Getting Involved

Public involvement is a key component of the PEIS process. An additional public scoping comment period has been opened. The public is invited to submit public comments for consideration in identifying environmental issues, existing resource data, and industry interest with respect to solar energy study areas.

Solar Energy Study Area Maps and Additional Public Scoping

The Department of Energy (DOE) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) (the Agencies) are announcing the availability of maps that identify 24 tracts of BLM-administered land for in-depth study for solar development. The study area maps are available in PDF format on the Solar Energy Study Area Maps page. The Agencies are soliciting public comments for consideration in identifying environmental issues, existing resource data, and industry interest with respect to the proposed study areas.

Public scoping comments may be submitted via the Public Comment Form or by regular mail (see instructions below). The public comment period ends July 30, 2009.

How to Submit Comments

There are two ways to submit comments or suggestions on the solar energy study areas:

• Electronic comment submittal via the Web (the preferred method), and
• Regular mail.

If you would like to submit a comment or suggestion electronically through the Web, please use the Public Comment Form. Written comments can also be mailed, and should be addressed to:

Original Public Scoping Comments

Public comments received during the original scoping period (May 29, 2008, through July 15, 2008), including individual letters, comments received electronically, and oral comments presented at scoping meetings, are available on this Web site, under Search Scoping Comments.

Public comments received during the new scoping period (June 30, 2009, through July 30, 2009), including individual letters and comments received electronically, will be available on this Web site, under Search Scoping Comments, after the public comment period is closed.

Scoping Summary Report Available

The scoping summary report, entitled Summary of Public Scoping Comments Received during the Scoping Period for the Solar Energy Development Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement is available for downloading or browsing online under Documents. The report presents a summary of the comments that were received during the original scoping period (May 29, 2008, through July 15, 2008). The DOE and the BLM will use this report and the individual comments as part of a process to determine the scope of analysis in the PEIS.

Public Scoping Process

During the original scoping period (May 29, 2008, through July 15, 2008), the Agencies invited interested Federal and State agencies, organizations, Native American tribes, and members of the public to submit comments or suggestions to assist in identifying significant environmental issues and in determining the scope of this PEIS. The public scoping period started with the publication of the Notice of Intent in the Federal Register and ended July 15, 2008.

During the public scoping period, the Agencies work collaboratively with interested parties to identify the management decisions that are best suited to local, regional, and national needs and concerns. Early participation helps determine the content of each Agency's solar energy program and the future management of the Federal, State, tribal or private lands used for utility-scale solar energy projects.

Comment Consideration

For the current additional scoping period electronic and mailed comments will be given equal weight, and the Agencies will consider all comments that are received or postmarked by July 30, 2009. Comments received or postmarked after that date will be considered to the extent practicable.

Public Scoping Meetings

During the original scoping period (May 29, 2008, through July 15, 2008) public scoping meetings for the Solar Energy Development PEIS were held in eleven cities in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah in June and July 2008, on the dates and times indicated under Public Meetings. No public meetings will be held for the additional public scoping period.

Transcripts of the scoping meetings, as well as materials presented at the scoping meetings, including agency presentations, technical summaries prepared by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and a project factsheet, are available on the Documents and Public Meetings pages.

Cooperating Agencies

The Agencies invite any Federal, State, or local agency or tribal government with jurisdiction by law or special expertise in solar energy development to be a cooperating agency. The U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the California Energy Commission, California Public Utilities Commission, the Arizona Game and Fish Department the Los Angeles District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Southwestern Region, U.S. Forest Service; Nevada Department of Wildlife; Clark County, Nevada; Utah Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office, and the State of Utah have already indicated that they plan to participate as cooperating agencies. Other agencies or governments may become cooperating agencies at a later date.

Future Public Involvement Opportunities

Scoping is one phase of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis process. It is intended to give interested parties the chance to comment on a proposed action and to offer suggestions about the issues to be considered in the EIS analyses. Scoping is the earliest, but not the last, opportunity for people to provide input on the Solar Energy Development PEIS. The public and other interested parties will be invited to provide comments on the Draft PEIS when it is published.

For More Information

For more information on public participation in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, please consult the following publications:

	A Citizen's Guide to the NEPA: Having Your Voice Heard (932 KB)
	DOE, NEPA,and You Brochure (1.46 MB)

For further information on the Solar Energy Development Programmatic EIS, please contact:

Lisa Jorgensen
Department of Energy
Golden Field Office
lisa.jorgensen@go.doe.gov
Phone: (303) 275-4906

or

Linda Resseguie
Bureau of Land Management
Washington Office
linda_resseguie@blm.gov
Phone: (202) 452-7774