Special Announcements

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The Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Solar Energy Development in Six Southwestern States (Draft Solar PEIS) is now available for public review and comment on the Internet at the Solar Energy Development Programmatic EIS Information Center (http://solareis.anl.gov). The public comment period for the Draft Solar PEIS is open.

The Bureau of Land Management and the Department of Energy (the Agencies) have prepared the Draft Solar PEIS to (1) assess the environmental, social, and economic impacts associated with utility-scale solar energy development on BLM-administered lands in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah, and (2) evaluate a number of alternatives to determine the best management approach to mitigating potential impacts and facilitating solar energy development.

Submitting Public Comments on the Draft Solar PEIS

The public will have 90 days to review and comment on the Draft Solar PEIS. The Agencies will accept written comments on the draft PEIS postmarked through March 17, 2011, and electronic comments sent via the web site through March 17, 2011.

Comments can be submitted electronically via a comment form available on the web site (http://solareis.anl.gov) or by mail to:

Draft Solar Energy Programmatic EIS Argonne National Laboratory 9700 S. Cass Avenue - EVS/240 Argonne, IL 60439

Comments can also be submitted orally or in writing at public meetings. The Agencies will hold 14 public meetings on the Draft Solar EIS beginning in Washington, D.C. on February 2, 2011.The dates, times, and specific locations for these meetings will be announced through local news media and through the project Website. Public meetings are currently planned for the following locations:

Alamosa, Colorado;

Barstow, California;

Caliente, Nevada;

Cedar City, Utah;

El Centro, California;

Goldfield, Nevada;

Las Cruces, New Mexico;

Las Vegas, Nevada;

Ontario, California;

Palm Springs, California;

Phoenix, Arizona;

Salt Lake City, Utah;

Tucson, Arizona;

Washington, D.C. - February 2, 2011

Additional Locations for Reviewing the Draft Solar PEIS

Electronic copies of the draft PEIS are also available through the BLM and DOE websites, as well as in BLM offices identified in the NOA. Complete hard copies of the Draft Solar PEIS will also be available in the BLM offices identified in the NOA by December 27.

For More Information

To learn more about how you can participate in the PEIS process, visit the "Getting Involved" page of the Solar Energy Development PEIS Web Site (http://solareis.anl.gov/involve/index.cfm)

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Climbing 3,000’ over McAfee Pass in the rugged Silver Peak Range, Kathy Quas of Tonopah covered the 9th annual 34 mile Silver Peak or Bust course in a record breaking 8 hours and 8 minutes to set a new record. Pledges of approximately $5,000.00 by those that sponsored the 10 finishers will benefit students in Northern Nye and Esmeralda County for extracurricular needs.

Sponsors included RAM Power, $500.00, Geo Energy Partners 1983, LTD, $1,200.00, Chematall Foote Corp. $300.00, The Broach Masters, Inc. $300.00, GFC Sales, $204.00, DC Minerals, Inc., $100.00, Boonies, $200.00, John Deymonaz, $100.00, Tonopah Dollar Store, and many others.

Starting at Eagle Road and Highway 264 in Fish Lake Valley at 5:30 A.M., Saturday, October 23, 2010, with a full moon lighting the way, the 10 runners and hikers ended up between 8 and 11 hours later at the Alternative Saloon in the historic town of Silver Peak where owner Kenny Pulman provided free refreshments to the finishers.

The Fish Lake Valley Pringle family finished with 4 of the first 7 finishers. Sean Pringle was 2nd in 8:25, John Skates, Silver Peak Teacher was 3rd in 8:39, followed by Mario Vega in 9:01. Katranne Pringle finished in 9:01, also. Next was dad, Stuart Pringle, 69, in 9:26, who came in with the youngest participant ever, his son Jimi Pringle, 15, in 9:26. Brian Sanderson, ranch manager followed in 10:20, followed by the senior men, Esmeralda Commissioner, Bill Kirby, 73 and Esmeralda Yucca Mountain Oversight Director, Ed Mueller, 71, former record holders finished 9th and 10th in 11:11. .

Commissioner Kirby started the school fund raiser in 2002, hiking the first year solo and raising about $4,000.00 that year. Hike funds have been used for an array of extracurricular activities including school supplies for student projects, funds for physicals, athletic gear, SAT and ACT testing, college expenses, travel expense for athletic competition, a recent $800.00 donation to the track team, a pledge for football gear and so on.

To hike or compete over the course, participants are asked to find sponsors. According to Commissioner Kirby, "this hike sets an example for rural communities that must now be proactive to help students and supplement school budgets for extracurricular activities because of a declining economy."

Volunteers providing the safety net included Wendy Kirby, Esmeralda School District Financial Manager, Debbee Kirby, Esmeralda School District 21st Century Grant Tutor, and Wayne Munekyo, Fish Lake Valley Park Board Member. Yvonne Kirby and Guillermina Miramontes of FLV prepared and donated food for the event. Esmeralda School Superintendent Robert Aumaugher and his wife Pat helped with transportation. Donations and sponsorships go to the Esmeralda County School District "Hike" Fund at P. O. Box 560, Goldfield, NV 89010.

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Washington, D.C. -Nevada Senator Harry Reid joined Rockwood Holdings in announcing the expansion of its lithium production operation in Silver Peak. The expansion is being partially financed by $28.4 million in Recovery Act funding administered in a grant from the Department of Energy (DOE) for the development of advanced batteries.

The Chemetall Foote operation, which is the only operating domestic lithium operation in the United States, is the main economic driver in Silver Peak. "This is great news for the people of Silver Peak and Esmeralda County," said Reid. "The expansion of this project further demonstrates Nevada's commitment to renewable energy production and alternative power through advanced batteries. This development is especially important for rural communities where mining is a major employer. Chemetall's model of using renewable energy to power the operation is an excellent example for other mining operations in the Silver State."

"At Christmas last year the people of the town of Silver Peak had experienced only bad news. Long time friends and co-workers were forced to leave due to layoffs; the economy was horrible. They felt hopeless and doomed to extinction," said Esmeralda County Commissioner Nancy Boland. "In my letter to constituents in Silver Peak I spoke to them about how important and abundant the natural resources here are for renewable energy. Shortly thereafter the town was alive with geothermal exploration drill rigs and Chemetall Foote slowly started to rehire and hire for new jobs. The expansion of the lithium operation will restore jobs and health to our community. I thank Senator Reid who heard of our distress and proactively supported our county to accomplish this expansion, which is important not only to Esmeralda County, but also to our nation as a whole."

"The recovery grant money and the support we received from Senator Reid have allowed us to increase the work we are doing in Silver Peak," said Joe Dunn, Operations Manager for Chemetall Foote's lithium mine in Nevada. "Using Nevada's solar and geothermal resources to nearly completely power our operation, we are able to reduce energy costs and make the operation more efficient. Nevada is a rich source of this mineral and a welcoming state to the mining industry, so much of that has been the advocacy of Senator Reid."

In the next few months, as the operation expands, Chemetall Foote will begin a well drilling program to double the capacity of its lithium carbonate production. The DOE grant will be used to install a geothermal power plant, in addition to existing use of the sun for solar evaporation, to make the operation self-sufficient for its electric power.

This means more jobs in renewable energy. As of last month, 20 new jobs have been created either at Chemetall Foote or contractors directly working on projects for the site. During the peak of construction in 2011 and 2012, the project will employ 50 additional people. At the conclusion of the project in 2013 the site will employ fifty people, doubling the number of employees from 2009.

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In a release by the company, “Sierra Geothermal Power Corp. provides an update on the exploration drilling program at its 100% owned Silver Peak project.

SGP commenced drilling of a core-slim-well at its Silver Peak project. Well 38-11 being drilled to a maximum depth of 2,133 metres or 7,000 feet and targets multiple zones of high geologic interest. Well 38-11 will be the first deep well test at Silver Peak. This well follows SGP’s recent shallow temperature gradient drilling and geophysical surveys. Well 38-11 is funded on a 50:50 cost share basis by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Geothermal Technologies Program grant which was awarded to SGP in 2009.

Read entire story at ThinkGeoEnergy.com

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Safety solutions for your business and workers bottom line. View CJ Flyer

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The Silver Peak geothermal power project is located in Esmeralda County, Nevada, 240 kilometres (150 miles) northwest of Las Vegas, and covers 7,233 acres. GeothermEx's independent analysis estimates a resource capacity of 15-40 MW of power. The Silver Peak property has two 55 kV transmission lines connecting to the Nevada and California power grids and a substation located on the lease itself. Many geothermal features are visible on the property including geothermal vents, silica sinter deposits and algae mats. Also present are shallow warm to hot wells with temperatures up to 75 degrees Celsius (167 degrees Fahrenheit) at depths less than 21 metres (70 feet). Chemical geothermometers that have been applied to the thermal waters suggest that temperatures may reach 200-230 degrees Celsius (400-440 degrees Fahrenheit) at depth.

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An auction of 323,222 acres of public land by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management for geothermal leases, including parcels in Nye and Esmeralda counties, raised $8.9 million.

Read entire story at Pahrump Valley Times

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The Senior Transportation Program provides weekly service to Seniors 60 and over and to those under 60 on a space availble basis. Trips are provided to Tonopah Senior Center for hot meals, grocery shopping, banking and medical appointments. Shopping trips and social trips to other areas are scheduled as needed. For further information please call 775-482-7300.

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Senator Harry Reid's fondness for Nevada mining camps is no secret. He was born in one -- the tiny town of Searchlight, Nevada. Reid's affinity with the boomtowns that sprung up at the height of Nevada's gold and silver rush and died just as quickly prompted him to ask the National Park Service to take a good hard look at Goldfield, or what's left of it.

It's hard to believe now, but in the early 20th century, Goldfield was the largest city in Nevada. The mines produced some of the richest ore ever seen and money and whiskey coursed through its civic veins. "At its height, it was as big and thriving as Virginia City. Think about that -- 30,000 people," said Senator Reid.

Read entire story at LasVegasNow, Eyewitness News, Channel 8

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