BLM, USDA Forest Service seek input on proposed Cross-Tie 500-kV Transmission Project connecting Nevada and Utah power grids
Bureau of Land Management and Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest are announcing the release of the Final Environmental Impact Statement, U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service Draft Record of Decision, and pre-decisional objection review for a transmission line that would deliver energy across the West, beginning a 45-day public comment period. If approved, the Cross-Tie 500-kilovolt Transmission Project would cross approximately 214 miles of BLM-managed public lands.
The project proposes to connect PacifiCorp’s existing 500-kilovolt Clover Substation in Juab County, Utah, with NV Energy’s 500-kilovolt Robinson Summit Substation in White Pine County, Nevada, passing through Beaver and Millard counties in Utah, and Lincoln and Nye counties in Nevada. Planning documents, including maps, are available for review at the BLM National NEPA Register.
“If approved and built, this project would transfer renewable and non-renewable energy between Utah and Nevada, helping to better deliver electricity reliably across the West,” said BLM West Desert District Manager Michael Gates.
The Forest Service will accept objections from those who submitted written comments during previous designated comment periods. The objection period will close 45 days following the day after publication of the legal notice in the Elko Daily Free Press. Issues raised in objections must be based on previously submitted comments unless based on new information arising after designated opportunities to comment. Please visit the Forest Service https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/htnf/?project=61978 for additional information.
As of September 2024, the Biden-Harris administration has approved 41 renewable energy projects on public lands (10 solar, 13 geothermal, and 18 gen-ties) and exceeded the goal to permit 25 gigawatts by 2025. In total, BLM has now permitted clean energy projects on public lands with a total capacity of approximately 29 gigawatts of power – enough to power over 12 million homes. This year BLM also issued a final Renewable Energy Rule that will lower consumer energy costs and the cost of developing solar and wind projects, improve project application processes, and incentivize developers to continue responsibly developing solar and wind projects on public lands.
A Notice of Availability will publish in tomorrow’s Federal Register. For further information, please contact Amber Koski, BLM Fillmore Field Office, 95 East 500 North Fillmore, UT 84631; phone: 435-743-3100.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.