Granite Mountain LLC Wind Farm, California Desert District, Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement/Notice of Preparation of an Environmental Impact Report and To Amend the California Desert Conservation Area Plan, 68894-68895 [E7-23728]
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68894
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 234 / Thursday, December 6, 2007 / Notices
Dated: November 20, 2007.
Edward W. Shepard,
State Director, OR/WA, USDI Bureau of Land
Management.
[FR Doc. E7–23743 Filed 12–5–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–33–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[CA 680–07–5101–ER B241] [CACA 48254]
Granite Mountain LLC Wind Farm,
California Desert District, Notice of
Intent To Prepare an Environmental
Impact Statement/Notice of
Preparation of an Environmental
Impact Report and To Amend the
California Desert Conservation Area
Plan
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES
SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(c)
of the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), 42
U.S.C. 4321–4347, the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM), Barstow Field
Office, Barstow, California, in
coordination with the County of San
Bernardino (County), California will
prepare a joint Environmental Impact
Statement/Environmental Impact Report
(EIS/EIR) for the development and
operation of a wind energy farm on
public and private lands in the Granite
Mountains, north of Apple Valley,
California to meet the requirements of
both the California Environmental
Quality Act (CEQA), and NEPA. The
project and associated ancillary
facilities will require both BLM and
County authorizations. Pursuant to the
California Desert Conservation Area
(CDCA) Plan, new power generation
projects must be evaluated through the
planning process. By this notice the
BLM is announcing a 30-day period for
public scoping of alternatives, issues,
the scope of the direct, indirect, and
cumulative analysis for this proposal
and associated planning criteria. In
addition, BLM is requesting the views of
other agencies as to the scope and
content of the environmental
information that is germane to the
statutory responsibilities or areas of
expertise for your agencies in
connection with the proposed project
and the analysis of its impacts.
DATES: This notice initiates the public
scoping process. Requests for
participation in the development of this
EIS/EIR as a cooperating or participating
agency, and comments on issues or
alternatives related to this proposal
18:57 Dec 05, 2007
Jkt 214001
Requests for participation in
the EIS development by agencies,
requests to be added to the mailing list,
and comments on the scope and content
of the EIS should be sent to Edy
Seehafer, Environmental Coordinator,
Bureau of Land Management, Barstow
Field Office, 2601 Barstow Road,
Barstow, CA 92311, or by fax at 760–
252–6099, or e-mail at
eseehafe@blm.gov. A follow-up hard
copy is requested when comments are
sent by fax or e-mail, to assure
readability. Documents pertinent to this
proposal, including comments with the
names and addresses of respondents,
will be available for public review
Monday through Friday, except
holidays, at the BLM Barstow Field
Office located at 2601 Barstow Road,
Barstow, California, during regular
business hours of 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
and at the County of San Bernardino,
either at 385 N. Arrowhead Avenue, San
Bernardino or at 15456 West Sage
Street, Victorville, CA 92392, during
regular business hours of 8 a.m. to 5
p.m., 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. All submissions from
organizations and businesses, and from
individuals identifying themselves as
representatives or officials of
organizations or businesses, will be
available for public inspection in their
entirety.
ADDRESSES:
AGENCY:
VerDate Aug<31>2005
must be received within 30 days of the
date of publication of this notice in the
Federal Register, and may be submitted
in writing to the address listed below.
Additionally, at least two scoping
meetings will be held to encourage
public input. The public meetings will
be announced through the local news
media, newspapers, and the BLM Web
site (https://www.ca.blm.gov/barstow) at
least 15 days prior to the event.
Additional opportunities for public
participation will be provided upon
publication of the draft EIS/EIR.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Technical Information: Joan
Patrovsky, 760–252–6032, or
jpatrovs@blm.gov.
EIS/EIR Process: Edy Seehafer, 760–
252–6032, or eseehafe@blm.gov.
PO 00000
Frm 00038
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Granite
Wind, 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 at
Granite Mountain, near Apple Valley, in
San Bernardino County. The project site
is east of Apple Valley and west of
Lucerne Valley. Operations are expected
to last approximately 30 years. The
proposed project would install
approximately 27 wind turbines on
public and private lands, with a
generating capacity of approximately
62.1 to 81 megawatts, depending on the
make and model of wind turbines used
for the proposed project. Related
structures would include access roads,
underground 34.5 kV transmission lines
and fiber-optic cables, an electrical
substation and a 230 kV power-line
from the project site to Southern
California Edison’s existing 230 kV
transmission system and an electrical
substation interconnecting the project to
the existing 230 kV transmission
system. 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 and the federal
regulations at 43 CFR 2800. The
proposed project would take
approximately 7 months to construct.
Issues that are anticipated to be
addressed in this EIS/EIR and plan
amendment include visual impacts,
avian impacts, socioeconomic impacts,
electrical transmission capacity, and
cumulative impacts. The CDCA Plan
(1980, as amended), while recognizing
the potential compatibility of wind
generation facilities on public lands,
requires that all power generating
facilities be considered through the
planning process. Planning criteria for
consideration of a CDCA plan
amendment to provide for power
generation at this site include:
a. The plan amendment will be
completed in compliance with FLPMA,
NEPA and all other applicable Federal
and State laws, Executive orders, and
management policies of the BLM;
b. The plan amendment will
recognize and conform to previous sitespecific planning decisions from BLM
regional and bioregional plans;
c. Where existing planning decisions
are still valid, those decisions will
remain unchanged;
d. Where appropriate, this EIS will
reference the BLM Programmatic Wind
EIS (2005);
e. For the purposes of cumulative
analysis, past, present, and reasonably
foreseeable projects will be those
alternative energy projects which have
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
E:\FR\FM\06DEN1.SGM
06DEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 234 / Thursday, December 6, 2007 / Notices
been approved, or for which a draft or
final plan of development has been
received, or is anticipated prior to the
release of the Draft or Final EIS, within
the CDCA;
f. The plan amendment will recognize
valid existing rights; and
g. Interagency and Native American
Tribal consultations will be conducted
in accordance with policy, and will be
given due consideration. The planning
process will include the consideration
of impacts on Indian trust assets, other
jurisdictions, and agencies.
Copies of the environmental
assessment and initial study are not
attached. Pursuant to NEPA
Departmental Guidelines, in 516 DM
11.4 and CEQA Guidelines, Section
15063(a), the Bureau of Land
Management and the County of San
Bernardino have opted to forgo
preparation of an initial study and
proceed directly to a draft EIS/EIR.
Dated: November 21, 2007.
Roxie C. Trost,
Field Manager, Barstow Field Office.
[FR Doc. E7–23728 Filed 12–5–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–40–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[NM–210–1430–ES; NMNM 115587]
Notice of Realty Action—Recreation
and Public Purpose (R&PP) Act
Classification, New Mexico
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of R&PP lease and or
patent of public land in San Juan
County; New Mexico.
AGENCY:
mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES
SUMMARY: The following described
public land is determined suitable for
classification for leasing and subsequent
conveyance to San Juan County for a
Drag Strip, under the provisions of the
Recreation and Public Purposes (R&PP)
Act, as amended, 43 U.S.C. 869 et seq.,
and under Sec. 7 of the Taylor Grazing
Act, 43 U.S.C. 315(f), and Executive
Order No. 6910.
New Mexico Principal Meridian
T. 26 N., R. 11 W.,
Sec. 1: S1⁄2SW1⁄4NE1⁄4, SW1⁄4SE1⁄4NE1⁄4,
S1⁄2S1⁄2NW1⁄4, N1⁄2N1⁄2SW1⁄4,
N1⁄2N1⁄2SE1⁄4.
The area described contains 140 acres more
or less.
COMMENT DATES: Submit comments on
or before January 22, 2008. Interested
parties may submit comments regarding
the proposed leasing/conveyance or
classification of the lands to the Bureau
VerDate Aug<31>2005
18:57 Dec 05, 2007
Jkt 214001
of Land Management at the following
address. Any adverse comments will be
reviewed by the Bureau of land
Management, Farming District Manager,
1235 La Plata Highway, Farmington,
NM 87401, who may sustain, vacate, or
modify this realty action. In the absence
of any adverse comments, this realty
action becomes the final determination
of the Department of the Interior.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Marcy Romero, Realty Specialist, at the
Bureau of Land Management,
Farmington Field Office, at (505) 599–
6339. Information related to this action,
including the environmental
assessment, is available for review at
1235 La Plata Highway, Farmington,
NM 87401.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Publication of this notice segregates the
public land described above from all
other forms of appropriation under the
public land laws, including the general
mining laws, except for leasing and
conveyance under the Recreation and
Public Purposes Act and leasing under
the mineral leasing laws. The lease,
when issued, will be subject to the
following terms:
1. The Recreation and Public
Purposes Act and to all applicable
regulations of the Secretary of the
Interior.
2. The Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act of 19976 (RCRA) as
amended, 42 U.S.C. 6901–6987 and the
Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation and Liability
Act of 1980 (CERCLA) as amended, 42
U.S.C. 9601 and all applicable
regulations.
3. Provisions of Title VI of the Civil
Rights Act of 1964.
4. Provisions that the lease be
operated in compliance with the
approved Development Plan.
The patent document, when issued,
will be subject to the provisions of the
R&PP Act and applicable regulations of
the Secretary of the Interior and will
contain the following terms, conditions,
and reservations to the United States:
1. A right-of-way thereon for ditches
or canals constructed by the authority of
the United States, Act of August 30,
1890 (43 U.S.C. 945).
2. All minerals, together with the right
to prospect for, mine, and remove such
deposits from the lands under
applicable law and such regulations as
the Secretary of the Interior may
prescribe.
3. All valid existing rights e.g. rightsof-way and leases of record.
Provisions that if the patentee or its
successor attempts to transfer title to or
control over the land to another or the
PO 00000
Frm 00039
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
68895
land is devoted to a use other than that
for which the land was conveyed,
without the consent of the Secretary of
the Interior or his delegate, or prohibits
or restricts, directly or indirectly, or
permits its agents, employees,
contractors, or subcontractors, including
without limitation, lessees, sublessees
and permittees, to prohibit or restrict,
directly or indirectly, the use of any part
of the patented lands or any of the
facilities whereon by any person
because of such person’s race, creed,
sex, color, or national origin, title shall
revert to the United States.
The lands are not needed for Federal
purposes. Leasing and later patenting is
consistent with current Bureau of Land
Management policies and land use
planning. The proposal serves the
public interest since it would provide
the recreation facilities and related
buildings that would meet the needs of
the drag strip.
Upon publication of this notice in the
Federal Register, the above described
public lands will be segregated from all
other forms of appropriation under the
public land laws, including the general
mining laws, except for patent under the
R&PP Act and leasing under the mineral
leasing laws.
Classification Comments: Interested
parties may submit comments involving
the suitability of the land for
conveyance. Comments on the
classifications are restricted to whether
the land is physically suited for the
proposal, whether the use will
maximize the future uses of the land,
whether the use is consistent with local
planning and zoning, or if the use is
consistent with state and Federal
programs.
Conveyance Comments: Interested
parties may submit comments regarding
the patent and the specific use proposed
in the application and plan of
development, whether the BLM
followed proper administrative
procedures in reaching the decision, or
any other factor not directly related to
the suitability of the land for R&PP use.
Confidentiality of Comments: 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 in your comment to
withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
Any adverse comments will be
reviewed by the Farmington Field
Manager, who may sustain, vacate, or
E:\FR\FM\06DEN1.SGM
06DEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 234 (Thursday, December 6, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68894-68895]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-23728]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[CA 680-07-5101-ER B241] [CACA 48254]
Granite Mountain LLC Wind Farm, California Desert District,
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement/Notice of
Preparation of an Environmental Impact Report and To Amend the
California Desert Conservation Area Plan
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), 42 U.S.C. 4321-4347, the Bureau
of Land Management (BLM), Barstow Field Office, Barstow, California, in
coordination with the County of San Bernardino (County), California
will prepare a joint Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental
Impact Report (EIS/EIR) for the development and operation of a wind
energy farm on public and private lands in the Granite Mountains, north
of Apple Valley, California to meet the requirements of both the
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and NEPA. The project and
associated ancillary facilities will require both BLM and County
authorizations. Pursuant to the California Desert Conservation Area
(CDCA) Plan, new power generation projects must be evaluated through
the planning process. By this notice the BLM is announcing a 30-day
period for public scoping of alternatives, issues, the scope of the
direct, indirect, and cumulative analysis for this proposal and
associated planning criteria. In addition, BLM is requesting the views
of other agencies as to the scope and content of the environmental
information that is germane to the statutory responsibilities or areas
of expertise for your agencies in connection with the proposed project
and the analysis of its impacts.
DATES: This notice initiates the public scoping process. Requests for
participation in the development of this EIS/EIR as a cooperating or
participating agency, and comments on issues or alternatives related to
this proposal must be received within 30 days of the date of
publication of this notice in the Federal Register, and may be
submitted in writing to the address listed below. Additionally, at
least two scoping meetings will be held to encourage public input. The
public meetings will be announced through the local news media,
newspapers, and the BLM Web site (https://www.ca.blm.gov/barstow) at
least 15 days prior to the event. Additional opportunities for public
participation will be provided upon publication of the draft EIS/EIR.
ADDRESSES: Requests for participation in the EIS development by
agencies, requests to be added to the mailing list, and comments on the
scope and content of the EIS should be sent to Edy Seehafer,
Environmental Coordinator, Bureau of Land Management, Barstow Field
Office, 2601 Barstow Road, Barstow, CA 92311, or by fax at 760-252-
6099, or e-mail at eseehafe@blm.gov. A follow-up hard copy is requested
when comments are sent by fax or e-mail, to assure readability.
Documents pertinent to this proposal, including comments with the names
and addresses of respondents, will be available for public review
Monday through Friday, except holidays, at the BLM Barstow Field Office
located at 2601 Barstow Road, Barstow, California, during regular
business hours of 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and at the County of San
Bernardino, either at 385 N. Arrowhead Avenue, San Bernardino or at
15456 West Sage Street, Victorville, CA 92392, during regular business
hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., 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. All submissions from organizations and 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:
Technical Information: Joan Patrovsky, 760-252-6032, or
jpatrovs@blm.gov.
EIS/EIR Process: Edy Seehafer, 760-252-6032, or eseehafe@blm.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Granite Wind, 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 at Granite Mountain, near
Apple Valley, in San Bernardino County. The project site is east of
Apple Valley and west of Lucerne Valley. Operations are expected to
last approximately 30 years. The proposed project would install
approximately 27 wind turbines on public and private lands, with a
generating capacity of approximately 62.1 to 81 megawatts, depending on
the make and model of wind turbines used for the proposed project.
Related structures would include access roads, underground 34.5 kV
transmission lines and fiber-optic cables, an electrical substation and
a 230 kV power-line from the project site to Southern California
Edison's existing 230 kV transmission system and an electrical
substation interconnecting the project to the existing 230 kV
transmission system. 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 and the federal
regulations at 43 CFR 2800. The proposed project would take
approximately 7 months to construct.
Issues that are anticipated to be addressed in this EIS/EIR and
plan amendment include visual impacts, avian impacts, socioeconomic
impacts, electrical transmission capacity, and cumulative impacts. The
CDCA Plan (1980, as amended), while recognizing the potential
compatibility of wind generation facilities on public lands, requires
that all power generating facilities be considered through the planning
process. Planning criteria for consideration of a CDCA plan amendment
to provide for power generation at this site include:
a. The plan amendment will be completed in compliance with FLPMA,
NEPA and all other applicable Federal and State laws, Executive orders,
and management policies of the BLM;
b. The plan amendment will recognize and conform to previous site-
specific planning decisions from BLM regional and bioregional plans;
c. Where existing planning decisions are still valid, those
decisions will remain unchanged;
d. Where appropriate, this EIS will reference the BLM Programmatic
Wind EIS (2005);
e. For the purposes of cumulative analysis, past, present, and
reasonably foreseeable projects will be those alternative energy
projects which have
[[Page 68895]]
been approved, or for which a draft or final plan of development has
been received, or is anticipated prior to the release of the Draft or
Final EIS, within the CDCA;
f. The plan amendment will recognize valid existing rights; and
g. Interagency and Native American Tribal consultations will be
conducted in accordance with policy, and will be given due
consideration. The planning process will include the consideration of
impacts on Indian trust assets, other jurisdictions, and agencies.
Copies of the environmental assessment and initial study are not
attached. Pursuant to NEPA Departmental Guidelines, in 516 DM 11.4 and
CEQA Guidelines, Section 15063(a), the Bureau of Land Management and
the County of San Bernardino have opted to forgo preparation of an
initial study and proceed directly to a draft EIS/EIR.
Dated: November 21, 2007.
Roxie C. Trost,
Field Manager, Barstow Field Office.
[FR Doc. E7-23728 Filed 12-5-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-40-P
