Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement On Wind Energy Development On Blm Administered Lands In The Western United States

Download or read book Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement on Wind Energy Development on BLM-administered Lands in the Western United States written by and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 1392 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), is responsible for the development of wind energy resources on BLM-administered lands. Currently, about 500 MW of installed wind capacity occurs under right-of-way (ROW) authorizations administered by the BLM in accordance with the requirements of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLMPA) (United States Code, Title 43, Section 1701[43 USC 1701]) and the BLḾs Interim Wind Energy Development Policy (BLM 2002). This interim policy was developed, in part, in response to the National Energy Policy recommendations that the Departments of the Interior, Energy, Agriculture, and Defense work together to increase renewable energy production (NEPDG 2001). The interim policy is consistent with the requirements of Executive Order (E.O.) 13212, ́Actions to Expedite Energy-Related Projects, ́ issued May 2001, that federal agencies take appropriate actions, to the extent consistent with applicable law, to expedite projects to increase the production, transmission, or conservation of energy. To further support wind energy development on public lands and also to minimize potential environmental and sociocultural impacts, the BLM is seeking to build on the interim policy to establish a Wind Energy Development Program.