Noble Energy has applied for permission to use hydraulic fracturing technology to explore for gas and oil near the Mary’s River west of Wells. We think they should have to do a full-on Environmental Impact Report on the proposal rather than a scaled down Environmental Assessment.

Noble is proposing to drill up to 20 oil and gas exploration wells on federal and private lands over a two-year period. They want to drill two to four test wells in the first year, with the option of shooting more holes in the ground if they need to “define” the amount of oil and gas. They’d use hydraulic fracturing to explore the underground presence of gas and oil.

Fracking, of course, has earned some headlines and Hollywood attention in recent years because of all the really neat things it does to the environment, such as polluting groundwater and allowing nearby residents to set fire to the stream of water coming out of the kitchen faucets. These are called “Fraccidents.”

Fracking, in addition to being a high-caliber profanity used on the old TV show “Battlestar Gallactica,” is when you inject fluids into a bore hole at very high pressure so you can crack the surrounding rock formations up to hundreds of feet from the original shaft. These fractures are held open by a “proppant,” which is sand or some other material that keeps the fractures pried open so the oil and gas can seep into the main tunnel. Sometimes the tunnels are straight down but more recently oil companies have been drilling horizontal bore holes to get at oil and gas that was previously inaccessible.

It’s a big deal; according to the Independent Petroleum Association of America, 90 percent of the new natural gas wells in the U.S. rely on fracking.

The problem is that this technology sometimes pollutes groundwater and drinking water supplies. It also requires a lot of freshwater to work, which is a problem in arid Nevada. There is also the problem of leftover chemicals and improperly sealed wells. When you consider that fracking has been around since 1947, it’s kind of scary that they are still having problems doing it safely.

Another issue with fracking or any other kind of drilling is the impact on wildlife habitat. The Greater Sage-grouse, which is a candidate for the Endangered Species Act, has been greatly affected by the road-building and well-drilling that has occurred in other areas of the West where fracking is used.

Greater Sage-grouse use that Mary’s River area for strutting grounds, which are essential to the bird’s survival. Noble has assured the BLM that it will only work in the area during late summer so as to reduce impact on the birds, but we suspect their plan to build or improve 38 miles of roads in the area could have a major impact on the birds. We think the local pronghorn and migrating deer will also be affected by the roads and traffic, and that improving roads and trails in that area will increase the potential for poaching.

Although the BLM typically only requires an EA for mining exploration – and a full-blown EIS for actual mining production – we’re taking the position that fracking is not mining. Surface disturbances for fracking exploration are almost as significant as those created by post-exploration mining operations, so only an EIS will meet the standards established by the National Environmental Protection Act. In mining exploration, they bore a dry hole, pull out the rock and examine it. In fracking, we’re talking about onsite storage of chemicals, the injection of fluids and surface disturbances that just couldn’t be fully examined in an EA.

We’re also concerned about the earthquake risks posed by fracking. Scientists have determined that fracking can trigger micro-earthquakes, and if the fracking fluid injection is done near fault lines, larger-magnitude tremors could result. The area where the fracking exploration would take place is shot through with active faults – enough so that the BLM would have sufficient cause for concern to deny the exploration permit altogether. The U.S. Geological Survey has already concluded the human-triggered earthquakes are on the rise and that many are caused by fracking. These seismic events have allowed fracking chemicals to seep into domestic water supplies and gases to escape into the atmosphere, exacerbating our problem with global warming and greenhouse gases.

We’re also concerned about the water use. Fracking uses massive volumes of water, from 1.2 to 3.5 million gallons per well, and we feel Noble is being overly optimistic about how little water it will need to fracture these wells. What’s more, Noble needs to be more forthcoming about the toxicity of the fluids that come out of the well – and how it plans to keep that toxic waste away from humans, wildlife and water supplies.

It was a big year for Nevada on the renewable energy front. The biggest headline was the implementation of the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Solar Energy Development in Six Southwestern States (PEIS). The Nevada Wilderness Project and other stakeholders worked with the Bureau of Land Management and the departments of Energy and Defense to craft this document, which establishes the program guidelines for solar development on BLM lands in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah.

The PEIS identified 17 geographic areas within these states (six in Nevada) that have low cultural and natural resource conflicts and are close enough to electrical grid infrastructure to make them appealing to renewable energy developers. These so-called Solar Energy Zones (SEZs) are where the federal government hopes to concentrate solar development in order to avoid conflicts – such as wildlife habitat encroachment – on other federal lands.

A lot of these same stakeholders and agencies will continue working in 2013 on development of the Dry Lake SEZ Mitigation Project. The Dry Lake SEZ north of Las Vegas at the junction of Interstate 15 and Highway 93 is is America’s first attempt at truly preparing these SEZs for utility-scale power generation.  The goal is to identify how development will affect resources within the SEZ and then then mitigate those impacts, either on the site itself or in the nearby region.  With this work done, developers will find it easier and cheaper to get their projects up and running, and citizens will benefit when clean, endless naturally derived energy replaces dirty fossil fuel-derived electricity.

The PEIS is just one part of the Administration’s effort to create 10,000 megawatts of electricity using renewable energy sources on public lands.  Under President Obama, the Department of Interior has authorized 18 utility-scale solar facilities, seven wind farms and eight geothermal plants.  Interior is also allowing transmission lines to connect the facilities to the electrical grid. At build-out, these projects will supply the electricity to power more than 3.5 million homes. It is estimated that the effort will support 13,000 construction and operations jobs.

In Nevada, several projects went on line in 2012.  The Silver State North photovoltaic solar facility south of Las Vegas and will produce approximately 50 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 15,000 homes, and Nevada’s first wind farm, the Spring Valley wind project east of Ely, now produces up to 152 MW – enough for the electrical demand of 45,000 homes. The McGinness Hills geothermal plant went into service in the summer and produces 30 MW of electricity. The Crescent Dunes solar concentration power facility is under construction and is scheduled to go on line in 2013.

The Interior Department plans to designate 20 solar, wind and geothermal power projects as “priority projects” in 2013. The classification signals that agencies will devote administrative resources to the necessary environmental review. “Priority project” status expedites the granting of the right of way to construct on public lands by year's end.

At the close of the year, as Congress contemplates the Fiscal Cliff within its Lame Duck session, questions about the extension of the production tax credit (PTC) for wind energy development have come into play.  NWP has urged its elected officials to support an extension of the PTC to assure that the same subsidies to support economic development for the petroleum industry and for other renewable energy technologies continue to help the wind industry to become fully established.

Since 2009, the Department of Interior has authorized 33 renewable energy projects, including 18 utility-scale solar facilities, seven wind farms and eight geothermal plants, along with associated transmission corridors and infrastructure. At build-out, these projects will supply the electricity to power more than 3.5 million homes.  It is estimated that the effort will support 13,000 construction and operations jobs, according to project developer estimates.

The signing ceremony was held in Las Vegas, with Nevada’s Senator Harry Reid and BLM’s Nevada State Director at Secretary Salazar’s side.  This official act culminated the final comment period that was initiated through Interior’s Notice of Intent, published within the Federal Register in July and accompanied by the Secretary’s formal announcement.  During the development of the PEIS, NWP joined many large nationally-based organizations in actively providing comment and other input that was considered and incorporated into the body of the document. Our objective was to ensure that solar energy development in southern Nevada would be properly sited to avoid conflicts with the state’s natural and cultural resources.

A key element of the PEIS was to designate solar energy zones (SEZs).  Five SEZs were identified for Nevada. These and 12 other SEZs combine to total approximately 285,000 acres of public lands managed by BLM that serve as ‘priority’ locales that feature proximity to existing power transmission infrastructure and that have relatively low resource conflicts.  The intent is to attract commercial scale solar projects by ‘streamlining’ the environmental review required of developers by invoking a consistent and efficient approach to permit applications that remains environmentally accountable.

Developers may still apply for permits to build facilities outside of these SEZs.  The document delineates 19 million acres of BLM-administered lands called ‘variance’ areas; however, these would be subject to the full scrutiny of an individual environmental impact study to assure proper siting and mitigation of affected resources.  The SPEIS also identifies exclusion lands – lands having resource characteristics that would be irrevocably impaired by development and thus are excluded from consideration.

The program also establishes a framework for regional mitigation plans. Presently, the BLM is crafting a Pilot Mitigation Plan for the Dry Lake SEZ north of Las Vegas.  NWP is involved in helping to develop the wildlife and habitat database for the area.  This will be instrumental in developing mitigation policies and guidelines to help offset impacts to the existing resources on the site.  We will keep you informed as this develops further.

Hundreds of people advocating for solutions to our nation’s and the world’s increasing greenhouse gas emissions assembled in Las Vegas in early August to discuss relevant advances in technology and public policy. They were there for the fifth annual National Clean Energy Summit 5.0, this year’s theme being the Power of Choice.

Originated by Senator Harry Reid, this annual forum brings together clean energy experts, elected and government officials, businessmen, entrepreneurs and investors. Students seeking a career in this field were also in attendance as was the media.  Speakers engaged in discussion focused upon informing the public of their Power of Choice to promote a clean energy economy that increases jobs and promotes our energy independence. The day-long clean energy summit was hosted by Center for American Progress, Clean Energy Project, MGM Resorts International, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.  The keynote speaker was former President of the United States Bill Clinton.

The climate change phenomenon is a source for much political debate, this despite the overwhelming scientific evidence of the veracity of the problem.  A number of panel discussions contributed to the agenda, each with a central theme which identified communication challenges or policy direction.  Collectively, the participants identified issues that need to be addressed or implemented in order to move toward a cleaner economy.

President Clinton capped off the event by speaking to the audience about America’s energy choices and the road toward sustainable economic growth within the clean energy sector.  Following this address he was questioned by his former Chief of Staff John Podesta, for a continued presentation that captivated the attendees well beyond the time allocated on the agenda.

NWP Executive Director Jeneane Harter, Renewable Energy Coordinator Craig Mortimore and Development Director Nic Nelson spent their time well in contact with colleagues, peers and a veritable cross-section of renewable energy and energy conservation experts.

The Department of the Interior Tuesday identified five areas of Nevada public lands as prime spots for solar energy development.

Nevada was one of six Southwestern states included in the Interior’s 3,000-page programmatic environmental impact statement , which identifies 285,000 acres of public lands in 17 areas where large-scale solar projects would enjoy an accelerated review process. This document will facilitate permitting of projects within public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management.

The Obama administration had established its intent to reduce our Nation’s dependency upon energy production from coal-fired power plants.  The combustion of non-renewable coal expels carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into our atmosphere, which exacerbates climate change.  Moreover, the move toward electrical power created by renewable energy sources like solar, wind, geothermal and biomass production would also lessen America’s dependency upon foreign petroleum by increasing the amount of electricity available to power industry, homes and vehicles.

The 17 zones have been carefully studied, and the Interior Department is hoping developers will be attracted to them in an effort to save money by utilizing the environmental analysis that’s already been completed. The Interior has also estimated mitigation costs for these areas, removing some of the uncertainty energy companies face when developing a project.

Nevada Wilderness Project staffers have been working for two years with federal officials to identify the best public lands for solar energy development. NWP Energy Program Coordinator Craig Mortimore praised the Interior’s latest plan, saying it will help ensure that future solar plants don’t threaten sensitive wildlife habitat or infringe on proposed or protected Wilderness and Conservation Areas within the state of Nevada.

The Solar Energy Zones – or SEZs – have few biological, cultural or historic conflicts, are located in vicinity to existing electrical transmission lines or designated corridors and, are in areas where sunshine is highly reliable, Mortimore said.  The five SEZs in Nevada are mostly within the creosote and yucca desert of Southern Nevada.

“The areas in Nevada identified in this federal plan are really the best locations for large-scale solar projects, which can consume thousands of acres of desert land,” Mortimore said. “These are areas that are already disturbed, are close to existing transmission lines and should have little impact on sensitive species or wildlands.”

The 17 zones in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah can accommodate enough development to produce an estimated 32,000 megawatts of power. The five areas in Nevada – all located in central or southern Nevada – have the capacity to produce 6,500 megawatts, or enough to power an estimated 2 million homes for a year, the Interior Department said. They include:

• Amargosa Valley, 942 megawatts capacity
• Dry Lake, 635 MW
• Dry Lake Valley North, 2,385 MW
• Gold Point, 511 MW
• Millers 1,837 MW

The Interior Department identified an additional 19 million acres of public land in the six states as having potential for more solar projects that would be eligible to fast federal approvals. But 78 million of public land are being removed from consideration due to their archaeological or cultural qualities, endangered species, scarce water or long distance from transmission lines.

The PEIS does allow for the creation of additional zones in the event that compelling information justifies it.  Solar power developers are not excluded from applying to build projects on public land outside of these SEZs.  However, developments within these “variance” areas will have to undergo thorough environmental analysis on an individual basis, an expensive and time-consuming requirement that will be considerably shorter within the designated zones.

The SEZs offer reduced lease payments as incentives to locate within these sites.

Prior to the current Administration, there were zero solar projects permitted on existing public lands in America.  The Department of Interior has authorized 17 utility-scale solar energy projects thus far, with a projected production of 5,700 megawatts at build-out. The Final PEIS estimates a total development of 23,700 megawatts from within the 17 SEZs and variance areas.  That equates to the energy demands of seven million American households.