BLM Releases Notice of Areas of Environmental Concern on Public Lands under the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan
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The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) today published in the Federal Register a notice identifying and describing Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) proposed within the Desert Renewable Energy Plan (DRECP) area. The public is invited to comment on these ACECs during a 60-day public comment period.
On November 10, 2015, BLM and its partner agencies, including the State of California, released a Proposed Land Use Plan Amendment and Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for Phase I of the innovative landscape-scale blueprint to support renewable energy development and conservation on 10 million acres of federal public lands managed by the BLM in the California desert. The release of the FEIS for Phase I of the DRECP was a key milestone in the collaborative effort to streamline renewable energy while conserving unique and valuable desert ecosystems and promoting outdoor recreation opportunities.
Today's notice satisfies regulatory requirements that the ACECs identified in the FEIS be listed in the text of a Federal Register notice, but does not present any information not already made public in the publication of the DRECP Proposed Land Use Plan Amendment and FEIS.
Through the DRECP, BLM would make a number of land use allocations and management decisions on the 10 million acres of public lands within the DRECP plan area, including areas available for streamlined renewable energy permitting, conservation designations, and recreation areas. Proposed conservation designations include the 134 ACECs specifically identified in the notice published today.
The scope of this 60-day comment period announced today, ending May 9, 2016, is limited to the ACEC designations. Comments on other topics are outside the scope of this public comment process. The BLM will consider these comments along with the comments and protests already received on the DRECP as a whole.
Comments can be sent to: Bureau of Land Management, DRECP Program Manager, 2800 Cottage Way, Suite W-1623, Sacramento, CA 95825; or email blm_ca_drecp@blm.gov.
To view the Notice of Areas of Critical Environmental Concern, as well as additional DRECP documents and information, visit www.drecp.org or www.blm.gov/ca/drecp.
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.