Rising Tree Wind Farm Project Notice of Preparation - County of Kern

Notice of Preparation
Of a Joint Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement
And
Request for Scoping Comments
On the Preparation of an Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement
TO: All Interested Parties
Subject
For the
Rising Tree Wind Farm Project
July 15, 2011
Kern County and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will direct the preparation of a joint
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), referred to as an
EIR/EIS, for the Rising Tree Wind Farm Project proposed by Rising Tree Wind Farm, LLC (Project
Proponent). Kern County, as the lead agency under California law, and the BLM, as the federal lead
agency, will jointly prepare a Draft and Final EIR/EIS to comply with the California Environmental
Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
Summary of the Proposed Project
The proposed Rising Tree Wind Farm Project would generate up to 285 megawatts (MW) of electricity
through wind power, installing up to 95 wind turbine generators (WTGs), a substation, transmission
interconnection to the Southern California Edison (SCE) Windhub Substation, access roads, and ancillary
facilities. The proposed project area comprises 3,302 acres, 528 acres of which are on public land under
the jurisdiction of the BLM. The project site is approximately three miles west of the unincorporated town
of Mojave in southeastern Kern County, California. Please refer to the attached Initial Study for a more
detailed description of the proposed project and maps of the proposed project area.
Because of potentially significant impacts on the environment, as identified in the attached Initial Study,
Kern County and BLM will prepare an EIR/EIS addressing the full range of environmental issues. Note
that this Notice of Preparation (NOP), attached Initial Study (IS), and all future project-related documents
are available for review at the following location: