BLM Tuscarora field manager details geothermal pause, Roostercomb Solar NEPA progress

Elizabeth Buentes, field manager for the Bureau of Land Management’s Tuscarora Field Office, updated the board on multiple local projects and near-term public review steps. She said the Crescent Valley geothermal project remains “on pause” while staff await a conceptual water-model report, and that staff hope to publish a draft environmental assessment for a 30-day public review once that information arrives.

“We're waiting on one more report for the conceptual water model on that,” Buentes said. She also reported that Roostercomb Solar — a proposed solar development about 20 miles north of Battle Mountain — received concurrence from both Washington headquarters and the state director to move forward with the NEPA process. “We did receive concurrence both from HQ and our state director to go ahead and move forward with the NEPA process on that project,” she said.

Buentes said a geothermal lease sale will be posted on ePlanning and is expected to take place next week, and that Wilson Campground Road repairs have reached a 95% design stage after Federal Highway Administration work. On other projects she noted that public-review timelines vary: work on a project south of Railroad tied to sage-grouse and Lahontan cutthroat trout issues likely will not generate a Notice of Intent for another six to eight months, while a Lemoyne Summit (Charles) scoping process aims for an environmental-assessment public review in December.

The Tuscarora manager said staff will circulate an October district-manager update by email and bring hard copies to the next meeting. Questions at the meeting focused on whether NEPA for solar would affect grazing permit renewals and on timing for ecological surveys and baseline data collection.