Please note—two additional public meetings scheduled 7/19 and 7/20. See attached notices.
SANTA FE, NM – July 13, 2016 – For Immediate Release. The Santa Fe National Forest today announced two additional public meetings to provide a brief overview of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) on the potential effects of geothermal energy development on land within Forest boundaries.
The meetings are scheduled for:
• Tuesday, July 19, 2016, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Walatowa Visitor Center Conference Room 7413 NM-4, Jemez Pueblo, NM 87024
• Wednesday, July 20, 2016, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Rio Arriba County Rural Events Center 122-A NM-554, El Rito, NM 87530
The Forest hosted an earlier public meeting at Forest Headquarters in Santa Fe on July 7 to discuss the proposed project and the analysis of effects. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has identified approximately 195,000 acres within the boundaries of the SFNF with “significant geothermal potential.” The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has received expressions of interest in leasing approximately 46,000 acres of SFNF land for geothermal exploration and development. The BLM manages the subsurface resources on all federal land.
Of the project area identified by USGS, approximately 30,000 acres, including the Jemez National Recreation Area and the East Fork of the Jemez River, which has been designated a federal Wild and Scenic River, are closed to leasing by statute. The Forest Service also has discretionary authority to prohibit leasing to protect special resources. In the proposed project area, that would include the Jemez Mountain Trail National Scenic Byway, the Jemez Historic Site National Landmark and the Monument Canyon Research Natural Area, as well as SFNF administrative sites in the area.
Analysis of the effects of geothermal leasing began in June 2015 with a series of public meetings and a public comment period. The DEIS assesses both the physical and social impacts of any proposed leasing.
In addition to the upcoming public meetings, the Forest is soliciting public comment on the DEIS. Comments may be sent by email to comments-southwestern-santafe@fs.fed.us or mailed to Comments, Santa Fe National Forest Headquarters, 11 Forest Lane, Santa Fe, NM 87508. The Notice of Availability on the DEIS was published in the Federal Register on July 8, 2016, and the formal comment period will close on Aug. 22, 2016.