Public can comment on solar energy plans (complete article from source)
Source: The Daily Courier
July 30, 2009
The federal government has extended its public comment period on a study of suitable locations for solar power stations in six states including Arizona.
The Arizona sites include one just west of Congress in southern Yavapai County. Two others are located near Brenda and Palo Verde.
The comment period now extends until Sept. 14.
The U.S. Department of Energy and Bureau of Land Management are evaluating 24 tracts of land spreading across 670,000 acres in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah for large-scale solar energy production.
To learn more about the study and comment on it, visit the Internet at www.solareis.anl.gov.
Large-scale solar projects generally require large amounts of water.
For example, the BLM is currently analyzing one proposal that wants to use approximately 2,500 acre-feet of local groundwater on 4,000 acres of BLM land just south of Buckeye. It would produce about 375 megawatts of power.
At public meetings in early August, the BLM has asked the proponent Boulevard Associates LLC to discuss issues such as where it would obtain this water supply, explained Joe Incardine, BLM national project manager for such proposals.
In its upcoming study about the project, BLM also wants to explore the possibility for a dry cooled solar facility that would use much less water, he said.
People can send comments on this proposal through Sept. 7.
For more information, go to the Internet at blm.gov/az and click on the Sonoran Solar Energy Project public meetings.
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