Aug. 9, 2013 – The Bureau of Land Management and Western Area Power Administration are seeking public comments in response to the recently published Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the TransWest Express Transmission Project – a regional transmission system upgrade that will deliver 3,000 megawatts of clean energy from Wyoming to the Desert Southwest. The 725-mile proposed route for the TWE Project crosses primarily federal land.

The report informs the public of various factors associated with this new transmission line, including its potential ecological, aesthetic, cultural, economic and social effects. The draft report also identifies an agency preferred alternative route from south-central Wyoming, through northwest Colorado and central Utah, and through southeastern Nevada before the route terminates at the Eldorado Valley electric power complex near Hoover Dam.

The Draft EIS meetings/hearings are scheduled next week as follows:

The open houses give the public an opportunity to review project information, ask questions, and provide comments to the BLM/Western for consideration in the Final EIS, which is scheduled to be released in 2014.

Staff from the BLM, Western and TransWest will be available at the public meetings to explain project details and gather information from interested individuals and groups.

TransWest representatives also will be participating again in the National Clean Energy Summit, held Aug. 13 in Las Vegas. Designed to provide access to high-capacity, cost-effective renewable wind energy, the TWE Project aligns with this year’s “Energizing Tomorrow” focus on “empowering individuals, governments and businesses to continue our transition to a clean energy future.”

The Draft EIS results from more than four years of environmental analysis, public input and collaboration among more than 50 federal, state and local cooperating agencies. The public has until Sept. 30 to review the Draft EIS and provide comments for BLM and Western to consider as they prepare the Final EIS. Comments may be submitted during the public meetings, by email at TransWest_WYMail@blm.gov, or by mail to TransWest Express Transmission Project, Bureau of Land Management, P.O. Box 20678, Cheyenne, WY 82003.

For more information about TransWest Express LLC, the TWE Project, and a complete meeting schedule for August - September, visit www.transwestexpress.net.

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