LAKE COUNTY ? Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has extended the public comment period for the proposed Walker Ridge Wind Park to be located on BLM land on the border of Lake and Colusa counties. The public is invited to attend upcoming scoping meetings scheduled in Lake and Colusa counties.
The purpose of the meetings is to gather input on issues that should be addressed in environmental documents for the proposed project.
Public scoping meetings for the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) are scheduled as follows:
?6 to 9 p.m. Sept. 9 in Lake County Board of Supervisors” Chambers, 255 North Forbes Street in Lakeport.
?6 to 9 p.m. Sept. 10 at the Natural Resources Conservation Service office, 100 Sunrise Blvd. in Colusa.
“We are holding the meetings to gather public comment on issues, concerns and opportunities that should be considered in the analysis of the proposed action,” Rich Burns, BLM Ukiah Field Office manager said. “In order to provide time for the public to develop comments following the scoping meetings, we are extending the public comment period 30 days to Sept. 28.”
AltaGas Renewable Energy Pacific, Inc. has applied for a right-of-way authorization covering 8,157 acres on public lands for a 70-megawatt wind energy project with an interconnection to the Pacific Gas & Electric”s 115-kilovolt (kV) distribution system.
As proposed by the company, the wind project could include 29 to 42 wind turbine generators, an underground electrical collection system, a substation, a 115-kV overhead transmission line, an interconnect station, an operations and maintenance building and access roads.
Information on the status of the proposal is available at www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/ukiah.html. Additional opportunities for public participation and formal comment will occur when the draft EIS is issued.
For further information and/or to have your name added to the mailing list, contact Bethney Lefebvre, Ukiah Field Office, 2550 North State Street, Ukiah, CA 95482; phone 468-4000; fax 468-4027; or e-mail at ukiahwindeis@ca.blm.gov.
BLM has started a potential list of issues to be addressed in the analysis at a minimum including social and economic impacts; traffic impacts; ground and surface water quantity and quality impacts; plant and animal species impacts including special status species; impacts to cultural resources; and visual resource impacts.
