BLM OKs rights of way for Ely coal plant
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management on Monday approved land for one giant, billion-dollar coal-fired power plant near Ely and issued a draft decision on a second one nearby.
Yet neither project is assured of being built.
The federal agency decided to grant right of way land for the 1,600-megawatt coal-fired White Pine Energy Station that LS Power of East Brunswick, N.J., plans to build 30 miles north of Ely.
While the BLM issued a final environmental impact statement for the LS Power project, the agency on Friday posted a copy of a draft environmental impact statement for the $5 billion Ely Energy Station that NV Energy proposes to build nearby.
The final approval on the LS Power project was encouraging to David Sims, director of project development for NV Energy, because he believes NV Energy’s projects attains higher standards for reduction of pollutants on the Ely center.
“We’re confident we’d get the same treatment (from BLM),” Sims said.
