WASHINGTON - As part of its ongoing effort to support responsible development of renewable energy on public lands, the Bureau of Land Management is holding a series of public scoping meetings to solicit feedback on the recently announced programmatic environmental impact statement for the BLM’s utility-scale solar energy planning. The BLM is considering updates to its 2012 Western Solar Plan that included six southwestern states-Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah-and is seeking comment regarding expanding its solar planning to include five additional states: Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming.
“The BLM is committed to expanding renewable energy development on public lands to help lead the nation into a clean energy future, enhance America’s energy security, and provide for good-paying union jobs," said BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning. “We look forward to hearing from the public on effective ways to expand our nation’s capacity for producing solar energy while continuing to ensure robust protection of our public lands and waters."
Below is information for the virtual meetings and first in-person meeting.
* Virtual: Jan. 12, 2023, from 12:30-3:30 p.m. Mountain Standard Time. Pre-registration is required at: https://argonne.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJItce2prDItErl7Pg9WfX0W7I7sh7sI3Ck
* Washington, D.C.: Jan. 13, 2023, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, at the Stewart Lee Udall Building, Department of Interior, 1849 C Street, N.W., in the Yates Auditorium. Please enter at on C Street. Nearest Metro is Farragut West (orange and blue lines) and Farragut North (red line). No parking is available on-site.
* Virtual: Feb. 13, 2023, from 12:30-3:30p.m. Mountain Standard Time. Please register in advance for this meeting: https://argonne.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsdOGhqTsoH695-CQKbVk2QMr_XxPikfo.
Additional in-person scoping meetings are being planned and will be held in Phoenix, Arizona; Sacramento, California; Grand Junction, Colorado; Boise, Idaho; Billings, Montana; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Reno, Nevada; Bend, Oregon; Salt Lake City, Utah; Spokane, Washington; and Cheyenne, Wyoming. Scoping meeting location information will be made available at least two weeks in advance by news release and at: blm.gov/solar-programmatic-environmental-impact-statement.
The Notice of Intent to update the BLM’s 2012 solar programmatic environmental impact statement was published in the Federal Register on December 8, 2022, with interested parties invited to submit written feedback or to participate in one of the following upcoming in-person or virtual public scoping meetings.
The public comment period will remain open until February 6, 2023, or 15 days after the last public scoping meeting, whichever is later. For the most recent information on these meetings and to view the Notice of Intent, visit the BLM’s ePlanning web site at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2022371/570.
Source: Bureau of Land Management
