BLM Announces Next Steps for Eagle Crest Hydroelectric Project in Riverside County
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MORENO VALLEY, Calif. - The Bureau of Land Management has released a proposed plan amendment and environmental assessment as the next step in considering a right-of-way grant to construct 12 miles of transmission generator tie (gen-tie) line and a water pipeline across public lands. The plan amendment designates a utility corridor for the proposed right-of-way that will be used to transmit energy associated with the Eagle Mountain Hydroelectric Project in Riverside County, a project that was licensed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in 2014.
"Our public lands provide a wide variety of uses, including opportunities to facilitate secure, American-generated energy to our local communities," says Doug Herrema, BLM Palm Springs Field Manager. "If approved, the Eagle Crest right-of-way is anticipated to transmit hydroelectric energy to power 900,000 homes in California each year.”
An environmental assessment was released in 2016 for public review to analyze the potential impacts of the right-of-way itself, the proposed California Desert Conservation Area Plan Amendment released today addresses the sections of the gen-tie line that do not fall within designated utility corridors. The proposed plan amendment is now available for a 30-day protest period and governor’s consistency review. After the protest period and resolution of all protests, a Decision Record will be announced, followed by a 30-day appeal period.
The 2016 right-of-way environmental assessment tiers to the 2014 Final Environmental Impact Statement prepared by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that analyzed the Eagle Mountain Pump Storage Hydroelectric Project. The right-of-way is a component of the hydroelectric project, a project helping to create jobs with an estimated construction workforce payroll totaling $58 million.
The project area is near Desert Center, approximately 30 miles west of Blythe. For more information, protest procedures, and to view the Eagle Crest Energy Gen-Tie and Water Pipeline Right-of-Way Project documents online, please visit: http://bit.ly/2n1a9xJ
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.