In Brief

GEOTHERMAL PROJECTS

Power plants plan for environmental review

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management will conduct an environmental review of plans to build at least two new geothermal plants in Churchill County.

BLM officials told Churchill County commissioners earlier this week they intend to prepare a formal environmental impact statement for the two Salt Wells Energy projects proposed by NV Energy, Oromat Technologies and the Vulcan Power Co.

The separate projects could eventually result in construction of seven 30- to 60-megawatt geothermal power plants.

Officials say the environmental review is scheduled for the beginning of 2010. The final impact statement is scheduled to be released in December 2010.

CALIFORNIA WILDFIRE

Residents told to leave 60 homes in mountains

Residents are being evacuated from 60 homes in the Santa Cruz Mountains north of Watsonville, Calif., because of a wildfire that broke out overnight.

CalFire said the fire that started at about 3 a.m. Sunday had burned about 600 acres by early afternoon. The cause had not yet been determined.

CalFire spokeswoman Cherie Alver said a trailer and two outbuildings were destroyed and another 150 homes and 100 businesses were threatened.

The blaze was burning near an area where a wildfire last year destroyed 29 homes and threatened the Mount Madonna retreat center.

More than 200 firefighters were on the scene Sunday. The sheriff's department is contacting residents subject to the mandatory evacuation order and has closed several roads outside traffic.