Contacts:
Steve Belinda, TRCP, 307-231-3128, sbelinda@trcp.org
Kate Zimmerman, NWF, 303-441-5159, Zimmerman@nwf.org
Brad Powell, TU, (928) 300-5451, bpowell@tu.org

Supplemental draft includes revisions that benefit fish, wildlife and sportsmen in the Southwest United States.

Washington, DC: The Sportsmen for Responsible Energy Development (SFRED) coalition welcomed the Department of the Interior’s release of improvements to a comprehensive plan for administration of the nation’s solar energy resources on public lands. The changes proposed in the Supplement to the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for Solar Energy Development will address many of the coalition’s concerns regarding the protection of fish and game habitat and sportsmen’s access on public lands in the southwestern U.S. SFRED supports the designation of Solar Energy Zones (SEZs) as a balanced approach that will provide both a pathway to development for industry and conservation of hunting and fishing opportunities for all Americans on our public lands. “The original draft solar plan recommended leaving a number of areas open to development and transmission – this could have negative impacts to hunting and angling opportunity by reducing habitat and local water resources,” said Steve Belinda, director of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership’s Center for Responsible Energy Development. “But the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) clearly recognized these concerns and has made a solid effort at resolving those issues. We thank them for it.“

The supplemental draft PEIS includes several key revisions including:

1. Adjustments in the number and configuration of proposed Solar Energy Zones to accommodate projects that have the most potential to be built and have transmission capacity.

2. The establishment of “exclusion zones” where development is incompatible with other resources and will not occur and “regional mitigation plans” that will help ensure sustained fish, wildlife, water and access on public lands.

3. Clarification of the process that will be used to identify any future “zones” based on consistent criteria for establishment.

“We are pleased to see the effort the Department of the Interior has made to address the concerns raised by sportsmen,” stated Kate Zimmerman, senior policy advisor for the National Wildlife Federation. “Solar power is an important new source of renewable domestic energy. Done right, we can produce energy, generate jobs, and conserve hunting and fishing on our public lands.” “Sportsmen support domestic energy development and we want to make sure that as we move forward with renewable energy at large scales, we don’t repeat the same mistakes we made with oil and gas development,” said Brad Powell, energy director at Trout Unlimited. “We are particularly concerned with how the BLM will mitigate the conversion of large pieces of public lands to single, utility-scale solar farms that will affect fish, wildlife, and sportsmen values.” “This document exhibits the firm commitment by the Department of the Interior and the BLM to solar siting at the landscape level – and how care and caution must be taken in order to reduce risk to habitat and recreational access,” Belinda concluded. “We look forward to continuing our work with Interior to ensure that sportsmen have a seat at the negotiation table as this plan is finalized and implemented.” The supplement to the solar PEIS is posted online at http://solareis.anl.gov/documents/supp/index.cfm and will be open for comment for 90 days. The final plan will be completed in late 2012.

### Sportsmen for Responsible Energy Development is a coalition of more than 500 businesses, organizations and individuals dedicated to conserving irreplaceable habitats so future generations can hunt and fish on America's public lands. The coalition is led by the National Wildlife Federation, Trout Unlimited and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. For more information, go to: http://sportsmen4responsibleenergy.org