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BLM Wells field office reports prescribed burn completion, O'Neil PPA appeal and multiple NEPA projects in process
Summary
Melissa Fisher, Wells field office manager, told the advisory board the Spruce Mountain prescribed burn was completed, the O'Neil PPA decision is under appeal, and several NEPA projects and infrastructure proposals are moving through review, including a 4,387‑acre West Wendover conveyance and fiber and mineral exploration projects.
Melissa Fisher, field manager for the Bureau of Land Management's Wells Field Office, reported on completed and ongoing projects during the meeting.
Fisher said the Spruce Mountain prescribed burn—consisting largely of piled material—was ignited and later mopped up, leaving the site cleared. She also said the O'Neil PPA decision was signed by the office but is under appeal to the solicitor's office, with Western Watersheds and Wildlands Defense listed as appellants; the office expects solicitor review results in the coming weeks.
The Wells office is preparing environmental assessments for other projects, including a 334‑acre Rocky Fire prescribed burn and a weeds environmental screening report (ESR). Fisher said the office is continuing work on transmission (SWIP North), Crescent Valley Geothermal, Roostercomb Solar and other infrastructure projects and expects some changes in direction for certain projects in the coming months.
On West Wendover legislative conveyance, Fisher said cadastral work is nearly finished and a meeting with the Air Force will address patent language; she said the conveyance will be for 4,387 acres rather than the nearly 9,000 acres originally requested because of cultural clearance limitations.
Fisher said the Zito Fiber Project kickoff and the Nevada North Lithium exploration project in the Wells office area are moving through NEPA phases. Public comment on the Nevada North Lithium EA closed on Jan. 19 (transcript), and staff are preparing responses to comments. Beacon Hill exploration north of West Wendover is a smaller, roughly 61‑acre mining exploration proposal at present.
Fisher also said delegation of authority to the field office is temporarily constrained following administration turnover; many decisions that previously could be made locally must be elevated pending restoration of delegation, typically a 30–90 day process.
The BLM manager said the agency is working on NEPA for herd management and grazing allotment work and that several projects depend on federal funding streams such as Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) allocations, which the office has obligated but now has some contracts on pause pending administrative changes.
Fisher said agency staff will continue to work with local cooperators and expects to provide further updates when NEPA documents reach decision or public comment milestones.
