Wyoming State Office
| Contacts: | Beverly Gorny, | |||
| 307-775-6158 |
BLM Hosts Gateway West Meetings in Wyoming
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will host four public open house meetings in Wyoming to answer questions and gather public comment on the draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for the proposed Gateway West Transmission Line Project in Wyoming and Idaho.
Wyoming meetings will be held as follows:
- Oct. 3, Kemmerer, South Lincoln Training and Event Center, 215 Wyoming Highway 233;
- Oct. 4, Rock Springs, BLM building, 280 Highway 191 N.;
- Oct. 5, Rawlins, The Jeffrey Center, 315 E. Pine St.; and
- Oct. 6, Douglas, Clarion Inn and Suites Convention Center, 1450 Riverbend Drive.
All meetings are from 4 to 7 p.m.
The draft EIS was released on July 29. The public has until Oct. 28 to review and submit comments to the BLM. Comments will be incorporated into the final EIS that will be used to make a final decision on the proposal.
This project is jointly proposed by Idaho Power and Rocky Mountain Power, and would result in construction of nearly 1,100 miles of high voltage transmission lines across southern Wyoming and southern Idaho. The project proponents have applied to the BLM and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) for right of way grants to construct, operate and maintain transmission lines from the proposed Windstar substation near Glenrock, Wyo. to the proposed Hemingway substation near Melba, Idaho, approximately 20 miles southwest of Boise.
Construction of Gateway West would add 3,000 megawatts (MW) of transmission capacity. The transmission line would serve present and future needs of customers, enhance electric system reliability and transmit electricity generated from new and existing resources, including wind.
To submit comments and to review the draft EIS and related documents, including detailed maps, visit the project website at: www.wy.blm.gov/nepa/cfodocs/gateway_west.
Copies of the DEIS are available for public inspection during normal business hours at the following Wyoming locations:
- BLM, Wyoming State Office, Public Room, 5353 Yellowstone Road, Cheyenne;
- BLM, Casper Field Office, 2987 Prospector Drive, Casper;
- BLM, Rawlins Field Office, 1300 N. Third St., Rawlins;
- BLM, Rock Springs Field Office, 280 Highway 191 N., Rock Springs;
- BLM, Kemmerer Field Office, 312 Highway 189 N., Kemmerer;
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest, 2468 Jackson St., Laramie; and
- Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest, Douglas Ranger District, 2250 E. Richards St., Douglas.
Copies of the DEIS were distributed to public libraries in project-area communities. A limited number of copies of the document are available as supplies last. To request a copy, contact Walt George, Project Manager, Bureau of Land Management, Wyoming State Office, P.O. Box 20879, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82003, 307-775-6116.
Comments can also be made to the BLM via the project Web site at: www.wy.blm.gov/nepa/cfodocs/gateway_west, via the project E-mail address (Gateway_West_WYMail@blm.gov) or in writing to Bureau of Land Management, Gateway West Project, P.O. Box 20879, Cheyenne, WY 82003. To be most useful, public comments should be received by Oct. 28.
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.
Wyoming State Office 5353 Yellowstone Road Cheyenne, Wyoming 82009