Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Restoration Design Energy Project and Possible Land Use Plan Amendment in Arizona

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Arizona State Office intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to support possible amendments to several BLM-Arizona Resource Management Plans (RMP) to identify sites and/or areas managed by the BLM that may be suitable for the development of renewable energy and to establish appropriate design criteria for such projects. By this notice, BLM-Arizona State Office is announcing the beginning of the scoping process to solicit public comments and identify issues.

(Jan 3, 2010) - The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced today the proposed and alternate routes which will be analyzed in the draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Gateway West Transmission Line Project. The BLM identified these routes using information from the scoping period in the summer 2008, comments received, cooperating agency input, and by applying evaluation criteria which examined opportunities and constraints of various routes.   Cooperating agencies participated in an additional alternative formulation period this past July and August.

The BLM Wyoming is preparing the draft EIS. The BLM is the lead federal agency in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process for this project, and is working with cooperating agencies including the U.S. Forest Service (USFS); National Park Service; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, State of Wyoming; State of Idaho; Cassia, Twin Falls and Power Counties, Idaho; the City of Kuna, Idaho; Carbon, Lincoln and Sweetwater Counties, Wyoming; and the Saratoga-Encampment-Rawlins Conservation District and Medicine Bow Conservation District in Wyoming. In addition, tribal consultation is ongoing.

Fast-Track Approach Picks Up the Pace on Renewable Energy without Cutting Corners

Washington, DC (Dec 29, 2009) - With the December 2010 deadline for obtaining incentive funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act only a year off, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Director Bob Abbey today reaffirmed the agency's commitment to helping the nation reach its "green energy future" by guaranteeing full environmental analysis and public review for the 31 renewable energy projects that have met the required milestones to remain on the fast-track list for expedited processing.