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CONSERVATION GROUPS’ COMMENTS <br />UNCOMPAHGRE FIELD OFFICE RMP AND DEIS <br />36 <br />existing leases and/or permits for solar photovoltaics, but the BLM has not identified their <br />numbers or locations. DEIS 3-151. <br /> <br />The BLM identified photovoltaic solar resource potential as very good on all 675,700 <br />acres of BLM-administered lands within the planning area. DEIS 3-151. For concentrating solar <br />resource potential, 557,000 acres of BLM-administered lands within the planning area have good <br />potential, while the remaining 118,400 acres have moderate potential. The identified high- <br />potential areas for both concentrating solar power and photovoltaic solar resources are <br />predominantly found in the western and central regions of the planning area. DEIS 3-151. <br /> <br />The BLM conducted a study of renewable energy potential for the planning area in <br />2010.107 The Reasonable Foreseeable Development Scenario for solar development states that: <br /> <br />The likelihood of future solar project development in the Uncompahgre RMP planning <br />area can be estimated by considering the quality of solar resources, the acreage of lands <br />with slope less than five percent (which is required for Central Generation Technology), <br />existing solar projects in the area, the number of pending ROW applications within the <br />UFO, the quality of solar resources in the UFO compared with other areas in the region, <br />and expressions of interest by solar companies.108 <br /> <br />However, the BLM failed to develop information about these factors to conduct a <br />detailed analysis to determine the likelihood of future solar development. Nevertheless, BLM <br />found that: <br /> <br />Despite the lack of existing projects, ROW applications, low-slope lands, and interest by <br />the solar industry at the time of this writing, changes in national policy, economic factors <br />(such as incentives, regulation of carbon emissions), and technology could reasonably <br />result in one commercial-scale solar project on lands within the Uncompahgre RMP <br />planning area within the next 15 to 20 years. Additionally, as technology changes, there <br />may be a shift toward smaller commercial or community scale solar facilities, potentially <br />resulting in several such smaller projects by year 2030. 109 <br /> <br />The Renewable Energy Potential Report provides a map of solar energy potential in the <br />planning area.110 <br /> <br />The BLM found that wind energy resource potential is generally marginal to poor within <br />the planning area. However, there are several areas that have significant wind energy potential. <br />These include 40 acres with an outstanding wind resource (class 6), 50 acres with an excellent <br /> 107 Uncompahgre Field Office, “Renewable Energy Potential Report,” Resource Management <br />Plan Revision and Environmental Impact Statement, May 2010, available at: <br />http://www.blm.gov/style/medialib/blm/co/field_offices/uncompahgre_field/rmp/rmp_draft_docs <br />_1.Par.91799.File.dat/UFO_RenewEnergy_05-25-2010_508.pdf (attached as Exhibit 39). 108 Id. at 3-5 109 Id. at 3-11 110 Id. at 3-9 (Fig. 3-1).