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BLM's Western Solar Plan maps prompt concerns in Emery County over grazing, transmission and multiple-use
Summary
BLM staff presented maps from a January-signed Western Solar Plan EIS that identify lands available for solar applications; council members and attendees raised concerns that mapped 'available' parcels overlap active grazing allotments, that grid capacity may be insufficient, and that NEPA review and public comment will guide any decisions.
BLM-related staff presented Emery County members with maps produced for the Western Solar Plan EIS and described areas that the plan identifies as available for application; county members raised concerns about impacts to grazing allotments, wildlife and transmission capacity.
Kyle, the presenter, distributed county maps from the EIS and said the document covers 11 Western states; he told the council that "the pink lands are excluded" while the green areas shown on the maps are "lands available for application" though those areas would be subject to conditions and environmental review. He said the plan identifies more than 31,000,000 acres across 11 states as available for application, limits applicability to projects of 5 megawatts or greater that connect to the grid, and allows applications within 15 miles of transmission. Kyle added that, locally, the BLM office has no complete applications at present and that one incomplete application had been submitted near Castle Dale.
Several council members and attendees argued that much of the green-mapped acreage currently supports grazing and allotments and warned that large solar projects could occupy significant portions of allotments and "lock out" multiple-use activities. One attendee said, "Multiple use is gone," and asked how the county could prevent developers from moving into BLM parcels. Kyle responded that any project on BLM land would follow the NEPA process, be subject to public comment, and that potential impacts to agriculture, wildlife corridors and cultural resources would be analyzed. Members also flagged transmission and grid capacity as a limiting factor for where projects could connect.
A commissioner noted the county's general plan (section 8.7) and said the commission previously passed a resolution opposing solar on federal lands (reported as 2'to'1); the county attorney was asked to draft the formal resolution for distribution. No formal vote on a county position occurred at this meeting; the discussion served to inform the council and to request maps and additional analysis to support the county's general plan considerations.
Next steps recorded in the discussion included staff offers to provide more detailed maps (including roads and transmission lines on the maps) and continued coordination through the NEPA process if applicants submit complete proposals.
