Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a Proposed Coal-fired Electric Power Generating Plant in Southeastern Lincoln County and Notice of Public Meetings; Nevada, 58115 [E7-20162]

Agencies

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

[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 197 (Friday, October 12, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Page 58115]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-20162]



[[Page 58115]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[NV-040-07-5101-ER-F336; (N-77484)]


Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) for a Proposed Coal-fired Electric Power Generating 
Plant in Southeastern Lincoln County and Notice of Public Meetings; 
Nevada

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, a Draft EIS has been prepared by the Bureau 
of Land Management (BLM), Ely Field Office, for the Toquop Energy 
Project and is now available for comment. This document evaluates the 
environmental effects from constructing a 750-megawatt (MW) coal-fired 
electric power generating plant and associated features on public lands 
in Lincoln County, Nevada.

DATES: The Draft EIS is now available for comment. Copies of the Draft 
EIS will be mailed to individuals, agencies, or companies who 
previously requested copies. Mailed comments on the Draft EIS must be 
postmarked by December 11, 2007. Written comments on the document 
should be addressed to Jane Peterson, Project Manager/Energy, Bureau of 
Land Management, Ely Field Office, HC 33 Box 33500, Ely, Nevada 89301-
9408. Comments may also be faxed to (775) 289-1910. Oral and/or written 
comments may also be presented at four public meetings. These public 
meetings will be held in St. George, Utah, and Caliente, Mesquite, Las 
Vegas, and Reno, Nevada. The date, time, and location will be made 
available at least 15 days before the meetings.

ADDRESSES: Public reading copies of the Draft EIS will be available for 
reading at the locations listed below:

--University of Nevada-Reno, Getchell Library, Government Publication 
Dept., Reno, NV 89507.
--Lincoln County Library, 63 Main St., Pioche, NV 89043.
--Mesquite Library, 1221 W. 1st St., Mesquite, NV 89027.
--Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Rd., Las Vegas, NV 89119.
--Web site: http://www.blm.gov/eis/nv/toquop.
    A limited number of copies of the document will be available at the 
following BLM offices:

--Ely Field Office, 702 North Industrial Way, Ely, NV 89301-9408.
--Las Vegas Field Office, 4701 N. Torrey Pines Drive, Las Vegas, NV 
89130.
--Nevada State Office, 1340 Financial Boulevard, Reno, NV 89502-7147.
--Washington Office of Public Affairs, 1849 C Street, Room 406-LS, 
Washington, DC 20240.

    You may submit comments on the Draft EIS by any of the following 
methods:
     Mail: Jane Peterson, Project Manager/Energy, Bureau of 
Land Management, Ely Field Office, HC 33 Box 33500, Ely, NV 89301-9408.
     Fax: 775-289-1910.

Individual respondents may request confidentiality. Before including 
your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal 
identifying information in your comment, be advised 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 from public review your personal identifying information, we 
cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. All submissions from 
organizations, businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves 
as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses will be 
available for public inspection in their entirety.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brenda Linnell at the above address, 
or by telephone: 775-289-1808.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Draft EIS addresses alternatives to 
resolve the following major issues: air quality, visual resources, 
biological resources, and socioeconomic effects. On June 15 and June 
28, 2001, Toquop Energy Inc., filed applications for Federal Land 
Policy and Management Act rights-of-way and a temporary use permit to 
construct and operate a 1,100 MW gas-fired power plant to be located in 
southeast Lincoln County. The rights-of-way included: (1) The power 
plant site; (2) gas pipeline, overhead power line, and access road from 
the main road to the power plant site; (3) a water pipeline; (4) an 
access road from Interstate 15 to the proposed project site; (5) a 
water pipeline, electrical line and well field access road running from 
the proposed power plant site to a terminus point in the proposed well 
field site in the Tule Desert Area; and (6) a well field in the Tule 
Desert area, and an associated water pump station and equalizer tank. 
In 2003, the BLM prepared an EIS to examine the impacts of this 
request. The EIS evaluated three alternatives: (1) Granting the 
requested rights-of-way for a northern site; and (2) granting the 
rights-of-way for a southern site (preferred alternative) and (3) a No 
Action alternative, not granting the requested rights-of-way. The BLM 
granted Toquop Energy Inc., the rights-of-way and temporary use permit 
in December 2003. The 2003 EIS considered several project and right-of-
way alternatives, including the use of alternative fuels in lieu of a 
gas-fired power plant. These alternative were eliminated from detailed 
analysis in the EIS because project economics did not support such 
alternatives at the time the EIS was issued. However, recent change in 
market conditions, driven by the ever higher and volatile prices of 
natural gas, makes alternative fuels more desirable and economically 
viable. The BLM has now completed necessary studies, and prepared a 
draft EIS to re-evaluate the alternative of constructing a 750 MW coal-
fired power plant in lieu of an 1,100 MW gas-fired power plant, as well 
as to analyze the proposal to grant a new railroad right-of-way 
connecting the project site to the existing Union Pacific Railway near 
Leith, Nevada. The scope of the draft EIS is limited to evaluating the 
alternative of constructing a 750 MW coal plant and the new railroad 
access right-of-way, and subsequent disposal of the power plant site.
    Public participation is occurring throughout the processing of this 
project application. A Notice of Intent was published in the Federal 
Register on February 21, 2006, 71 FR 8869-8870. One round of public 
meetings was held. Comments presented throughout the process have been 
considered and used in developing this draft EIS.

Jack Tribble,
Acting Assistant Field Manager, Nonrenewable Resources.
[FR Doc. E7-20162 Filed 10-11-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-HC-P