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Renewable Energy and the BLM. May 4, 2009 Ashley Conrad-Saydah BLM Renewable Energy Project Manager. Objectives. Process and history Status of renewable energy applications Solar Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement Coordination and collaboration Timing.
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Renewable Energy and the BLM May 4, 2009 Ashley Conrad-Saydah BLM Renewable Energy Project Manager
Objectives • Process and history • Status of renewable energy applications • Solar Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement • Coordination and collaboration • Timing Solucar Tower, Seville, Spain; Wikipedia Commons
Right-of-Way Grants • Right-of-way (ROW): an authorization to use a specific piece of land for a particular project, i.e. roads, pipelines, energy facilities • Process: • Pre-application meeting • SF 299 • Cost-recovery • Review (environmental, cultural, etc.) • Decision • Challenges with Renewable Energy ROW Applications • Size, location, resources, multiple use
Current Development • Solar • Needles – Ivanpah • El Centro, Barstow – Stirling • Wind • Eagle Lake – SMUD • Transmission • Sunrise, Vulcan, TANC etc. • Geothermal and biomass NREL
BLM Guidance • Cultural Instructional Bulletin (IB) - 2008 • Botany • IB forthcoming • Survey guidelines • Wildlife • Threatened and endangered species lists • Survey guidelines • Collaboration with USFWS, CDFG • Water and engineering • Partnerships
Solar Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) Purpose: to facilitate utility-scale solar energy development on public lands Goals: to identify reasonable forseeable regional and national development scenarios for solar energy; to amend up to 58 BLM land use plans in 6 states; to identify best management practices; and to adopt mitigation measures
Solar PEIS: Partners • Joint project: Department of Energy and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) • Contractor: Argonne National Laboratory • Multiple cooperating agencies • California state agencies (CEC, CPUC, CDF&G et al) • Department of Defense • US Fish and Wildlife Service • Arizona Department of Game and Fish • Nevada Division of Wildlife • Utah Public Lands Policy Coordination Office
Recently Completed PEISs • Wind Energy (2005) • amended 52 BLM land use plans • Geothermal Leasing (2008) • amended 114 BLM land use plans • West-Wide Energy Corridors (2009) • amended 92 BLM land use plans
Solar PEIS: Zones • Move from Western States-wide plan to solar “zones” • Establishing zones • Data from Renewable Energy Transmission Initiative, federal and non-profit partners • Zone EIS • Site specific EAs • Draft plan late summer 2009
More Information: • Solar PEIS: http://solareis.anl.gov/ • Sign up for email notifications • BLM Solar Energy information: http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/energy/solar_energy.html • California Solar Energy information: http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/prog/energy/solar.html
Regional Coordination • Collaborations • Renewable Energy Transmission Initiative • Department of Defense • Desert Managers’ Group • Master agreements • Other local and tribal collaborations • Renewable Energy Action Team (REAT) • Response to Executive Order
Recent and Anticipated Changes • Renewable Energy Coordination Offices (RECO) • Increasing capacity to coordinate processing with applicants and state agencies • Increasing capacity to plan strategically and expedite permitting • Staff • Renewable Energy Project Managers in California Desert District (CDD) and State Office
Timing • How we can work together to expedite processing: • Pre-application meeting with BLM • Post-application, pre-plan of development meeting with BLM, CEC, CDFG, USFWS • Engineering and technical reports • Cultural and biological surveys following established protocol • Excellent communication • Other ideas?
Contacts • Ashley Conrad-Saydah, State Office Renewable Energy Project Manager; aconrad@blm.gov • Greg Miller, CDD Renewable Energy Program Manager; gmiller@blm.gov • Jim Abbott, Associate State Director, Acting State Director • Tom Pogacnik, Deputy State Director, Natural Resources • Steve Borchard, California Desert District Manager • Bob Doyel, Lands Chief • Your local field office staff
Thank you! Questions? Wikipedia Commons SEGS plant; Wikipedia Commons