In the Spotlight

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• Energy Resources
• Fire Restrictions End/Prescribed Burning Begins

Special Features

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Wind Energy - a renewable resource

Wind turbines in the Palm Springs area.

Across the country, and particularly in California, renewable energy is moving to the forefront in addressing the public’s interest in "green energy." National policies encourage development of renewable energy -- wind, geothermal, solar, and biomass -- on public lands. California has taken a leadership role by requiring acceleration of renewable energy production – the "20 percent by 2010" effort under the State’s Renewables Portfolio Standard. As a result, BLM is working cooperatively with California to make additional public lands available to help meet those goals.

California is a national leader in the production of wind energy (second to Texas), producing about 20 percent of the nation’s total capacity. Currently, about 3,000 wind turbines on public lands produce 258 megawatts of power and $500,000 annually in royalties. This production comes from 24 rights-of-way on 4,060 acres, mostly in the San Gorgonio Pass area in Riverside County and the Tehachapi Pass area in Kern County.

Learn more about wind energy:

• BLM California's Wind Energy Program
• BLM Wind Energy Development Policy
• California Renewable Energy Action Team Memorandum of Understanding 
• Governor Schwarzenegger Advances State’s Renewable Energy Development 
• Helping to Meet California's Energy Needs  (pdf)

California Desert District

BLM California manages 15.2 million acres of public lands, nearly 15% of the state's land area. The Bureau also administers 47 million acres of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal surface land, 2.5 million acres underlying privately owned land, 592,000 acres of Native American tribal land where BLM has trust responsibility for mineral operations. BLM California also manages 1.6 million acres in northwestern Nevada for cattle grazing, wild horses, recreation and wildlife habitat.

Quick Links

• Calendar of Events
• Environmental Documents
• Land Records
• Maps
• Mining Claims
• National Monuments
  • California Coastal National Monument
  • Carrizo Plains National Monument
  • Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument

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Employee Profile:   Noël Stephens

Noël Stephens

Noël Stephens says that every woman on both sides of her family were elementary school teachers, so she vowed not to be one. Now they laugh at her because she teaches environmental education as an extension of her public contact representative duties. Noël is perfectly fitted as the public contact representative in BLM's California Desert District Office.   Read more...