Solar Energy Zones in Nevada: What and where are they? Who made them and why, and what do they have to do with wilderness and habitat conservation? (Take a deep breath. It’s worth it.)
It all starts with the DSPEIS. The Draft Solar Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement is a crazy-long document (some 11,000 pages) written by employees of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). It is that agency’s latest effort to establish rules for developing solar energy on public lands in the West, outlining where projects can be located and how permits will be issued.
In this document, the BLM has established 24 solar energy development zones (SEZs) in the West. Seven of them are in Nevada and identified in yellow on the map above. The names of these seven areas may sound familiar. That’s because this is the second go-round for the SPEIS. You may recall that last year, the Nevada Wilderness Project weighed in on during the scoping period of this document, sending comments and recommendations about the zones to the BLM and participating in their review process.You can click on the names below to see a map and learn more about each area:
We like the concept of identifying zones in our state for solar energy development – areas where responsive developers can maximize energy production with the least amount of acreage possible, on public lands with the least ecological and cultural value. This clarity gives us opportunities to provide additional protections (such as wilderness or national conservation area designations) for lands of better quality habitat in the region. It makes way for innovative royalty programs that provide revenue from the renewable energy generated for sensitive land acquisition, management and restoration. These zones are a step in the right direction for “smart from the start” renewable energy development.
Here’s the problem. And it’s a big one...
In addition to these 24 solar zones, the BLM says an additional 21 million acres of land in the West will be open to potential solar development. That’s not a typo; 21 million additional acres. 9.1 million of these acres are in Nevada and shown in orange on the map. The BLM does not offer a clear explanation for why the identified zones are insufficient. Amounting to 677,400 acres, the zones provide nearly three times the land required to meet ambitious projections for the region’s solar energy needs. And much of this land proposed for development overlaps core sage grouse breeding habitat--nearly 1.1 million acres in Nevada alone.
In short, the DSPEIS misses the point on how solar energy should unfold on our public lands. What we want the DSPEIS to do is define the best solar energy zones for Nevada and encourage the construction of good projects on these sites—with our support. When the identified solar zones become fully utilized, the BLM will turn to an established system (with public input and environmental review) and create additional zones as needed. The Nevada Wilderness Project provided new comments and recomendations to the BLM about the DSPEIS by their deadline of May 2, 2011.
What others are saying:
Here is a 3/17/11 Las Vegas City Life story titled "Power Struggle," about the three alternatives proposed in the PEIS.
A letter-to-the-editor written by NWP's Charlotte Overby on 3/9/11 in the Las Vegas Sun titled, "Backing Renewable Energy."
Listen to our own Greg Seymour talk about Nevada moving forward in solar power development. 3/2/2011 - KNPR Nevada Public Radio
In the coming weeks, we will continue to update these pages and provide as much information on Nevada’s seven zones as possible. Last updates: 5/2/2011.
