Bureau of Land Management
Solar Energy Permitting and Program Resources
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has extended the comment period for the Dry Lake Valley North SEZ Solar Regional Mitigation Strategy draft document to August 28, 2015.
On July 9, 2015, the BLM released the Draft Regional Mitigation Strategy for the 25,069-acre Dry Lake Valley North Solar Energy Zone (SEZ) in Lincoln County, Nevada. The BLM has issued a Press Release on the document, and is asking the public to review and provide comments on the draft strategy, which can be found on the Dry Lake Valley North Project Website.
The Dry Lake Valley North SEZ is the largest of the 5 SEZs in Nevada and, when fully built, could produce up to 4,000 MW of renewable energy. It is located about 15 miles west of Pioche and 15 miles northwest of Caliente. The SEZ is framed by the North Pahroc Range to the west, and the West Range, Bristol Range, Highland Range, Ely Springs Range, Black Canyon Range, and Burnt Springs Range to the east.
BLM requests comments by August 28, 2015.
Written comments may be submitted to the BLM Ely District Office, HC 33 Box 33500, Ely, NV, 89301, Attn: Dan Netcher or via email to [email protected].
On Thursday, August 6, 2015, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will host a public webinar on the draft Solar Regional Mitigation Strategy (SRMS) document for the Dry Lake Valley North Solar Energy Zone in Nevada. The purpose of this webinar is to present the contents of the document and address stakeholder questions. The draft document was made available for public review on July 10, 2015, and written comments are being accepted through August 14th. The document is available through the Dry Lake Valley North Project Website.
The webinar will be held from 1 to 2:30 PM Pacific Time on August 6th.
The dial-in number for the webinar is: 1-888-850-4523; passcode 858755.
The URL is: https://anl.adobeconnect.com/dlvn_srms/.
Please include your organization name (if applicable) when logging in to the webinar. No password is needed.
If you are planning to participate in this webinar, please RSVP to: [email protected]. For more information about this Solar Regional Mitigation Strategy project contact Dan Netcher, Project Manager, BLM Ely District ([email protected]).
On July 9, 2015, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released the Draft Regional Mitigation Strategy for the 25,069-acre Dry Lake Valley North Solar Energy Zone (SEZ) in Lincoln County, Nevada. The BLM has issued a Press Release on the document, and is asking the public to review and provide comments on the draft strategy, which can be found on the Dry Lake Valley North Project Website.
The Dry Lake Valley North SEZ is the largest of the 5 SEZs in Nevada and, when fully built, could produce up to 4,000 MW of renewable energy. It is located about 15 miles west of Pioche and 15 miles northwest of Caliente. The SEZ is framed by the North Pahroc Range to the west, and the West Range, Bristol Range, Highland Range, Ely Springs Range, Black Canyon Range, and Burnt Springs Range to the east.
BLM requests comments by August 14, 2015.
Written comments may be submitted to the BLM Ely District Office, HC 33 Box 33500, Ely, NV, 89301, Attn: Dan Netcher or via email to [email protected].
The BLM Carson City District, Stillwater Field Office, has issued the Decision for the Environmental Assessment (EA) for Invenergy Solar Development LLC's Luning Solar Energy Project. The proposal for this project has been processed as a variance application by the BLM.
The decision was for BLM to issue a right-of-way grant to Invenergy Solar Development LLC for the construction, operation and decommissioning of a 50 megawatt name-plate capacity, solar photovoltaic generating facility. The project also includes a 120 kilovolt generation-tie transmission line that would connect the project substation to the existing Table Mountain substation and two 40-acre mineral material sites.
See the BLM news release for more information.
The BLM Carson City District, Stillwater Field Office, has announced that it has completed the Environmental Assessment (EA) to analyze potential impacts for the Luning Solar Energy Project proposed by Invenergy Solar Development LLC. The Luning Solar Energy Project is a proposed 50 MW photovoltaic facility in Mineral County, Nevada, approximately three miles north of Luning, Nevada, on approximately 560 acres of BLM-administered land. The proposal is being processed as a variance application by the BLM.
The public is invited to comment on the EA through June 8, 2015. See the BLM news release for more information and instructions for commenting. The EA is available through the BLM Nevada Carson City District Office NEPA page.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has released groundwater models and reports for the Dry Lake and Dry Lake Valley North Solar Energy Zones in Nevada. The purpose of these models is to assess potential impacts associated with groundwater withdrawals to support solar energy development in the vicinity of the SEZs. These are numerical models developed using established software and hydrogeological principles that rely on publicly available geospatial, geologic, and hydrologic data.
To view the reports and models, visit the Groundwater Modeling for the Dry Lake SEZ page and the Groundwater Modeling for the Dry Lake Valley North SEZ page.
On May 30, 2014, the BLM Nevada State Office published a Notice of Competitive Auction for Solar Energy Development on Public Lands in the State of Nevada. This notice announces that the BLM will hold an oral auction on June 30, 2014, at the City of North Las Vegas Council Chambers, 2250 Las Vegas Blvd, North Las Vegas, NV 89030, to select high bidders and preferred applicants to submit right-of-way applications for solar energy projects within the Dry Lake SEZ. The BLM is offering up to approximately 3,083 acres of public land in 6 parcels within the SEZ.
Existing regulations authorize the BLM to determine whether competition exists among ROW applications filed for the same facility or system. The regulations also allow the BLM to resolve any such competition by using competitive bidding procedures. The BLM will use a competitive sealed and oral bid process to select preferred applicants to submit ROW applications and plans of development for solar energy development in the Dry Lake SEZ. Details on fee and bid requirements are provided in the notice. The bid statement format and a complete description of the bid process are contained in an Invitation for Bids package (see Dry Lake Competitive Leasing). All grants will be issued subject to valid existing rights in accordance with 43 CFR 2805.14.
The BLM will host a webinar for interested bidders on Tuesday, June 17, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Pacific Time to discuss the bidding process and answer any questions regarding the competitive auction scheduled for June 30, 2014, for the Dry Lake SEZ. The dial-in number for the webinar is: 1-888-850-4523; Passcode 473080. The URL for the webinar is: https://anl.adobeconnect.com/blmsezauction/. For more information regarding the auction and the webinar contact Greg Helseth, Renewable Energy Project Manager, by telephone at 702-515-5173 or by email at [email protected].
In accordance with BLM's interim competitive procedures, the BLM Washington Office is publishing a Notice Seeking Public Interest for Solar Energy Development on Public Lands in the Dry Lake Solar Energy Zone in Clark County, Nevada. Those wishing to participate should submit a letter of interest and preliminary right-of-way application to the BLM. This public notification is the first step to possible competitive solar energy development on public lands in the Dry Lake Solar Energy Zone (SEZ). Interested parties have 30-days to respond. If the BLM determines that sufficient competition exists, the BLM may use a competitive bidding process, consistent with its regulations, to select a preferred applicant in the SEZ. For more information, see the press release.
This announcement also includes the release of the Regional Mitigation Strategy for the Dry Lake Solar Energy Zone (BLM Technical Note 444) (PDF, 3.9 MB), a pilot effort by the BLM that identifies mitigation priorities and options in advance of development. The strategy takes into account the resource conditions of the land and regional trends informed by BLM's recent Rapid Ecoregional Assessments, and is the first of several such mitigation strategies to be developed by the BLM for SEZs. The Dry Lake SEZ regional mitigation strategy document is available from the BLM National Operations Center Library. More information about the pilot project is available on the BLM's Dry Lake SEZ Solar Regional Mitigation Planning Project page.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will host an open house meeting to discuss the Solar Regional Mitigation Strategy (SRMS) for the Dry Lake Valley North Solar Energy Zone (SEZ) on March 25, 2014 from 4p.m. – 6:30 p.m., at the BLM Caliente Field Office located at 1400 South Front Street, in Caliente, Nevada 89008. If you are planning to attend the open house please email your RSVP to [email protected].
The BLM is also asking the public to review and provide comment on a draft assessment of unavoidable impacts associated with the development of the 25,069-acre Dry Lake Valley North SEZ in Lincoln County, Nevada that may warrant off-site mitigation. The public is also invited to submit candidate sites where such mitigation actions might occur. The deadline to provide comment is Friday, April 4, 2014 (see instructions below).
More information about the Dry Lake Valley North SRMS, including the assessment of unavoidable impacts that may warrant off-site mitigation, is available through the project website at: https://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/ely_field_office/blm_programs/energy/dry_lake_valley_north.html
Written comments may be submitted to the BLM Southern Nevada District Office, 4701 N. Torrey Pines Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89130 Attn: Michael Dwyer or via email to [email protected]. 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 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 Dry Lake Valley North SEZ Solar Regional Mitigation Strategy is expected to be completed in summer 2014 and will guide actions designed to compensate for the long-term loss of resource values in the SEZ. For more information, contact Michael Dwyer, BLM project manager, at (702) 515-5186 or [email protected].
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is starting work on a solar regional mitigation strategy (SRMS) for the Dry Lake Valley North Solar Energy Zone (SEZ). To start this process, the BLM will host a public field trip to the SEZ on November 19, 2013. Interested parties will meet at 1 p.m. at the trailhead for the Silver State Off-Highway Vehicle Trail, approximately 3.5 miles north of the Great Basin Highway (93) on N. Poleline Road. The intersection of U.S. 93 and Poleline Road is approximately 27.5 miles east of the intersection of US 93 and Highway 318 near Alamo, and approximately 17 miles west of Caliente on U.S. 93. The field trip is expected to last approximately two hours. Because of the short notice for this field trip, an additional field trip may be scheduled for a later date if there is sufficient interest.
If you are planning to attend the field trip please email your RSVP to: [email protected]
The BLM is in the process of launching a Dry Lake Valley North SRMS project website; when the page becomes available a notice will be sent to all stakeholders. Relevant documents and information about project schedule and future workshops will be posted to the Dry Lake Valley North SRMS project website.
Questions about the Dry Lake Valley North SRMS should be directed to Mike Dwyer, BLM Program Manager, at [email protected]