BLM seeks public comment on proposed Gemini Solar Project
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LAS VEGAS – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) today released a draft analyzing the environmental impacts of the proposed Gemini Solar Project to be located on BLM-administered land northeast of Las Vegas. The agency is also opening a 90-day public comment period and will hold a series of public meetings to discuss the project and its anticipated impact on BLM-managed public lands and resources.
If approved, the project would generate up to 690 megawatts of electricity – which if achieved would make it the largest solar facility in the United States, and one of the largest in the world. Project proponents estimate that the project would generate up to 2,000 direct jobs at peak construction, with a permanent staff of seven operating the facility after construction.
“The proposed Gemini Solar Project would represent a significant increase in renewable energy capacity for Nevada and the West,” said Tim Smith, BLM Southern Nevada District Manager. “The BLM actively supports the Department of the Interior’s America First Energy Plan, an “all of the above” strategy which supports energy development on public lands. We look forward to receiving public input as we continue to evaluate this project.”
The BLM published a Notice of Availability in the Federal Register for a Draft Resource Management Plan Amendment and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) analyzing the proposal by Solar Partners, XI LLC (Arevia) to construct, operate, and eventually decommission the Gemini Solar Project. The project, an approximately 690-megawatt alternating current solar photovoltaic power generating facility, would be located on roughly 7,100 acres of BLM-administered public lands approximately 33 miles northeast of Las Vegas and directly south of the Moapa River Indian Reservation.
The Notice of Availability opens a 90-day public comment period that will end on September 5, 2019. The BLM will also host a series of public meetings, with details to be announced at least 15 days in advance through public notices, media releases, mailings and on the BLM website: https://go.usa.gov/xntTQ.
Comments can be submitted in the following ways:
Email: blm_nv_sndo_geminisolar@blm.gov
Mail: Herman Pinales
Attn: Energy & Infrastructure Project Manager
BLM Las Vegas Field Office,
4701 N. Torrey Pines Drive,
Las Vegas, NV 89130
Fax: 702-515-5023
Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment – including your personal identifying information – may be made publicly available at any time. While you can request to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, no guarantees can be made that we will be able to do so.
For more information, please contact, Herman Pinales, Energy & Infrastructure Project Manager, at 702-515-5284.
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.