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November 14, 2014 (Sacramento)--In response to public requests, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), California Energy Commission (CEC) and California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) will extend the public comment period for the draft Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) for 45 days. The comment period, originally scheduled to close on January 9, 2015, will be extended through February 23, 2015.
The draft DRECP, which designates vast tracts for large-scale renewable energy projects as well as other areas for conservation, covers over 22 million acres of land in Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties. The draft is the result of collaboration among the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, California Energy Commission, California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, and other stakeholders.
The draft proposes to protect areas in the California desert that are important for wildlife, recreation, cultural and other uses while also facilitating the timely permitting of solar, wind and geothermal energy projects and associated transmission in appropriate areas. The draft plan presents six alternative approaches for meeting renewable energy and conservation goals through 2040. Each alternative proposes a different conservation design and configuration of lands available for more efficient and predictable renewable energy project review. The draft plan also includes an analysis of the potential environmental impacts of these alternatives.
A recorded informational webinar to help the public navigate the DRECP documents is available at www.drecp.org. The website also contains instructions for providing written comments on the draft document.
The draft DRECP EIR/EIS is available for review and download at www.drecp.org, at local libraries and agency offices, and on DVD. To request a DVD, please send an email request to drecp.info@energy.ca.gov or call (866) 674-9996 and provide a mailing address. For a list of local area libraries and agency offices that have the document on file (most are on DVD), please visit www.drecp.org/draftdrecp.
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