Bureau of Land Management to hold virtual public information forums for Rough Hat Clark County Solar Project
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LAS VEGAS - The Bureau of Land Management, Las Vegas Field Office, will host two virtual information forums -- December 8 and 9 -- to gather public input on the Rough Hat Clark County Solar Project proposed on approximately 2,400 acres of BLM-managed public land located in the Pahrump Valley in Clark County immediately adjacent to the county line, southeast of the Town of Pahrump and approximately 38 miles west of Las Vegas.
Candela Renewables, LLC (Candela Renewables) has applied for a right-of-way grant to provide the necessary land and access for the construction, operation and eventual decommissioning of a proposed 400 MW solar facility including battery storage facility and interconnection to the regional transmission system on BLM-managed public land designated as a solar variance area. The information forums are being held as part of solar variance application process and information gathered during the public input period will inform BLM’s determination on whether to continue to process or to deny the Rough Hat Clark County Solar Project right-of-way application.
The virtual public information forums are scheduled on December 8 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and December 9 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The forums will begin with a short presentation on the solar variance process and the Rough Hat Clark County Solar Project, will continue with a question-and-answer session, and finish with a public input period.To register for the information forums, please use the following link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C45ABA622A1FAC25-rough1. If you have any questions or technical issues trying to register for the information forums, please call 864-901-3832 for assistance. More information on the virtual forums can be found at http://www.blm.gov/press-release/bureau-land-management-hold-virtual-public-information-forums-rough-hat-clark-county">www.blm.gov/press-release/bureau-land-management-hold-virtual-public-information-forums-rough-hat-clark-county.
Written input can be submitted via email to BLM_NV_SND_EnergyProjects@blm.gov; please include “Rough Hat Clark County Solar Project Variance” in the subject line of the email. Additionally, public input can be mailed to BLM Southern Nevada District Office, Attn: Rough Hat Clark County Solar Project Variance, 4701 N. Torrey Pines Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89130. Public input on the application determination will be accepted until December 22, 2021.
Before including your address, phone number, email 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 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 virtual public information forums will be recorded and posted at www.blm.gov/press-release/bureau-land-management-hold-virtual-public-information-forums-rough-hat-clark-county.
The BLM considers right-of-way applications for utility-scale solar energy development in variance areas on a case-by-case basis based on environmental considerations; coordination with appropriate federal, state, and local agencies and tribes; and public outreach. To help identify resource conflicts and potential issues with new solar and wind project proposals, Southern Nevada District implemented standardization for large-scale renewable energy right-of-way application processing which prioritizes BLM’s work on applications that have the fewest resource conflicts. Using this prioritization process, Rough Hat Clark County Solar Project was rated High Priority.
“We look forward to valuable feedback on the proposed Rough Hat Clark County Solar Project during the public input period and virtual public information forum,” said Shonna Dooman, Las Vegas Field Office Manager. “The application prioritization process indicated low resource conflicts with this proposed project. As the next step, we are now gathering public input on the proposed solar project which we will use to decide how to move forward with this right-of-way application.”
More information about the Rough Hat Clark County Solar Project, including proposed project information and BLM’s review process, can be found at www.blm.gov/press-release/bureau-land-management-hold-virtual-public-information-forums-rough-hat-clark-county.
-BLM-
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.