Notice of Availability of Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement and Proposed Land Use Plan Amendment for the Proposed Sunrise Powerlink Project, 63012-63013 [E8-25154]

Agencies

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

[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 205 (Wednesday, October 22, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63012-63013]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-25154]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[CACA-47658, CA-670-5101 ER B204)


Notice of Availability of Final Environmental Impact Report/
Environmental Impact Statement and Proposed Land Use Plan Amendment for 
the Proposed Sunrise Powerlink Project

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management.

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 California Public Utilities 
Commission (CPUC), has prepared a Final Environmental Impact Report/
Environmental Impact Statement (FEIR/EIS) and Proposed Land Use Plan 
Amendment for the Sunrise Powerlink Project proposed by San Diego Gas & 
Electric Company (SDG&E).

DATES: The FEIR/EIS and Proposed Land Use Plan Amendment will be 
available for review until November 17, 2008 which is 30 calendar days 
from the date that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published 
the Notice of Availability in the Federal Register, October 17, 2008 
[73 FR 61859]. BLM planning regulations (43 CFR 1610.5-2) state that 
any person who meets the conditions as described in the regulations may 
protest the BLM's Proposed RMP Amendment. A person who meets the 
conditions and files a protest must file the protest within 30 days of 
the date that the Environmental Protection Agency publishes its notice 
in the Federal Register. Instructions for filing protests with the BLM 
are included in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice 
and in the Executive Summary of the FEIR/EIS.

ADDRESSES: A copy of the FEIR/EIS/Proposed Plan Amendment will be 
available electronically at the following Web site: https://
www.cpuc.ca.gov/Environment/info/aspen/sunrise/sunrise.htm.
    Copies of the document will be available for public inspection at 
the following locations:
     Bureau of Land Management, California State Office, 2800 
Cottage Way, Suite W-1834, Sacramento, CA 95825.
     Bureau of Land Management, El Centro Field Office, 1661 
South 4th Street, El Centro, CA 92243.
     Bureau of Land Management, California Desert District, 
22835 Calle San Juan De Los Lagos, Moreno Valley, CA 92553.
     Bureau of Land Management, Palm Springs South Coast Field 
Office, 690 West Garnet Avenue, North Palm Springs, CA 92258-1260.
     Bureau of Land Management, South Coast Project Office, c/o 
Cleveland National Forest, 10845 Rancho Bernardo Drive, Suite 200, San 
Diego, CA 92127-2107.
     A list of public library repositories is also available on 
the project Web site at https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/Environment/info/aspen/
sunrise/sunrise.htm.
    Electronic (on CD-ROM) or paper copies of the FEIR/EIS may be 
obtained by contacting the BLM, 1661 South 4th Street, El Centro, CA, 
(760) 337-4421; or the CPUC's consultants: Aspen Environmental Group, 
235 Montgomery Street 935, San Francisco, CA 94104, reachable 
by phone or fax at (866) 711-3106 or by e-mail at sunrise@aspeneg.com.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Information concerning the Final EIS/
Proposed Plan Amendment may be obtained from Lynda Kastoll, Project 
Manager for the BLM, at (760) 337-4421, or e-mail at 
lkastoll@ca.blm.gov. Information concerning the EIR process may be 
obtained from Billie Blanchard, Project Manager for the CPUC, at (415) 
703-2068, or on the CPUC Internet Web site at https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/
Environment/info/aspen/sunrise/sunrise.htm.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: SDG&E proposes to construct a new 91-mile, 
500-kilovolt (kV) electric transmission line from Imperial Valley 
Substation (in Imperial County, near the City of El Centro) to a new 
Central East Substation (in central San Diego County, southwest of the 
intersection of County Highways S22 and S2) and a new 59-mile 230-kV 
line that includes both overhead and underground segments from the new 
Central East Substation to SDG&E's existing Pe[ntilde]asquitos 
Substation (in the City of San Diego). Portions of the proposed 500-kV 
line transmission line would traverse approximately 35 miles of Federal 
lands managed by the BLM within the California Desert Conservation Area 
in Imperial County, and approximately one mile in San Diego County. The 
remainder of the proposed project would cross lands owned by various 
entities including the State of California, local governments, and 
private parties.
    The proposed transmission lines would utilize structures ranging in 
height from 120 to 170 feet, spaced approximately 700 to 1,600 feet 
apart, and would occupy rights-of-way of approximately 60 to 300 feet 
in width (subject to local conditions and restrictions).
    Two public scoping periods followed the CPUC's publication of the 
Notice of Preparation of an EIR/EIS on September 15, 2006, and the 
BLM's publication of the Notice of Intent in the Federal Register on 
August 31, 2006. Consultation with agencies and tribal governments also 
continued after the formal scoping ended. In addition, notices 
regarding alternatives to be evaluated in the EIR/EIS were mailed to 
interested parties in March and May of 2007.
    In January 2008, a Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental 
Impact Statement (DEIR/EIS) was issued jointly by the CPUC and BLM. The 
DEIR/EIS provided information about the environmental setting and 
impacts of the Proposed Project and 27 alternatives, as well as 
connected actions and future foreseeable projects. The Environmental 
Protection Agency published a Notice of Availability for the DEIR/EIS/
Plan Amendment on January 11, 2008, initiating a 90-day comment period. 
Copies of the document were sent to affected Tribes as well as Federal, 
State and local government agencies. The document was posted on the 
CPUC Web site and a link was provided on the BLM Web site. News 
releases were published in local newspapers announcing the availability 
of the document, and approximately 14,000 notices were mailed to known 
interested parties. In late January 2008, nine informational workshops 
were held throughout San Diego and Imperial counties. In February and 
May 2008, CPUC conducted seven public participation hearings to receive 
comments on the DEIR/EIS and any other issues of concern related to the 
SDG&E application.
    In July 2008, a Recirculated DEIR/Supplemental DEIS was issued by 
the CPUC and BLM that included three components: (1) New and revised 
analysis of the La Rumorosa Wind Project in Mexico and associated 
transmission/substation upgrades in the

[[Page 63013]]

U.S.; (2) description and analysis of several transmission line route 
revisions; (3) revision of components of the Environmentally Superior 
Alternatives for northern and southern transmission line routes. A 45-
day public comment period on the Recirculated/Supplemental Draft ended 
on August 25, 2008.
    The proposed project, as well as other transmission alternatives, 
would require an amendment to one of the following BLM land use plans: 
the California Desert Conservation Area Plan (as amended) and the 
Eastern San Diego County Planning Unit Management Framework Plan 
because the route alignments would deviate from BLM designated utility 
corridors in several areas.
    Based on a careful review of the resource data in the FEIR/EIS, 
full consideration of all public comments received, and a determination 
of which alternative best meets the agency project objectives, the 
BLM's Agency Preferred Alternative is the Final Environmentally 
Superior Southern Route (SWPL) Alternative. This alternative is 
described in the FEIR/EIS at Section ES.2.4 and depicted on Figure ES-
4, including the BCD/BCD South Option Reroute, except and unless 
easements can be secured by SDG&E for the Interstate 8 Alternative 
between McCain Valley Road and the eastern end of the Modified Route D 
Alternative in place of the BCD/BCD South Option Reroute. In either 
configuration (the Interstate 8/Modified Route D or the Interstate 8/
BCD/BCD South), the BLM's Agency Preferred alternative would achieve 
all three CPUC and BLM project objectives and most SDG&E project 
objectives.
    The Interstate 8 Alternative west of McCain Valley Road is shorter 
in length, located in a less remote area, and would result in fewer 
significant, unmitigable impacts to biological resources, recreation, 
and visual resources than would the BCD/BCD South Option Reroute. 
Because SDG&E may not be able to secure easements for the Interstate 8 
Alternative between McCain Valley Road and the eastern end of the 
Modified Route D Alternative, BLM proposes to amend the existing land 
use plan for Eastern San Diego County to provide a one-time exception 
to the plan requirement that new gas, electric, and water transmission 
facilities and cables for interstate communication be allowed only 
within designated corridors. The proposed plan amendment would apply to 
the public lands along the BCD/BCD South Option Reroute portion of the 
Final Environmentally Superior Southern Route (SWPL) Alternative. As 
described in DEIR/EIS Section A.6.2, the BLM's decision regarding the 
approval of any route and plan amendment would be made in a Record of 
Decision to be issued in late 2008 or early 2009.
    As noted above, instructions for filing a protest with the Director 
of the BLM regarding the proposed land use plan amendment may be found 
at 43 CFR 1610.5. Protests are specific to the proposed land use plan 
amendment. E-mail and faxed protests will not be accepted as valid 
protests unless the protesting party also provides the original letter 
by either regular mail or overnight delivery service postmarked by the 
close of the protest period. Under these conditions, the BLM will 
consider the e-mail or faxed protest as an advance copy and it will 
receive full consideration. If you wish to provide the BLM with such 
advance notification, please direct faxed protests to the attention of 
the BLM protest coordinator at 202-208-5010, and e-mails to Brenda_
Hudgens-Williams@blm.gov. All protests, including the follow-up letter 
(if e-mailing or faxing) must be in writing and mailed to the following 
address: Regular Mail: Director (210), Attention: Brenda Williams, P.O. 
Box 66538, Washington, DC 20035. Overnight Delivery Service: Director 
(210), Attention: Brenda Williams, 1620 L Street, NW., Suite 1075, 
Washington, DC 20036.
    Before including your phone number, e-mail address, or other 
personal identifying information in your protest, you should be aware 
that your entire protest--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your protest to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.
    A copy of the FEIR/EIS has been sent to affected Tribes as well as 
Federal, State and local government agencies and interested parties.

Thomas Pogacnik,
Acting Deputy State Director, Natural Resources (CA-930), Bureau of 
Land Manager.
 [FR Doc. E8-25154 Filed 10-21-08; 8:45 am]
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