Scoping Report Available
The San Juan Energy Connect Project has released the scoping report. The purpose of the scoping report is to describe the scoping process the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) used to fulfill its obligation to conduct environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in accordance with federal agency policies and procedures. This report describes the manner in which the BLM notified the public about the scoping process, held scoping meetings, solicited comments, analyzed scoping comments, and identified issues that would be analyzed in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) document being prepared to fulfill the NEPA requirements. The purpose of scoping is to obtain input on the issues, impacts, and alternatives that should be evaluated in the EIS. The scoping process also provides an opportunity to educate the public about the proposed project and for the BLM to gauge the concerns of those who have a stake in the resources in the project area.
Environmental Impact Statement Scoping Meetings Scheduled
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces public scoping meetings to solicit public comments on the proposed San Juan Basin Energy Connect Project. BLM published a Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement in the Federal Register on January 25, 2011, indicating its intent to conduct public scoping for the proposed project. An electronic copy of the NOI can be viewed by clicking here. All interested parties are invited to attend the public scoping meetings March 16 and 17 to learn about the federal review process and discuss details of the proposed project.
Public Scoping Meeting Information |
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Date |
Time |
Location |
March 16, 2011 |
10 a.m. - 1 p.m. |
Farmington Civic Center |
March 16, 2011 |
4 p.m. - 7.p.m. |
Aztec Senior Center |
March 17, 2011 |
4 p.m. - 7.p.m. |
Sky Ute Casino and Resort |
You may submit comments related to the scope of the San Juan Basin Energy Connect Project EIS by any of the following methods:
- Download this form
and bring to a public scoping meeting or mail to the below address - Send email to info@sjbenergyconnect.com
- Mail to:
Bureau of Land Management
Farmington Field Office
Attention: San Juan Basin Energy Connect Project Manager
1235 La Plata Highway Suite A
Farmington, New Mexico 87401.
Public Comments
Public input is a critical part of siting transmission line projects responsibly. An important component of Tri-State's siting process is the consideration of public input in the identification and refinement of feasible routes.
Nearly 150 people attended three route refinement meetings held in September 2010 and approximately 90 written comments were submitted regarding the project. Information provided by project stakeholders has been reviewed and taken into consideration as the routes continue to be refined. A final route has not yet been selected.
The siting process will feed into the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) federal review process for the project and will include a comparative analysis of system alternatives and routing alternatives, public and stakeholder meetings, selection of a proposed route and alternatives for analysis in a federally-required environmental study.
A summary of the comments received during the first round of NEPA public scoping meetings can be found on the Environmental Review web page. Additional NEPA scoping meetings will be held by BLM and cooperating agencies later in 2011. A notice was published in the Federal Register on January 25, 2011 announcing the beginning of the scoping process to solicit public comments and identify issues for the Environmental Impact Statement.
Frequently asked questions regarding the project are now available . If you have a question that is not answered in the FAQs, please submit it by email or phone at 1-877-457-8393.
Project Benefits
The proposed project would: