1As part of the land use planning process, the BLM identifies existing and potential

2development areas for renewable energy projects (e.g., wind and solar), communication sites,

3 and other uses. The BLM also identifies ROW avoidance or exclusion areas (areas to be avoided 4 but that may be available for location of ROWs with special stipulations, and areas that are not 5 available for location of ROWs). In addition, the BLM identifies terms and conditions that may 6 apply to ROW corridors or development areas, including best management practices to minimize 7 environmental impacts and limitations on other uses that would be necessary to maintain the

8 corridor and ROW values (H-1601-1, Appendix C (II E); BLM 2005a). Many of the existing 9 land use plans in the six-state study area do not specifically address ROWs for solar energy

10development, although they contain many provisions, stipulations, and guidelines that are

11relevant to such development activities.

12

13Solar energy development projects, as with other implementation actions, must be in

14conformance with the applicable land use plan. In cases where a proposed solar energy facility

15is not in conformance with the applicable land use plan, the BLM can reject the application for

16a ROW or amend the land use plan to allow for the ROW. The BLM must determine whether

17to initiate a plan amendment process when a proposal changes the scope of resource uses or the

18terms, conditions, and/or decisions of an approved plan (43 CFR 1610.5-5). Land use plan

19amendments are subject to environmental review under NEPA and must be completed in

20accordance with BLM planning regulations (43 CFR 1610 et seq.).

21

22As part of BLM’s proposed Solar Energy Program, land use plans in the six-state study

23area would be amended to address solar energy development (see Appendix C for a list of the

24proposed plan amendments associated with this PEIS). The amendments would become part of

25the land use plans and would include the exclusion areas, priority solar energy development

26areas, and required mitigation measures identified in this PEIS. Only approved land use plans

27can be amended. Land use plans that are undergoing revision or amendment concurrent with the

28development of the Solar PEIS will be reviewed to identify and resolve inconsistencies between

29the PEIS and individual planning efforts. In the event that the BLM determines that it is

30appropriate to amend additional land use plans outside the six-state study area, in order to adopt

31elements of the program, the BLM would initiate the planning process and conduct NEPA

32analysis, incorporating by reference the analysis in the Solar PEIS, as appropriate.

33

34

35 1.3.5 BLM Scope of the Analysis

36

37The PEIS evaluates the potential environmental, social, and economic effects of

38establishing broad solar energy program elements and strategies across the six-state study

39area. The programmatic analysis will provide the basis for future utility-scale solar energy

40development decisions. The geographic scope of the PEIS for the BLM includes all

41BLM-administered lands in the six-state study area (i.e., in Arizona, California, Colorado,

42Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah). This scope was determined based on an internal initial

43resource assessment showing that these states include the majority of BLM-administered

44lands with the most prospective solar energy resources suitable for utility-scale development

45over the next 20 years.

46

1The scope of this analysis is limited to utility-scale solar energy development. For

2the purposes of the Solar PEIS and associated decision making, utility-scale solar energy

3development is defined as any project capable of generating 20 MW or more. As a result, the

4BLM’s new Solar Energy Program would apply only to projects of this scale; decisions on

5 projects that are less than 20 MW would continue to be made in accordance with existing land 6 use plan requirements,8 current applicable policy, and individual site-specific NEPA analyses. 7

8 Several technologies for the utility-scale capture of solar energy are currently in use and 9 are being refined. Viable utility-scale solar technologies considered likely to be deployed over

10the next 20 years and analyzed as part of the Solar PEIS include parabolic trough, power tower,

11dish engine systems, and PV systems.

12

13The Solar PEIS also considers the impacts of construction and operation of transmission

14lines and substations (Chapter 5 of the Draft Solar PEIS). In addition, it includes a transmission

15constraint analysis to determine whether additional corridor designation on BLM-administered

16lands would be needed to facilitate solar development (analysis indicated that the majority of

17BLM-administered lands with developable solar resources are not constrained from

18development9—see Appendix G of the Draft PEIS), and an analysis of the environmental

19impacts of constructing transmission from the individual proposed SEZs to load centers (these

20analyses are included in the SEZ-specific sections of Chapters 8 through 13 of this Final Solar

21PEIS).

22

23

24 1.3.5.1 Program Analysis Versus SEZ-Specific Analysis

25

26As discussed previously, the Solar PEIS will not eliminate the need for site-specific

27environmental reviews for future utility-scale solar energy development projects

28(see Section 1.3.5.1). The BLM will make separate decisions as to whether or not to

29authorize individual solar energy projects in conformance with the existing land use plan(s)

30as amended by the Solar PEIS ROD.

31

32NEPA dictates that federal agencies take a “hard look” at the environmental

33consequences of a proposed action. The requisite environmental analysis performed by an

34agency must be commensurate with the action in question. In the case of the Solar PEIS, it is

35important to make a distinction between the Solar Energy Program elements to be decided upon

36based on the Solar PEIS, and the additional data collection and analysis being completed for

37SEZs to inform future project decisions in those priority areas.

38

39As outlined in Sections 1.3.4 and 1.3.5, the BLM expects to make planning-level

40decisions through the Solar PEIS, such as land use designations and design features. The

8Co-generation projects involving a mix of solar energy technologies and other energy technologies (e.g., natural gas, wind, and hydropower) would be subject to the requirements of the new Solar Energy Program if the solar energy component is 20 MW or greater.

9“Constrained from development” was defined as being located more than 25 mi (40 km) from an existing transmission line or designated corridor (see details in Section 3.2.5).