‘Esmeralda Seven’ solar project adjusting approach to environmental reviews

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management responded to 8 News Now on Friday afternoon to clarify the meaning of a “canceled” notice on the Esmeralda Seven Solar Project. A decision to combine the environmental reviews for the seven projects is being changed to give each project the option of submitting their proposal separately. The BLM’s statement: “During routine discussions prior to the lapse in appropriations, the proponents and BLM agreed to change their approach for the Esmeralda 7 Solar Project in Nevada. Instead of pursuing a programmatic level environmental analysis, the applicants will now have the option to submit individual project proposals to the BLM to more effectively analyze potential impacts.”

The “Cancelled – Cancelled” notice on BLM’s NEPA website applies only to the environmental review stage. The entire project has not been canceled.

The original story appears below. The headline has been updated.

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A cluster of seven solar projects that would have produced enough electricity to power roughly 1.6 million average homes was canceled without explanation on Friday.

The Esmeralda Seven Solar Project, located west of Tonopah in sparsely populated Esmeralda County, now carries the note “Cancelled – Cancelled” next to its status on the Bureau of Land Management’s National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) register.

The collective output of Esmeralda Seven would have been 6.2 gigawatts of electric power. Three of the seven projects made a list of the five largest proposed solar farms in June 2024. That list of proposed projects was based on data from Global Energy Monitor, which tracks power projects of all kinds worldwide.

The seven individual projects: Gold Dust Solar, Smoky Valley Solar, Esmeralda Energy Center, Lone Mountain Solar, Nivloc Solar, Red Ridge 1 and Red Ridge 2.

The area is about 270 miles northwest of Las Vegas on U.S. 95.

BLM seeks public input on massive Esmeralda 7 Solar Project between Las Vegas and Reno
As approval for renewable energy was fast-tracked under President Joe Biden, environmental reviews for the seven projects were combined and the cluster became known as Esmeralda Seven.

President Donald Trump has directed federal agencies to end policies that favored solar and wind projects, making oil, gas and even coal his priorities for American energy development. BLM is one of the agencies under the Interior Department, led by Doug Burgum.

A post by the Nevada Republican Party on X Friday afternoon said: “Esmeralda County voters turned out for Trump, and now he has listened to them and cancelled the Esmeralda7 solar scam. Another phenomenal win by @realDonaldTrump and @SecretaryBurgum“

8 News Now has reached out to BLM for comment.

Environmental groups including Friends of Nevada Wilderness, Conservation Lands Foundation, Center for Biological Diversity, the Coalition for Nevada’s Wildlife, the Walker River Paiute Tribe and the Yerington Paiute Tribe, and the Coalition for Nevada’s Wildlife had argued against the Esmeralda Seven project.

Another conservation group, Basin and Range Watch, sent a statement when the project’s status changed to canceled.

“The E7 projects would have destroyed significant archeology sites, rare plants, bighorn sheep habitat and wilderness quality lands. This news is a welcome relief and gives hope that the area could be protected for the long term in the future,” Kevin Emmerick, the group’s co-founder, said in an email.

Shaaron Netherton, executive director of Friends of Nevada Wilderness, spoke to 8 News Now last year about serious concerns about the proposal. Among those concerns: nationally significant cultural resources and impacts and impacts on the state’s most genetically pure population of native desert bighorn sheep.

“There are over 400 Paleoindian sites in this area. They are 10-14,000 years old,” Netherton said.

Conservation groups generally support renewable energy over fossil fuels, but concerns often arise over conflicts at targeted locations.