BLM Announces 14-Day Comment Extension on Chokecherry and Sierra Madre Wind Energy Project
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RAWLINS, WY. -- The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has extended the public comment period on the Chokecherry and Sierra Madre (CCSM) Phase I Wind Turbine Development Environmental Assessment (EA) and Draft Finding of No New Significant Impacts (FONNSI) until April 22, 2016.
BLM released the EA and FONNSI on March 9 announcing a key milestone for the largest proposed wind energy facility in North America, a project with the capacity to open up to 1,000 jobs at peak construction and generate up to 3,000 megawatts of clean, renewable power -- enough to run nearly one million homes.
The EA examines the potential, site-specific impacts of constructing 500 wind turbines on mixed ownership land in the first phase of the Chokecherry and Sierra Madre (CCSM) Wind Energy Project in southern Wyoming. The two-phase development proposes to build 1,000 wind turbines on 219,707 acres south of Rawlins in Carbon County. BLM administers approximately half of the land, and the remainder of the site is made up of privately owned and state lands.
The BLM has scheduled two open houses for the public to ask questions and submit comments on the EA for the Phase 1 wind turbine development. The first meeting will be from 4:30-6:30 p.m. on March 28, 2016 at the Saratoga Town Hall 110 E. Spring Ave., Saratoga, Wyoming. The second public meeting will be from 4:30-6:30 p.m. on March 29, 2016 at the Jeffrey Center, 315 W. Pine St., Rawlins, Wyoming. Each meeting will include a presentation, question and answer period and opportunities for public comment.
Written comments on the Phase I Wind Turbine Development EA and draft FONNSI will be accepted until April 22, 2016. Comments may be emailed to BLM_WY_PCW_windfarm@blm.gov with “CCSM Phase I Wind EA Comment” in the subject line; faxed to 307-328-4224; or mailed or delivered to BLM Rawlins Field Office, Attn: Heather Schultz, CCSM Phase I Wind EA, and 1300 N. Third St., P.O. Box 2407, Rawlins, WY 82301.
Before including your address, phone number, email address or other personal identifying information in your comment, please be advised that your entire comment — including your personal identifying information — may be made publicly available at any time. While you may ask us to withhold from public review your personal identifying information, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
For more information, or to access the EA, please visit the BLM Wyoming CCSM Wind Energy Project web page or the BLM’s CCSM ePlanning site. For additional questions, please contact Heather Schultz at 307-328-4215.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.