BLM seeks public input on proposed Easley Solar project in Riverside County

PALM SPRINGS, Calif.- The Bureau of Land Management is seeking public comment on the draft environmental assessment for the proposed Easley Solar projectin Riverside County. If approved, the project could generate up to 400 megawatts of solar energy and 650 megawatts of battery storage capacity, delivering clean renewable electricity to the statewide transmission grid. The comment period will close September 20.

IP Easley, a subsidiary of Intersect Power LLC, proposes to construct, operate, maintain, and eventually decommission the Easley Renewable Energy project on approximately 2,700 acres of BLM-managed public lands and 990 acres of private lands.

The proposed project aligns with President Biden's goalof a carbon free electricity sector by 2035 that creates good-paying jobs while ensuring that consumers across the country have access to affordable, reliable electric power.

The BLM will hold a virtual meeting on Tues., Sept. 10, from 5-6 p.m. Please register to attend virtually. A separate in-person public meeting will be held on Wed., Sept. 11, from 4:30 - 5:30 p.m. at the Palm Springs Field Office, 1201 Bird Center Dr., Palm Springs, CA 92262.

"The public comment period is an essential step in the environmental analysis process," said California Desert District Manager Shelly Lynch. "Public participation helps BLM identify issues and concerns to address in the environmental assessment. We highly encourage the public to share their perspectives about the proposed project."

Written comments may be submitted through the "Participate Now" function on the BLM National NEPA Register(preferred), emailed to [email protected], or delivered to the Palm Springs - South Coast Field Office at 1201 Bird Center Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262.

The proposed Easley Solar Project would be constructed on BLM land designated as a development focus area in the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan, a landscape-level plan that streamlines renewable energy development while conserving unique and valuable desert ecosystems and providing outdoor recreation opportunities. The Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan is focused on 10.8 million acres of public lands in the desert regions of seven California counties - Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego.

Recently, the Department of the Interior announced that BLM had achieved the major milestone of permitting 25 gigawattsof clean energy projects, including solar, wind, geothermal, and gen-ties (transmission lines that cross public lands to connect renewable energy projects on private lands to the grid). BLM currently has 60 proposed renewable energy projectson public lands in the western United States, which have the combined potential to add more than 21,800 megawatts of renewable energy to the western electric grid.

BLM manages vast stretches of public lands with the potential to make significant contributions to the nation's renewable energy portfolio and provides sites for environmentally sound renewable energy projects. Efficient deployment of renewable energy from our nation's public lands is crucial in achieving the Biden-Harris administration's goal of a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035.

For additional information on the Easley Solar project, please contact the Tammy Faust, project manager at 505-427-6759.