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TWIN FALLS, Idaho–The Bureau of Land Management announces more than 106,000 acres of BLM-managed public lands in the Lava Ridge Wind Project area will continue being set aside from appropriation, meaning the lands cannot be sold or have mining claims filed under the public land laws for another two years. This extension is subject to valid, existing rights and will allow the BLM time to complete its analysis and determine whether to authorize the renewable energy project.

The Lava Ridge Wind Project is a proposed commercial-scale wind energy facility of up to 400 turbines submitted by Magic Valley Energy, LLC to be constructed on approximately 84,000 acres of Federal, State and private land about 25 miles northeast of Twin Falls in south-central Idaho. On August 20, 2021, the BLM temporarily set aside the application area for the Lava Ridge Wind Project for two years.

“The extension is an administrative procedure that allows us to complete our in-depth analysis of the Lava Ridge Wind Project,” said BLM Twin Falls District Manager Mike Courtney. “It simply reduces the possibility of competing applications while the review is underway.”

Learn more about the project at the BLM National NEPA Register.

The BLM manages vast stretches of public lands that have the potential to make significant contributions to the nation’s renewable energy portfolio and support the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035. Congress also directed in the Energy Act of 2020 for the BLM to permit 25 gigawatts of solar, wind and geothermal production on public lands no later than 2025.

For more information, please contact Project Manager Brooklyn Cox (acting) at bcox@blm.gov or 435-865-3073.