USFS NEWS RELEASE
SPARKS — The Forest Service is hosting three public meetings to collect comments on the proposed Humboldt-Toiyabe Geothermal Leasing Project. This project will evaluate the suitability of geothermal leasing on 667,000 acres on Austin, Ely, and Tonopah Ranger Districts in Nevada, and the Bridgeport Ranger District (includes acres in Nevada and California). Comments may be submitted through May 31, 2011.
The full proposal, including maps of the proposed areas, is available on-line at http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/htnf/geothermal. All three meetings will follow an open house format; the public is invited to come by anytime between 6 and 8 p.m. The dates and locations are listed below:
May 11, 2011 – Yerington Library, 20 Nevin Way, Yerington, NV, 89447. The contact number is 775-463-6645.
May 12, 2011 – Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, Supervisor’s Office, 1200 Franklin Way, Sparks, NV, 89431. The contact number is 775-331-6444.
May 16, 2011 – Austin Ranger District Office, 100 Midas Canyon Road, Austin, NV, 89310. The contact number is 775-964-2671.
“Public input is so important for this project,” said Jeanne Higgins, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest Supervisor. “They will help us focus our environmental analysis, and ultimately, our recommendation for geothermal leasing to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the agency responsible for issuing such leases,” said Higgins.
The goal of this proposal is to identify appropriate locations for clean and renewable energy development, specifically geothermal, while minimizing impacts to the National Forest. The proposal’s 667,000 acres include approximately 659,000 acres of the Bridgeport Ranger District, 4,000 acres on the Austin Ranger District, 166 acres on the Tonopah Ranger District, and 3,500 acres on the Ely Ranger District.
To learn more about this release, or to have your name added to the Geothermal Leasing Project EIS mailing list, please call Keith Whaley at 760-932-5821, or send him an email at [email protected].
Public comments may be submitted in the through May 31, 2011, in the following three ways:
By email to: [email protected]. Please include “Geothermal EIS” in the subject line.
Written comments must be submitted to: Keith Whaley, Project Manager, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, Bridgeport Ranger District, HC 62 Box 1000, Bridgeport, CA, 93517.
Comments can be hand-delivered to the Bridgeport Ranger Station, Highway 395 South, in Bridgeport, CA, Attn: Keith Whaley. Office business hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. Comments may also be sent via facsimile to 760-932-5899.
