Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and Possible Resource Management Plan Amendments for the SunZia Southwest Transmission Project in Arizona and New Mexico, 25764-25765 [E9-12512]
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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 102 / Friday, May 29, 2009 / Notices
mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES
opportunity to request assistance under
the Rural Water Program. No form is
required to be filled out in order to
submit a statement of interest. The
statement of interest will include
information regarding the eligibility of
the project sponsor to participate in the
program, whether the proposed project
meets the program eligibility
requirements, and the extent to which
the proposed project meets the
prioritization criteria.
(3) Assistance to Conduct a Feasibility
Study. To request technical or financial
assistance to conduct a feasibility study,
the project sponsor must have already
completed an appraisal investigation.
Since a statement of interest will have
already been submitted, project
sponsors seeking to conduct a feasibility
study may simply complete a full
proposal without having to complete
another statement of interest. No form is
required to be filled out in order to
submit a full proposal. The full proposal
will be used by Reclamation to
determine whether the project sponsor
is eligible to participate in the program,
whether the proposed project meets the
program eligibility requirements, the
extent to which the proposed project
meets the prioritization criteria, and to
evaluate the proposal in general to
determine whether it is reasonable and
can be successful. The content of a full
proposal will be described in detail in
the program announcement and will
typically include a detailed scope of
work for the proposed study.
Frequency: Once annually, in
response to the program announcement.
Respondents: States, tribes,
municipalities, water districts, and
other entities created under State law
with water management authority.
Estimated Annual Total Number of
Potential Respondents: 185.
Estimated Number of Responses per
Respondent: 1.0.
Estimated Total Number of Annual
Responses: 56.0.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on
Respondents: 2,100 hours.
Comments
We invite your comments on:
(a) Whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of our functions, including
whether the information will have
practical use;
(b) The accuracy of our burden
estimate for the proposed collection of
information;
(c) Ways to enhance the quality,
usefulness, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and
(d) Ways to minimize the burden of
the information collection on
VerDate Nov<24>2008
17:24 May 28, 2009
Jkt 217001
respondents, including the use of
automated collection techniques or
other forms of information technology.
An agency may not conduct or
sponsor, and a person is not required to
respond to a collection of information
unless it displays a currently valid OMB
control number. A 60-day comment
period soliciting comments on this
collection of information was published
in the Federal Register (73 FR 67778,
Nov. 17, 2008) in an interim final rule.
No public comments were received.
Before including your address,
telephone 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.
Roseann Gonzales,
Director, Policy and Program Services, Bureau
of Reclamation.
[FR Doc. E9–12525 Filed 5–28–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–MN–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[NM–114438; AZA–35058; L51010000
ER0000 LVRWG09G0690]
Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement and
Possible Resource Management Plan
Amendments for the SunZia Southwest
Transmission Project in Arizona and
New Mexico
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Intent.
SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land
Management (BLM), New Mexico State
Office, announces its intent to prepare
an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS), and by this notice is announcing
the beginning of the scoping process
and soliciting input on identification of
issues and proposed planning criteria in
response to a right-of-way application
filed by SunZia Transmission, LLC
(SunZia).
DATES: Comments should be submitted
no later than 45 days after publication
of this Notice in the Federal Register.
The BLM will announce public scoping
meetings to identify relevant issues
through local news media, newsletters,
and the BLM Web site (see below) at
least 15 days prior to each meeting. We
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Frm 00068
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
will provide additional opportunities
for public participation upon
publication of the Draft EIS, including a
90-day public comment period.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
or resource information by any of the
following methods:
Web site: https://www.blm.gov/nm/st/en/
prog/more/lands_realty.html.
E-Mail: NMSunZiaProject@blm.gov.
Mail: Bureau of Land Management, New
Mexico State Office, SunZia
Southwest Transmission Project, P.O.
Box 27115, Santa Fe, NM 87502–
0115.
Courier/Hand Delivery: Bureau of Land
Management, SunZia Southwest
Transmission Project, 1474 Rodeo
Road, Santa Fe, NM 87505.
Documents pertinent to the right-ofway application may be examined at:
Bureau of Land Management New
Mexico State Office, Public Room, 1474
Rodeo Road, Santa Fe, NM 87505,
Telephone (505) 438–7471.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: For further
information and/or to have your name
added to the mailing list, contact Adrian
Garcia, SunZia Southwest Transmission
BLM Project Manager, at the New
Mexico State Office, P.O. Box 27115,
Santa Fe, NM 87502–0115, or by e-mail
at NMSunZiaProject@blm.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: SunZia
has submitted a right-of-way application
to construct, operate, and maintain two
new single-circuit overhead 500 kilovolt
(kV) transmission lines originating at a
new substation in either Socorro County
or Lincoln County in the vicinity of
Bingham or Ancho, New Mexico, and
terminating at the Pinal Central
Substation in Pinal County near
Coolidge, Arizona. The overall
transmission line route would be
approximately 460 miles in length, a
substantial part of this length on BLM
lands, and two separate transmission
lines would be located on BLM, State,
and private lands.
SunZia’s proposal is to transport
electricity generated by power
generation resources, including
primarily renewable resources, to
western power markets and load
centers. The SunZia project would
enable the development of renewable
energy resources, including wind, solar,
and geothermal generation, by creating
access to the interState power grid in
the Southwest and providing increased
transfer capacity. The proposed project
would also increase power reliability
across the southwestern United States,
allow communities in southern Arizona
and southern New Mexico to
economically access energy generated
from renewable sources, provide power
E:\FR\FM\29MYN1.SGM
29MYN1
mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 102 / Friday, May 29, 2009 / Notices
to help meet growing demand in the
western United States, and enhance
domestic energy security.
The Southwest Area Transmission
Group—a regional transmission
planning organization—identified a
need for the project. Its importance is
demonstrated by the abundance of
proposed projects that have submitted
interconnection requests to transmission
owners within the proposed project
area, and the potential for renewable
energy sites within the SunZia project
area. Additional transmission would be
required to support development of
potential renewable energy projects in
Arizona and New Mexico. In addition,
the requirement of each State to meet
Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS)
and national interests in energy,
demonstrate the need for the proposed
project.
The proposed transmission line route
and alternatives developed through the
NEPA process would cross BLM lands
in Arizona and New Mexico, as well as
State and private lands. To the extent
feasible, the proposed route would use
existing transmission line corridors and
designated utility corridors located on
Federal land. One of the 500 kV
transmission lines would be constructed
and operated as an alternating current
(AC) facility. SunZia may construct and
operate the other proposed transmission
lines as either AC or direct current (DC).
The SunZia transmission lines would
interconnect with planned substations
along the route. Equipment additions
and modifications would be required at
each of the interconnecting substations.
Engineering studies would determine
those requirements as part of the
project. A right-of-way of up to 1,000
feet in width and a lease-term of 50
years would be required to construct,
operate, and maintain the transmission
lines, structures and appurtenances. If
constructed, the project would be in
operation year-round, transporting
electrical power to major substation
hubs in Arizona and New Mexico. The
project would have a bi-directional
transmission capacity of approximately
3,000 megawatts or greater of electrical
power.
The proposed project would take
approximately three years to construct
and would likely be constructed in
phased segments with an in-service date
of 2013. Specific acreages of access
roads and temporary work areas would
be determined through the NEPA
process and project design.
In Arizona, approximately 43 miles of
the proposed route would cross public
land administered by the Safford and
Tucson BLM Field Offices. In New
Mexico, approximately 128 miles of the
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17:24 May 28, 2009
Jkt 217001
proposed route would cross public land
administered by the BLM Las Cruces
District Office and BLM Socorro Field
Office. The proposed route would pass
in the general vicinity of the following
locations:
Arizona: Coolidge, San Manuel, Safford,
Willcox, Bowie, and San Simon; and
New Mexico: Lordsburg, Deming, Hatch,
Derry, Arrey, Truth or Consequences,
San Antonio, Bingham, Ancho, and
Carrizozo.
The BLM is the lead Federal agency for
the NEPA analysis process and
preparation of the EIS. Cooperating
agencies identified at this time could
include: The Bureau of Reclamation, the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the New
Mexico State Land Office, and the
Arizona State Land Department. Other
State and local governments will be
invited to participate in the process, and
consultation will occur with local, State,
and tribal governments.
The purpose of the public scoping
process is to determine relevant issues
that will influence the scope of the
environmental analysis, including
alternatives, and guide the process for
developing the EIS. At present, the BLM
has identified the following preliminary
issues: The potential effects of the
proposed action on wildlife habitat,
plants, and animals including
threatened, endangered, and sensitive
species, visual resources, National
Historic Trails and related viewsheds;
Native American traditional cultural
properties and sacred places; soils/water
from surface disturbing activities; local
and regional socioeconomic conditions;
consistency with local government land
use plans; and future reclamation/
mitigation from transmission line
construction or location. The BLM
encourages the public to send comments
concerning the project as proposed,
other feasible alternative locations,
possible mitigation measures, and any
other information relevant to the
proposed action.
Authorization of this proposal may
require amendments to one or more
RMPs. By this notice, the BLM is
complying with requirements in 43 CFR
1610.2(c) to notify the public of
potential RMP amendments, predicated
on the findings of the EIS. If RMP
amendments are necessary, the BLM
will integrate the RMP process with the
NEPA process for this project.
Your input is important and will be
considered in the public scoping
process. All comment submittals must
include the commenter’s name and
street address. Comments including the
names and addresses of the commenter
will be available for public inspection at
PO 00000
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Fmt 4703
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25765
the above offices during business hours
(7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), Monday
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
Before including your address, phone
number, e-mail address, or any other
personal identifying information in your
comment, be advised that your entire
comment, including your personal
identifying information, may be
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.
William Merhege,
Acting Deputy State Director, Lands and
Resources.
[FR Doc. E9–12512 Filed 5–28–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–FB–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Notice of Intent To Prepare a
Feasibility Study and Environmental
Impact Statement for Everglades
National Park (Park) To Evaluate
Modifications to the Tamiami Trail
SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given, in
accordance with the provisions of the
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.),
that the NPS is preparing a Feasibility
Study and EIS to ‘‘evaluate the
feasibility of additional bridge length,
beyond that to be constructed pursuant
to the Modified Water Deliveries to
Everglades National Park Project (16
U.S.C. 410r-S), including a continuous
bridge, or additional bridges or some
combination thereof, for the Tamiami
Trail (United States Highway 41) to
restore more natural water flow to
Everglades National Park and Florida
Bay and for the purpose of restoring
habitat within the Park and the
ecological connectivity between the
Park and the Water Conservation Areas’’
(2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act).
The NPS is the lead agency on this
federal action; however, the NPS has
requested the United States Army Corps
of Engineers (USACOE) be a cooperating
agency on this effort, with the Federal
Highway Administration (FHWA)
providing technical assistance.
DATES: Written comments regarding the
proposed project must be postmarked
no later than 30 days from the
publication of this Notice of Intent
(NOI) in the Federal Register. As part of
this process, public workshops will be
held to solicit public input about the
proposed project. The date, time, and
location of the public workshops will be
E:\FR\FM\29MYN1.SGM
29MYN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 102 (Friday, May 29, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25764-25765]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-12512]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[NM-114438; AZA-35058; L51010000 ER0000 LVRWG09G0690]
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and
Possible Resource Management Plan Amendments for the SunZia Southwest
Transmission Project in Arizona and New Mexico
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Intent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), New Mexico State Office,
announces its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS), and by this notice is announcing the beginning of the scoping
process and soliciting input on identification of issues and proposed
planning criteria in response to a right-of-way application filed by
SunZia Transmission, LLC (SunZia).
DATES: Comments should be submitted no later than 45 days after
publication of this Notice in the Federal Register. The BLM will
announce public scoping meetings to identify relevant issues through
local news media, newsletters, and the BLM Web site (see below) at
least 15 days prior to each meeting. We will provide additional
opportunities for public participation upon publication of the Draft
EIS, including a 90-day public comment period.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments or resource information by any of
the following methods:
Web site: https://www.blm.gov/nm/st/en/prog/more/lands_realty.html.
E-Mail: NMSunZiaProject@blm.gov.
Mail: Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico State Office, SunZia
Southwest Transmission Project, P.O. Box 27115, Santa Fe, NM 87502-
0115.
Courier/Hand Delivery: Bureau of Land Management, SunZia Southwest
Transmission Project, 1474 Rodeo Road, Santa Fe, NM 87505.
Documents pertinent to the right-of-way application may be examined
at: Bureau of Land Management New Mexico State Office, Public Room,
1474 Rodeo Road, Santa Fe, NM 87505, Telephone (505) 438-7471.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: For further information and/or to have your
name added to the mailing list, contact Adrian Garcia, SunZia Southwest
Transmission BLM Project Manager, at the New Mexico State Office, P.O.
Box 27115, Santa Fe, NM 87502-0115, or by e-mail at
NMSunZiaProject@blm.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: SunZia has submitted a right-of-way
application to construct, operate, and maintain two new single-circuit
overhead 500 kilovolt (kV) transmission lines originating at a new
substation in either Socorro County or Lincoln County in the vicinity
of Bingham or Ancho, New Mexico, and terminating at the Pinal Central
Substation in Pinal County near Coolidge, Arizona. The overall
transmission line route would be approximately 460 miles in length, a
substantial part of this length on BLM lands, and two separate
transmission lines would be located on BLM, State, and private lands.
SunZia's proposal is to transport electricity generated by power
generation resources, including primarily renewable resources, to
western power markets and load centers. The SunZia project would enable
the development of renewable energy resources, including wind, solar,
and geothermal generation, by creating access to the interState power
grid in the Southwest and providing increased transfer capacity. The
proposed project would also increase power reliability across the
southwestern United States, allow communities in southern Arizona and
southern New Mexico to economically access energy generated from
renewable sources, provide power
[[Page 25765]]
to help meet growing demand in the western United States, and enhance
domestic energy security.
The Southwest Area Transmission Group--a regional transmission
planning organization--identified a need for the project. Its
importance is demonstrated by the abundance of proposed projects that
have submitted interconnection requests to transmission owners within
the proposed project area, and the potential for renewable energy sites
within the SunZia project area. Additional transmission would be
required to support development of potential renewable energy projects
in Arizona and New Mexico. In addition, the requirement of each State
to meet Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) and national interests in
energy, demonstrate the need for the proposed project.
The proposed transmission line route and alternatives developed
through the NEPA process would cross BLM lands in Arizona and New
Mexico, as well as State and private lands. To the extent feasible, the
proposed route would use existing transmission line corridors and
designated utility corridors located on Federal land. One of the 500 kV
transmission lines would be constructed and operated as an alternating
current (AC) facility. SunZia may construct and operate the other
proposed transmission lines as either AC or direct current (DC). The
SunZia transmission lines would interconnect with planned substations
along the route. Equipment additions and modifications would be
required at each of the interconnecting substations. Engineering
studies would determine those requirements as part of the project. A
right-of-way of up to 1,000 feet in width and a lease-term of 50 years
would be required to construct, operate, and maintain the transmission
lines, structures and appurtenances. If constructed, the project would
be in operation year-round, transporting electrical power to major
substation hubs in Arizona and New Mexico. The project would have a bi-
directional transmission capacity of approximately 3,000 megawatts or
greater of electrical power.
The proposed project would take approximately three years to
construct and would likely be constructed in phased segments with an
in-service date of 2013. Specific acreages of access roads and
temporary work areas would be determined through the NEPA process and
project design.
In Arizona, approximately 43 miles of the proposed route would
cross public land administered by the Safford and Tucson BLM Field
Offices. In New Mexico, approximately 128 miles of the proposed route
would cross public land administered by the BLM Las Cruces District
Office and BLM Socorro Field Office. The proposed route would pass in
the general vicinity of the following locations:
Arizona: Coolidge, San Manuel, Safford, Willcox, Bowie, and San Simon;
and
New Mexico: Lordsburg, Deming, Hatch, Derry, Arrey, Truth or
Consequences, San Antonio, Bingham, Ancho, and Carrizozo.
The BLM is the lead Federal agency for the NEPA analysis process and
preparation of the EIS. Cooperating agencies identified at this time
could include: The Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, the New Mexico State Land Office, and the Arizona State Land
Department. Other State and local governments will be invited to
participate in the process, and consultation will occur with local,
State, and tribal governments.
The purpose of the public scoping process is to determine relevant
issues that will influence the scope of the environmental analysis,
including alternatives, and guide the process for developing the EIS.
At present, the BLM has identified the following preliminary issues:
The potential effects of the proposed action on wildlife habitat,
plants, and animals including threatened, endangered, and sensitive
species, visual resources, National Historic Trails and related
viewsheds; Native American traditional cultural properties and sacred
places; soils/water from surface disturbing activities; local and
regional socioeconomic conditions; consistency with local government
land use plans; and future reclamation/mitigation from transmission
line construction or location. The BLM encourages the public to send
comments concerning the project as proposed, other feasible alternative
locations, possible mitigation measures, and any other information
relevant to the proposed action.
Authorization of this proposal may require amendments to one or
more RMPs. By this notice, the BLM is complying with requirements in 43
CFR 1610.2(c) to notify the public of potential RMP amendments,
predicated on the findings of the EIS. If RMP amendments are necessary,
the BLM will integrate the RMP process with the NEPA process for this
project.
Your input is important and will be considered in the public
scoping process. All comment submittals must include the commenter's
name and street address. Comments including the names and addresses of
the commenter will be available for public inspection at the above
offices during business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), Monday through
Friday, except Federal holidays. Before including your address, phone
number, e-mail address, or any other personal identifying information
in your comment, be advised that your entire comment, including your
personal identifying information, may be 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.
William Merhege,
Acting Deputy State Director, Lands and Resources.
[FR Doc. E9-12512 Filed 5-28-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-FB-P
