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Proposed Solar Development Area Maps
View maps showing BLM-administered lands potentially available for solar energy development under the three BLM PEIS alternatives, including maps of the proposed solar energy zones (SEZs).
Maps that depict which BLM-administered lands would be available for right-of-way (ROW) application for solar energy development under the BLM's action alternatives may be downloaded below. These include the BLM's 17 proposed solar energy zones (SEZs) as presented in the Supplement to the Draft Solar PEIS.
Who Should Use these Maps and Why
The proposed Solar Development Area maps provide all users with fast, easy access to downloadable maps of the lands potentially available for solar energy development under the PEIS alternatives, in the convenient Adobe Acrobat format. These non-interactive maps contain a large amount of data that can be used by anyone; are easy to download, view, or e-mail; and can also be used to create high-quality printed output. Because the data used as the basis for these maps will not be updated or expanded after the Final Solar PEIS is completed, the maps provide a "snapshot" of data used for the PEIS.
Solar Energy Zones Described in the Supplement
Under the BLM's modified solar energy development program alternative, 17 SEZs are proposed as priority development areas for utility-scale solar energy facilities. An SEZ is defined by the BLM as an area with few impediments to utility-scale production of solar energy where BLM would prioritize solar energy and associated transmission infrastructure development. A discussion of the criteria used to identify the original SEZs is provided in Chapter 2 of the Draft PEIS. Information on modification to the SEZs presented through the Supplement is provided in Appendix C of the Supplement to the Draft Solar PEIS.
Maps of Individual Proposed SEZs (as modified in the Supplement to the Draft Solar PEIS)
The following maps show individual SEZs and the surrounding areas. The maps include the revised boundaries of the proposed SEZs and non-development areas within the revised SEZs (if applicable), as presented in the Supplement to the Draft Solar PEIS. The maps also show the original boundaries of the SEZs as proposed in the Draft Solar PEIS.
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Arizona
California
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Colorado
Nevada
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New Mexico
Utah
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Exclusion and Variance Areas for Solar Energy Development
In order to accommodate the flexibility described in the BLM's program objectives, the modified program alternative allows for utility-scale solar development in variance areas outside of SEZs and exclusion areas in accordance with a proposed variance process. Twenty-nine categories of lands would be excluded from solar development (see Supplement to the Draft Solar PEIS, Chapter 2). However, for the Draft Solar PEIS and the Supplement to the PEIS, data were only available to map the following categories of excluded lands:
- BLM-administered lands currently off-limits to development, including lands prohibited by law, regulation, Presidential proclamation or Executive Order (e.g., lands in the National Landscape Conservation System [NLCS]),
- Lands having slopes greater than 5%,
- Lands with solar insolation levels less than 6.5 kWh/m2/day,
- Areas of Critical Environmental Concern,
- Critical habitat for USFWS designated threatened and endangered species,
- Right-of-Way Exclusion and Avoidance Areas,
- No Surface Occupancy Areas; and
- Special Recreation Management Areas (note these were not excluded in the State of Nevada or in a portion of the Yuma East SRMA in Arizona).
The following exclusions have also been mapped: greater sage-grouse habitat in California, Nevada, and Utah; Gunnison's sage-grouse habitat in Utah; and Desert Wildlife Management Areas, Flat Tailed Horned Lizard habitat, and Mojave Ground Squirrel habitat in California. Exclusion areas that could not be mapped due to lack of data would be identified during pre-application consultations with local BLM staff or during site-specific evaluation of individual ROW applications. A detailed discussion of these and other exclusions is provided in Chapter 2 of the Supplement to the Draft Solar PEIS.
Maps of BLM-Administered Lands Available for Application under the Modified Alternatives of the Supplement to the Draft Solar PEIS
The following maps show the locations of BLM-administered lands in each state that (1) are not available for solar energy development currently (i.e., are currently off limits), (2) would continue to be available under the no action alternative, and (3) would be available for ROW application under the variance process described in Chapter 2 of the Supplement to the Draft Solar PEIS. They also show the locations of the proposed SEZs being carried forward as described in the Supplement. The maps require the free Acrobat Reader.
Map of Desert Tortoise Conservation Areas
Desert tortoise conservation areas are excluded from BLM's proposed Solar Energy Program. These areas include, but are not limited to, all critical habitat for desert tortoise and specially designated areas such as National Parks, National Recreation Areas, and National Wildlife Refuges. With the Supplement to the Draft Solar PEIS, the BLM is seeking comments on options for addressing applications received in variance areas that contain proposed connectivity areas for desert tortoise in California and Nevada (see Section 2.2.2.3.1 of the Supplement to the Draft Solar PEIS). These options include possible special restrictions for development within the proposed connectivity areas.
| Map of Desert Tortoise Conservation Areas and Proposed Connectivity Areas |
 Letter Size: 8½" x 11" (1.25 MB) |
Poster Size: 34" x 44" (5.61 MB) |
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