If you have any input on the proposed Ely Energy Center, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management wants to hear from you.

The BLM is in the midst of a public scoping period to gather comments on the proposed coal-fired power project north of Ely. Those public comments will be used to develop a range of alternatives, issues and indicators for the agency's environmental analysis of the project.

The public comment period on the project began in earnest this week with a series of meetings around the state, including an open house Wednesday at the Bristlecone Convention Center in Ely.

BLM Project Manager Joe Incardine told a near-capacity crowd that the agency's analysis of the Sierra Pacific Resources project has just begun.

Once its officials have received written comments on the proposal, the BLM will be working with cooperating agencies to address issues the public has raised, he said.

A lengthy review of the project will follow, as stipulated by the National Environmental Policy Act.

Based on current estimates, a draft environmental impact statement could be finished by late 2007 or early 2008. A final environmental impact statement could be completed by the summer or fall of 2008.

The public will have opportunities to respond to both reports.

Sierra Pacific Resources is currently looking at two possible sites for the proposed power plant.

The preferred location is located less than 10 miles north of McGill near Glenn Siding, while the alternative site lies near Cherry Creek.

The first phase of the project would cost an estimated $3.8 billion and would include two 750-megawatt units. Construction could begin in 2008 following the ongoing permitting and approval process.

Work on the first 750-megawatt generating unit and the transmission line could be completed in late 2011, while the second unit could be finished in 2013.

The project's second phase would include the construction of two additional 500-megawatt coal gasification units. Coal gasification involves the conversion of coal into a combustible gas that is rendered virtually free of pollutants.

Sierra Pacific Resources has not set a specific date to launch this second phase, but company officials have said construction would get under way as soon as the coal gasification method becomes commercially viable.

Director of Project Development David Sims told the crowd that the company aims to build the cleanest coal-fired power plant in the Western U.S.

He emphasized that the plant would be fired by low-sulfur coal from Wyoming's Powder River Basin and other Western regions.

To reduce pollution, the facility would utilize super-critical technology that has already been adopted by facilities in Japan and Europe.

Super-critical units function at higher operating pressures and temperatures than conventional units and can dramatically increase overall efficiency by 10 to 15 percent. According to Sims, every one percent increase in efficiency leads to a three percent reduction in emissions per megawatt hour.

The company plans to use controls to remove oxides of nitrogen and mercury from plant emissions. Fabric filters would collect dust from ash, while wet scrubbers would greatly reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide.

The facility has also been designed to minimize water consumption, using approximately half as much water as conventional power plants. The company is also committed to developing a portfolio of water resources, which means that the facility will not be relying upon a single source, he said.

During the project's first phase, the center would use roughly 8,000-acre-feet of water. It would use twice that amount once the facilities have been built out.

Water consumption would be reduced by utilizing both “wet” and “dry” cooling towers. The dry towers would use fans to cool steam from the plant's turbines, while the wet towers would operate only when temperatures climb above the area's estimated median of 45 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sims also touted the project's proposed 250-mile transmission line, which would tie the state's grid together for the first time. Perhaps just as importantly, the line would provide several hundred megawatts of additional capacity for power harnessed from renewable energy sources from Northern and Eastern Nevada.

Although Sierra Pacific Resources has emphasized its commitment to environmental stewardship, some local residents remain skeptical about the effects the facility could have on the surrounding landscape.

Ranchers Lance Moore and Stuart Twitchell said the preferred project site near Glenn Siding is prime winter range for wildlife and livestock. Over 300 pronghorn antelope winter at the site, while livestock graze high-protein white sage -- an essential winter forage which is scarce elsewhere around Steptoe Valley.

“It's the best piece of land in the whole valley,” Moore said.

Moore said he is also worried about the effects the facility would have on his livelihood and the value of his ranch.

Some residents of Duck Creek Valley have also objected to the preferred site proposal.

“Everybody up there is really concerned,” said resident David Bourbeau, who voiced apprehensions about greenhouse gas emissions, water use and nighttime “light pollution.”

For more information about the project, contact Doris Metcalf at 289-1852 or e-mail Doris_Metcalf@blm.gov. You can also contact BLM Project Manager Joe Incardine at (801) 539-4118 or e-mail Joe_Incardine@blm.gov.

Scoping comments on the Ely Energy Center proposal can be e-mailed to: eec_eis@nv.blm.gov.

Regular mail can be sent to: Doris Metcalf, Bureau of Land Management, Ely Field Office, HC 33 Box 33500, Ely Nevada 89301 Attn: EEC EIS.