or other personal identifying information in your comment, please be aware your entire comment–including your personal identifying information–may be made publicly available at any time. While you may request we withhold your personal information from public view, we cannot guarantee we will be able to do so. For more information, visit: http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/info/NEPA/documents/rfo/sandhills_wind.html or contact Project Manager Pam Murdock, 307-328-4215.
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.
Rawlins Field Office 1300 N. Third Street Rawlins, WY 82301