Notice of Availability of Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) for the Proposed Mountain View IV Wind Energy Project, 19721 [E7-7427]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• Bureau of Land Management
• Land Management Bureau

[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 75 (Thursday, April 19, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Page 19721]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-7427]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[CA 660-07-5101-ER]


Notice of Availability of Draft Environmental Impact Statement/
Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) for the Proposed Mountain View IV 
Wind Energy Project

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969 (NEPA, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and the Federal Land Policy and 
Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA, 43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), the Bureau of 
Land Management (BLM), together with the City of Palm Springs, has 
prepared a Draft EIS/EIR for the Mountain View IV Wind Energy Project 
and by this notice is announcing the opening of the comment period. The 
BLM is the lead Federal agency for the preparation of this EIS in 
compliance with the requirements of NEPA. The City of Palm Springs is 
the lead agency for the State of California for the preparation of this 
EIR in compliance with the requirements of the California Environmental 
Quality Act (CEQA).

DATES: To assure that they will be considered, BLM must receive written 
comments on the Draft EIS/EIR within 45 days following the date the 
Environmental Protection Agency publishes their Notice of Availability 
in the Federal Register. The BLM will announce future meetings or 
hearings and any other public involvement activities at least 15 days 
in advance through public notices, media news releases, and/or 
mailings.
    Documents pertinent to this proposal will be available for public 
review at the BLM Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office located at 690 
W. Garnet Avenue, North Palm Springs, California, during regular 
business hours of 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except 
holidays, and may be published as part of the EIS/EIR. Before including 
your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal 
identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your 
entire comment--including your personal identifying information--may be 
made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your 
comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public 
review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
     Web Site: https://www.blm.gov/ca/palmsprings.
     E-mail: Greg--Hill@ca.blm.gov.
     Fax: (760) 251-4899.
     Mail: Bureau of Land Management, Palm Springs-South Coast 
Field Office, 690 W. Garnet Ave., P.O. Box 581260, North Palm Springs, 
CA 92258.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information contact Greg 
Hill, Bureau of Land Management, Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office, 
(760) 251-4840, or by e-mail at Greg--Hill@ca.blm.gov. A copy of the 
Draft EIS/EIR for the Proposed Mountain View IV Wind Energy Project is 
available for review at the BLM Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office 
at the above address, and at the Palm Springs Public Library located at 
300 South Sunrise Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262. Copies are also 
available via the Internet at https://www.blm.gov/ca/palmsprings. 
Electronic (on CD-ROM) or paper copies may also be obtained by 
contacting Greg Hill at the aforementioned addresses and phone number.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Mountain View Power Partners IV, LLC has 
applied for a right-of-way on public lands and a conditional use permit 
on private lands to construct a wind energy generating facility in the 
Coachella Valley, in Riverside County. The project site is west of 
Indian Avenue and is within the corporate boundary of the City of Palm 
Springs and within the planning area for the draft Coachella Valley 
Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan. Operations are expected to 
last approximately 30 years. The proposed project would install a total 
of approximately 42 to 50 wind turbines on public and private lands, 
with a total generating capacity of approximately 49 megawatts. Related 
structures would include access roads, a 34.5-kV powerline and an 
electrical substation. If approved, the wind energy generating facility 
on public lands would be authorized in accordance with Title V of the 
Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (USC) and the Federal 
regulations at 43 CFR part 2800. The proposed project would take 
approximately 7 months to construct.
    A Notice of Intent (NOI) to Prepare an EIS/EIR was published in the 
Federal Register on June 5, 2006; this NOI invited comments on issues 
which may have been relevant to preparation of the document. A public 
scoping meeting was held on June 27, 2006 at the Desert Highland 
Community Center, in the City of Palm Springs with notice of the 
meeting published in the Desert Sun newspaper. The meeting was held to 
help assist in identifying the range of actions, alternatives, 
mitigation measures, and significant effects to be analyzed in the EIS/
EIR.

    Dated: February 21, 2007.
John Kalish,
Acting Field Manager, Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office.

    Editorial Note: This document was received at the Office of the 
Federal Register on April 16, 2007.
[FR Doc. E7-7427 Filed 4-18-07; 8:45 am]
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