Bureau of Land Management accepting comments on August geothermal lease sale
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RENO, Nev. — The Bureau of Land Management is asking the public to review and provide comment on documents for its August 30, 2022, geothermal lease sale. The sale includes 81 parcels totaling 237,039.110 acres in the Battle Mountain, Carson City, Elko, and Winnemucca Districts of Nevada.
This geothermal sale supports President Biden’s goal of creating a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035, and to permit at least 25 gigawatts of solar, wind, and geothermal production on public lands by 2025.
“The BLM works hard, and coordinates with experts, to expand development of renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and geothermal where appropriate on public lands,” said Justin Abernathy, BLM Nevada Deputy State Director of Energy and Minerals. “It is also our goal to make sure that our energy portfolio both serves the public interest and keeps balance on America’s public lands for the benefit of current and future generations.”
Responsible renewable energy development includes thoughtful consideration of parcels nominated for leasing as well as the potential impacts of decisions to lease. An additional environmental review would take place during processing of geothermal drilling permits, when site-specific conditions of approval would be placed on the permit in addition to the stipulations attached to the lease.
The public is welcome to assess and provide comment on environmental assessments, determinations of NEPA adequacy, and unsigned findings of no significant impacts for the sale during the 30-day comment period from May 25-June 24. Public comments must be submitted in writing to the contact listed below.
BLM Battle Mountain District Office, 50 Bastian Road, Battle Mountain, NV 89820 ATTN: Project Manager Melissa Jennings or emailed to Melissa Jennings at mjennings@blm.gov. The environmental documents, lists, maps of the parcels, attached stipulations, and comment portal are online at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2018960/510.
BLM Carson City District Office, 5665 Mill Road, Carson City, NV 89701 ATTN: Project Manager, David Schroeder or emailed to David Schroeder at d1schroe@blm.gov. The environmental documents, lists, maps of the parcels, attached stipulations and comment portal are online at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2019541/510.
BLM Winnemucca District Office, 5100 E. Winnemucca Blvd., Winnemucca, NV 89455 ATTN: Project Manager, Tai Subia or emailed to Tai Subia at tsubia@blm.gov. The environmental documents, lists, maps of the parcels, attached stipulations and comment portal are online at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2018896/570.
BLM Elko District Office, 3900 East Idaho Street, Elko, NV 89801 ATTN: Project Manager, Thomas Schmidt or emailed to Thomas Schmidt at tschmidt@blm.gov. The environmental documents, lists, maps of the parcels, attached stipulations, and comment portal are online at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2018310/510.
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your public scoping 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 ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
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.