Notice of Availability of Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Solar Millennium, Amargosa Farm Road Solar Power Project, Nye County, NV, 63503-63504 [2010-25859]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 199 / Friday, October 15, 2010 / Notices mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES with the original Refuge lands covered by the waters of the Salton Sea, management activities are focused on about 2,000 acres of primarily leased land. Approximately 920 acres consist of managed wetlands that support resident and migratory birds, and another 940 acres are farmed to provide forage for wintering geese and other migratory birds. Existing public uses include wildlife observation, photography, interpretation, environmental education, waterfowl hunting, and scientific research. The Coachella Valley NWR was established in 1985 under the authorities of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1534), ‘‘to conserve (A) fish or wildlife which are listed as endangered species or threatened species or (B) plants.’’ The 3,709-acre Refuge, which is part of the larger Coachella Valley Preserve, protects the Federally listed endangered Coachella Valley milk-vetch (Astragalus lentiginosus var. coachellae) and threatened Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard (Uma inornata), as well as other desert-dwelling species adapted to living in the sand dune habitat of the Coachella Valley. Access onto the Refuge is limited to a designated corridor for hiking and equestrian use. Project Leader (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). You may also submit comments or request a meeting during the planning process by mail, email, or fax (see ADDRESSES). There will be additional opportunities to provide public input once we have prepared a draft CCP. Scoping: Preliminary Issues, Concerns, and Opportunities We have identified preliminary issues, concerns, and opportunities for each Refuge that we may address in the CCP. Additional issues, concerns, and opportunities may be identified as a result of public scoping. For the Sonny Bono Salton Sea NWR, preliminary issues include: Increasing the productivity of existing managed wetlands to support migratory waterfowl; adapting to changing conditions associated with a shrinking Salton Sea (e.g., conversion of habitat types, dust management, degraded water quality); predation in seabird nesting areas; availability of adequate nesting habitat for seabirds, particularly gull-billed terns (Gelochelidon nilotica vanrossemi); and the effects of climate change on Refuge resources. For the Coachella Valley NWR, these issues include: Habitat and species management; control of invasive weedy species; effects of windblown sand on adjacent properties; public use; and impacts to Refuge resources as a result of illegal motorized vehicle activity. [LLNVS03100 L51010000.ER0000 LVRWF09–F8590; 10–08807; 4500013732; TAS: 14X5017] Public Meetings We will give the public an opportunity to provide input at a public meeting (or meetings). You can obtain the schedule from the Refuge Planner or VerDate Mar<15>2010 16:01 Oct 14, 2010 Jkt 223001 Public Availability 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 us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. Dated: October 5, 2010. Alexandra Pitts, Acting Regional Director, Pacific Southwest Region, Sacramento, California. [FR Doc. 2010–25923 Filed 10–14–10; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–55–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management Notice of Availability of Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Solar Millennium, Amargosa Farm Road Solar Power Project, Nye County, NV Bureau of Land Management, Interior. ACTION: Notice of Availability. AGENCY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Amargosa Farm Road Solar Power Project, Nye County, Nevada, and by this notice is announcing its availability. SUMMARY: The BLM will not issue a final decision on the Amargosa Farm Road Solar Power Project for a minimum of 30 days from the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes its notice in the Federal Register. DATES: Copies of the Final EIS will be mailed to individuals, agencies, organizations, or companies who ADDRESSES: PO 00000 Frm 00071 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 63503 previously requested copies or who responded to the BLM on the Draft EIS. Printed copies or a compact disc of the Final EIS are available upon request from the BLM Southern Nevada District Office, 4701 N. Torrey Pines Drive, Las Vegas, Nevada 89130; phone (702) 515– 5000; or e-mail at solar_millennium@blm.gov. Interested persons may also view the Final EIS at the following Web site: https:// www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/prog/energy/fasttrack_renewable.html. Copies of the Final EIS are available for public inspection at the following locations in Nevada: • BLM Nevada State Office, 1340 Financial Boulevard, Reno. • BLM Southern Nevada District Office, 4701 N. Torrey Pines Drive, Las Vegas. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gregory Helseth, Renewable Energy Project Manager, by phone (702) 515– 5173; in writing at the Bureau of Land Management, Southern Nevada District Office, Attn: Gregory Helseth, 4701 N. Torrey Pines Drive, Las Vegas, Nevada 89130; or e-mail Gregory_Helseth@blm.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Solar Millennium applied to the BLM for a right-of-way on public lands to construct a concentrated solar thermal parabolic trough power plant facility approximately 80 miles northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada, in Nye County. The project site is located in Amargosa Valley south of Highway 95. The proposed project would encompass 4,350 acres of BLM-managed public lands, and is expected to operate for about 30 years. The proposed project would consist of two 242 megawatt drycooled power plants and solar fields equipped with solar thermal storage tanks capable of producing additional energy for 3.5 hours after sundown. The solar field is highly modular and consists of ‘‘loops,’’ each consisting of four curved glass mirror collectors. A loop is 22 meters wide by 850 meters long. A solar field consists of 200 to 400 loops. The orientation of the collectors is north-south and the collectors track the sun from east to west during the day. The collector focuses the sun’s direct beam radiation on a receiver tube. The row of collectors has a hydraulic drive unit with sensors to track the sun’s path throughout the day. The solar energy heats a transfer fluid which cycles through a series of exchangers, ultimately generating electricity. The project’s proposed facility design includes the solar fields, power blocks, buildings, parking area, laydown area, stormwater retention pond, and E:\FR\FM\15OCN1.SGM 15OCN1 63504 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 199 / Friday, October 15, 2010 / Notices mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES evaporating ponds. A single overhead 230 kilovolt transmission line will connect the plant to the nearby Valley Electric substation. Additional elements of the project include access roads, a water pipeline, and a bioremediation area. The Final EIS describes and analyzes the project’s site-specific impacts on air quality, biological resources, cultural resources, visual resources, water resources, geological resources, paleontological resources, land use, noise, soils, nuisance, public health, socioeconomics, traffic and transportation, waste management, hazardous materials handling, worker safety, fire protection, facility design engineering, transmission system engineering, and transmission line safety. Three alternatives were analyzed: (A) Wet-cooling technology; (B) Dry-cooling technology; and (C) No action alternative. Alternative A uses circulating water to condense lowpressure turbine generator exhaust steam in a shell and tube heat exchanger (condenser). Alternative B uses an aircooled condenser that cools and condenses the low-pressure turbine generator exhaust steam using a large array of fans that force air over finnedtube heat exchangers arranged in an Aframe bundle configuration. Alternative B is the BLM’s preferred alternative and Solar Millennium’s proposed action. Alternative C is the no action alternative. On March 19, 2010, the BLM published the Notice of Availability for the Draft EIS for this project in the Federal Register (75 FR 13301). The BLM held four public meetings and allowed the public to comment through email, mail, public meetings, and by phone. A total of 461 comments were received from individuals, organizations, and agencies. These comments addressed concerns with water use mitigation, visual resource management, noise levels, and social/economic issues, particularly job opportunities. Concerns raised during the review are addressed and specific responses provided in the Final EIS. Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6 and 1506.10. Gayle Marrs-Smith, Acting Manager Pahrump Field Office. [FR Doc. 2010–25859 Filed 10–14–10; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–HC–P VerDate Mar<15>2010 16:01 Oct 14, 2010 Jkt 223001 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement Outer Continental Shelf, Alaska OCS Region, Chukchi Sea Planning Area, Oil and Gas Lease Sale 193 Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE), Interior. ACTION: Notice of Availability of a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) and Notice of Public Hearings. AGENCY: The purpose of this SEIS (OCS EIS/EA BOEMRE 2010–034) is to provide new analysis in accordance with the United States (U.S.) District Court for the District of Alaska Order remanding the BOEMRE’s Chukchi Sea Lease Sale 193 Final EIS (FEIS) (OCS EIS/EA MMS 2007–0026). The District Court’s Order instructs the BOEMRE to address three concerns: (1) Analyze the environmental impact of natural gas development; (2) determine whether missing information identified by BOEMRE in the 193 FEIS was essential or relevant under 40 CFR 1502.22; and (3) ‘‘determine whether the cost of obtaining the missing information was exorbitant, or the means of doing so unknown.’’ SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FEIS for Chukchi Sea Lease Sale 193 (OCS EIS/EA MMS 2007–0026) evaluated the potential effects of the proposed sale and three alternatives: a no action alternative and two alternatives that incorporate deferral areas of varying size along the coastward edge of the proposed sale area. Sale 193 was held in February of 2008. The BOEMRE received high bids totaling approximately $2.7 billion and issued 487 leases. Although the leasesale decision was challenged in the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska, the litigants did not request a preliminary injunction to halt the sale. Accordingly, the sale was conducted and 487 leases were issued. In July 2010, the District Court remanded the matter for further National Environmental Policy Act analysis of certain concerns. The BOEMRE is to address three concerns: (1) Analyze the environmental impact of natural gas development; (2) determine whether missing information identified by BOEMRE in the FEIS for Chukchi Sea Lease Sale 193 was essential or relevant under 40 CFR 1502.22; and (3) determine whether the cost of obtaining the missing information was exorbitant, or the means of doing so unknown. SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00072 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 The SEIS will provide the Secretary with sufficient information and analysis to make an informed decision amongst the alternatives. In effect, the Secretary will decide whether to affirm, modify, or cancel Sale 193. This notice relates solely to the Supplemental Draft EIS for Chukchi Sale 193. It does not preclude possible additional environmental analysis with regard to future leasing or permitting actions. Draft Supplemental EIS Availability: To obtain a copy of the Draft SEIS, you may contact the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, Alaska OCS Region, 3801 Centerpoint Drive, Suite 500, Anchorage, Alaska 99503–5820, telephone 907–334–5200. You may also view the Draft SEIS at the above address, on the BOEMRE Web site at https://alaska.boemre.gov, or at the Alaska Resources Library and Information Service, 3211 Providence Drive, Suite 111, Anchorage. Written Comments: Interested parties may submit their written comments on the Draft SEIS until November 29, 2010 to the Regional Director, Alaska OCS Region, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, 3801 Centerpoint Drive, Suite 500, Anchorage, Alaska 99503– 5820. You may also hand deliver comments to this address. Comments should be labeled ‘‘Attn: Chukchi Sea Draft SEIS.’’ Comments may be submitted via e-mail at BOEMREAKPublicCommen@boemre.gov (Note: please use e-mail address exactly as it appears. Do not add the letter ‘‘t’’ or anything else to the address.). Please include ‘‘Attn: Chukchi Sea Draft SEIS’’ in the subject line, and your name and return address in the message. BOEMRE will not accept anonymous comments. Be advised that your entire comment—including your personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you may request us to withhold from public review your personal identifying information, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. Public Hearings: Public hearings on the Draft SEIS will be held as follows: Monday, November 1, 2011, Kotzebue Middle/High School, Kotzebue, Alaska; Tuesday, November 2, 2010, Oalgi Community Center, Point Hope, Alaska; Wednesday, November 3, 2010, Point Lay Community Center, Point Lay, Alaska; Thursday, November 4, 2010, Robert James Community Center, Wainwright, Alaska; Friday, November 5, 2010, Inupiat Heritage Center, Barrow, Alaska; E:\FR\FM\15OCN1.SGM 15OCN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 199 (Friday, October 15, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63503-63504]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-25859]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLNVS03100 L51010000.ER0000 LVRWF09-F8590; 10-08807; 4500013732; TAS: 
14X5017]


Notice of Availability of Final Environmental Impact Statement 
for the Solar Millennium, Amargosa Farm Road Solar Power Project, Nye 
County, NV

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 
1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a 
Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Amargosa Farm Road 
Solar Power Project, Nye County, Nevada, and by this notice is 
announcing its availability.

DATES: The BLM will not issue a final decision on the Amargosa Farm 
Road Solar Power Project for a minimum of 30 days from the date the 
Environmental Protection Agency publishes its notice in the Federal 
Register.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the Final EIS will be mailed to individuals, 
agencies, organizations, or companies who previously requested copies 
or who responded to the BLM on the Draft EIS. Printed copies or a 
compact disc of the Final EIS are available upon request from the BLM 
Southern Nevada District Office, 4701 N. Torrey Pines Drive, Las Vegas, 
Nevada 89130; phone (702) 515-5000; or e-mail at solar_millennium@blm.gov. Interested persons may also view the Final EIS at 
the following Web site: https://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/prog/energy/fast-track_renewable.html. Copies of the Final EIS are available for public 
inspection at the following locations in Nevada:
     BLM Nevada State Office, 1340 Financial Boulevard, Reno.
     BLM Southern Nevada District Office, 4701 N. Torrey Pines 
Drive, Las Vegas.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gregory Helseth, Renewable Energy 
Project Manager, by phone (702) 515-5173; in writing at the Bureau of 
Land Management, Southern Nevada District Office, Attn: Gregory 
Helseth, 4701 N. Torrey Pines Drive, Las Vegas, Nevada 89130; or e-mail 
Gregory_Helseth@blm.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Solar Millennium applied to the BLM for a 
right-of-way on public lands to construct a concentrated solar thermal 
parabolic trough power plant facility approximately 80 miles northwest 
of Las Vegas, Nevada, in Nye County. The project site is located in 
Amargosa Valley south of Highway 95. The proposed project would 
encompass 4,350 acres of BLM-managed public lands, and is expected to 
operate for about 30 years. The proposed project would consist of two 
242 megawatt dry-cooled power plants and solar fields equipped with 
solar thermal storage tanks capable of producing additional energy for 
3.5 hours after sundown.
    The solar field is highly modular and consists of ``loops,'' each 
consisting of four curved glass mirror collectors. A loop is 22 meters 
wide by 850 meters long. A solar field consists of 200 to 400 loops. 
The orientation of the collectors is north-south and the collectors 
track the sun from east to west during the day. The collector focuses 
the sun's direct beam radiation on a receiver tube. The row of 
collectors has a hydraulic drive unit with sensors to track the sun's 
path throughout the day. The solar energy heats a transfer fluid which 
cycles through a series of exchangers, ultimately generating 
electricity.
    The project's proposed facility design includes the solar fields, 
power blocks, buildings, parking area, laydown area, stormwater 
retention pond, and

[[Page 63504]]

evaporating ponds. A single overhead 230 kilovolt transmission line 
will connect the plant to the nearby Valley Electric substation. 
Additional elements of the project include access roads, a water 
pipeline, and a bioremediation area.
    The Final EIS describes and analyzes the project's site-specific 
impacts on air quality, biological resources, cultural resources, 
visual resources, water resources, geological resources, 
paleontological resources, land use, noise, soils, nuisance, public 
health, socioeconomics, traffic and transportation, waste management, 
hazardous materials handling, worker safety, fire protection, facility 
design engineering, transmission system engineering, and transmission 
line safety.
    Three alternatives were analyzed: (A) Wet-cooling technology; (B) 
Dry-cooling technology; and (C) No action alternative. Alternative A 
uses circulating water to condense low-pressure turbine generator 
exhaust steam in a shell and tube heat exchanger (condenser). 
Alternative B uses an air-cooled condenser that cools and condenses the 
low-pressure turbine generator exhaust steam using a large array of 
fans that force air over finned-tube heat exchangers arranged in an A-
frame bundle configuration. Alternative B is the BLM's preferred 
alternative and Solar Millennium's proposed action. Alternative C is 
the no action alternative.
    On March 19, 2010, the BLM published the Notice of Availability for 
the Draft EIS for this project in the Federal Register (75 FR 13301). 
The BLM held four public meetings and allowed the public to comment 
through email, mail, public meetings, and by phone. A total of 461 
comments were received from individuals, organizations, and agencies.
    These comments addressed concerns with water use mitigation, visual 
resource management, noise levels, and social/economic issues, 
particularly job opportunities. Concerns raised during the review are 
addressed and specific responses provided in the Final EIS.

    Authority:  40 CFR 1506.6 and 1506.10.

Gayle Marrs-Smith,
Acting Manager Pahrump Field Office.
[FR Doc. 2010-25859 Filed 10-14-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-HC-P
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