BLM Reopens Environmental Review for Greenlink North

The Bureau of Land Management has reopened the environmental review for the Greenlink North transmission project, a $4.2 billion effort aimed at expanding renewable energy delivery across Nevada.

BLM officials announced the decision this week, citing concerns raised by conservation groups and local stakeholders who argued that the original environmental analysis did not adequately address sensitive wildlife habitat. The 235-mile transmission line will connect northern Nevada’s renewable energy resources to population centers elsewhere in the state.

At the center of the dispute is the project’s proximity to active greater sage grouse mating grounds, known as leks. According to opponents, portions of the proposed route pass within four miles of multiple leks, potentially conflicting with federal land-use protections intended to safeguard the declining species and surrounding high-desert ecosystems.

As a result, BLM will prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement to evaluate alternative routes and mitigation measures that could reduce wildlife displacement and habitat fragmentation.

Public comment on the supplemental review will begin in February 2026, with a final decision by May. Despite the additional review, project officials say construction remains scheduled for January 2027.

For Elko County and other rural communities along the corridor, the reopening underscores ongoing tensions between large-scale renewable energy development, local land use, and long-standing grazing and mining interests.