BLM seeks public input on massive Esmeralda 7 Solar Project between Las Vegas and Reno

LAS VEGAS ( KLAS ) — The explosion in solar energy development is all around us, but it’s about to hit another gear as the approval process continues for a set of projects that will produce more power than homes in Nevada currently use.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has opened public comment on the proposed Esmeralda 7 Solar Project west of Tonopah, about midway between Las Vegas and Reno. If approved, the seven adjacent solar photovoltaic projects would collectively produce up to 6.2 gigawatts of clean electricity – enough to power roughly 1.6 million average homes, according to the EPA Calculator.

The average household in Nevada is 2.6 people, so that’s enough power for 4 million people. Nevada’s population is currently estimated at 3.2 million people, with about 75% of those living in Clark County.

The Biden administration directed federal agencies to fast-track development of solar, wind and geothermal projects as the government seeks to reduce America’s reliance on fossil fuels. Many of the solar projects are planned on public land controlled by BLM.

BLM said it analyzed the environmental effects of these seven projects together because they would be built adjacent to each other on about 118,000 acres of public land in Big Smoky Valley.

Esmeralda County has the fewest residents of any Nevada county, a major shift from the mining heyday of the early 20th century when Goldfield was the largest city in the state. But now Esmeralda County is the focus of solar development and proposed lithium mines.

And with that focus comes attention to the environmental impact.

“Public participation in the environmental review process is vitally important,” Battle Mountain District Manager Douglas Furtado said. “BLM is committed to responsibly adding more clean energy to the grid.”

Shaaron Netherton, executive director of Friends of Nevada Wilderness , said her group and others have serious concerns about the proposal. Among those concerns: nationally significant cultural resources and impacts and impacts on the state’s most genetically pure population of native desert bighorn sheep.

“There are over 400 Paleoindian sites in this area. They are 10-14,000 years old,” Netherton said on Friday.

A rich and diverse selection of reptiles including the ground snake, California king snake, Great Basin collared lizard and long-nosed leopard lizard are among the animals that would be affected by the massive solar development, she said.

“New research is also highlighting new plant species. This is an incredibly rich collection of plants with some being considered for state and federal protection, Netherton said.

She also pointed to a nearby solar energy zone that has existing infrastructure. That site would make sense, but she questions the location of the new project.

“We fully support green energy development, it is the placement and the scope of these projects that we take issue with,” Netherton said.

Friends of Nevada Wilderness, Conservation Lands Foundation, Center for Biological Diversity, the Coalition for Nevada’s Wildlife, the Walker River Paiute Tribe and the Yerington Paiute Tribe, and the Coalition for Nevada’s WIldlife have severe concerns about the location of these projects.

Netherton also said the projects would place a burden on rural Esmeralda County, which will receive no funding.

The BLM will host one virtual public meeting and one in-person public meeting. The dates, times, location of these meetings will be announced at least 15 days in advance on the project’s BLM National NEPA Register. Further information on the project and how to register for the meetings is available at the BLM National NEPA Register.

Written comments must be received by Oct. 24, 2024, and reference Esmeralda 7 in the subject line for mailed and emailed comments. Options to submit include:

• Online via the Participate Now tab of the BLM National NEPA Register (preferred) at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2020804/510 . Click on the “Participate Now” link.
• By mail to BLM Esmeralda Seven Project Manager, 50 Bastian Road, Battle Mountain, NV 89820
• Email to BLM_NV_BMDO_P&EC_NEPA@blm.gov

For more information, contact Scott Distel, Project Manager, at 775-635-4093 or 4000.

Also, BLM published the final Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Libra Solar Project in Mineral and Lyon Counties. The project includes 700 megawatts of solar production and 700 megawatts of battery storage centered on 5,100 acres in Mineral County.

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