Scope of the Analysis

The scope of the final Programmatic EIS analysis includes an assessment of direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental, social, and economic impacts of wind energy development on BLM-administered lands in 11 western states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming); discussion of mitigation measures to address these impacts; and identification of appropriate, programmatic policies and best management practices (BMPs) for the proposed Wind Energy Development Program.

Potential land use plan amendments have also been assessed, including (1) adoption of the proposed programmatic policies and BMPs and (2) identification of specific areas where wind energy development would not be allowed.

As a programmatic evaluation, this Programmatic EIS does not evaluate site-specific issues associated with individual wind energy development projects. A variety of location-specific factors, and variations in project size and design will greatly determine the magnitude of the impacts from individual projects; such effects must be evaluated at the project level.

For More Information

More information about the scope of the Programmatic EIS is available in the Programmatic EIS Section 1.2 Scope of the Analysis in Chapter 1 (PDF, 32 KB).

More information about the affected lands and environment is available in the Programmatic EIS Chapter 4 Affected Environment (PDF, 1.25 MB).