The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Nevada announces new dates for the close of the public comment or protest periods for four environmental impact statements:
- Notice of Availability of the Proposed Winnemucca District Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement, Nevada. The original protest period was scheduled to close on Oct. 7; it will be extended 7 days starting Oct. 22 and will close on Oct. 29, 2013.
- Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Gold Rock Mine Project, White Pine County, Nevada. The original scoping period was scheduled to close on Oct. 7; it will be extended 7 days starting Oct. 22 and will close on Oct. 29, 2013.
- Notice of Availability of the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement and Proposed Resource Management Plan Amendment for the Silver State Solar South Project, Clark County, Nevada. The original comment period was scheduled to close on Oct. 21; it will be extended 16 days to Nov. 6, 2013.
- Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the 3 Bars Ecosystem and Landscape Restoration Project in Eureka County, Nevada. The original comment period was scheduled to close on Nov. 12; it will be extended 16 days to close on Nov. 29, 2013. An additional day is provided to allow for Thanksgiving Day.
Due to the lapse in appropriations and the resulting Federal government shutdown, the documents providing information for comments were not available on the BLM website from October 1 through October 16, 2013.
Public involvement is an essential and required part of the planning process, and comments submitted by the new dates will be considered by the BLM. Addresses for submitting comments are available at the BLM Nevada website: http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s multiple-use mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. In Fiscal Year 2012, activities on public lands generated $4.6 billion in revenue, much of which was shared with the States where the activities occurred. In addition, public lands contributed more than $112 billion to the U.S. economy and helped support more than 500,000 jobs.
