Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Including a Draft Programmatic Agreement, for the Clark, Lincoln, and White Pine Counties Groundwater Development Project, NV, 34097-34099 [2011-14149]
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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 112 / Friday, June 10, 2011 / Notices
Federal Register, a Notice of Intent
(NOI) to prepare an EIS. In addition, a
45-day public comment period for the
Draft EIS began on July 16, 2010, when
the EPA published a Notice of
Availability for the Draft EIS in the
Federal Register, and ended on August
30, 2010.
This notice announces a Supplement
to the Draft EIS, which is located online
at https://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/
vernal/planning/nepa_.html. The
Supplement to the Draft EIS analyzes
only new information relating to the
project’s conformance with the National
Ambient Air Quality Standards for 1hour nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulfur
dioxide (SO2), and discloses recent
ozone monitoring data. All other
environmental impacts are incorporated
by reference to the Draft EIS. A Final
EIS will be prepared after the comment
period for the Supplement closes. All
comments received during the Draft EIS
comment period and the Supplement
comment period will be responded to in
the Final EIS.
The BLM asks that those submitting
comments make them as specific as
possible with reference to chapters, page
numbers, and paragraphs in the
Supplement to the Draft EIS. Comments
that contain only opinions or
preferences will not receive a formal
response; however, they will be
considered, and included, as part of the
BLM decision-making process. The most
useful comments will contain new
technical or scientific information,
identify data gaps in the impact
analysis, or provide technical or
scientific rationale for opinions or
preferences.
Jeff Rawson,
Associate State Director.
[FR Doc. 2011–14405 Filed 6–9–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–DQ–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
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[LLNVL00000.L51010000.ER0000.
LVRWF09F3450 241A; N–78803; 11–08807;
MO#4500020763; TAS: 14X5017]
Notice of Availability of the Draft
Environmental Impact Statement,
Including a Draft Programmatic
Agreement, for the Clark, Lincoln, and
White Pine Counties Groundwater
Development Project, NV
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act
SUMMARY:
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(NEPA) of 1969, as amended, and the
National Historic Preservation Act of
1966 (NHPA), as amended, the Bureau
of Land Management (BLM) has
prepared a Draft Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) and a Draft
Programmatic Agreement (PA), which is
included as an Appendix to the EIS, for
the Southern Nevada Water Authority’s
(SNWA) Clark, Lincoln, and White Pine
Counties Groundwater Development
Project (SNWA Project), and by this
notice is announcing the opening of the
comment period.
DATES: To ensure comments will be
considered, the BLM must receive
written comments on the SNWA Project
Draft EIS and Draft PA within 90 days
following the date the Environmental
Protection Agency publishes its Notice
of Availability in the Federal Register.
The BLM will announce future meetings
or hearings and any other public
involvement activities at least 15 days
in advance through public notices,
media releases, and/or mailings.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
related to the Draft EIS or the Draft PA
for the SNWA Project by any of the
following methods:
• E-mail: nvgwprojects@blm.gov.
• Fax: (775) 861–6689.
• Mail: SNWA Project, Bureau of
Land Management, Attn: Penny Woods,
P.O. Box 12000, Reno Nevada 89520.
For a copy of the SNWA Project Draft
EIS and Draft PA you may: send a
written request to BLM at the above
address; call project manager Penny
Woods at (775) 861–6466; e-mail
penny_woods@blm.gov; or download
the document from the BLM’s Web site
at https://www.blm.gov/5w5c. A list of
where review copies are available is in
the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Penny Woods, Project Manager,
telephone (775) 861–6466; address P.O.
Box 12000, Reno, Nevada 89520; e-mail
penny_woods@blm.gov. Persons who
use a telecommunications device for the
deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–
800–877–8339 to contact the above
individual during normal business
hours. The FIRS is available 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week, to leave a message
or question with the above individual.
You will receive a reply during normal
business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Cooperating Agencies: Federal—Fish
and Wildlife Service, Bureau of
Reclamation, Bureau of Indian Affairs,
National Park Service, Forest Service,
Army Corps of Engineers, Nellis Air
Force Base; State—Nevada Department
of Wildlife, State of Utah; Counties and
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34097
County Organizations—Central Nevada
Regional Water Authority, White Pine,
Lincoln, and Clark counties (NV); and
Juab, Millard, and Tooele counties (UT).
Review copies are also available in
the following locations:
BLM Offices in Nevada
Nevada State Office, 1340 Financial
Blvd., Reno
Ely District Office, 702 N. Industrial
Way, Ely
Caliente Field Office, U.S. Hwy. 93,
Building #1, Caliente
Southern Nevada District Office, 4701
N. Torrey Pines Drive, Las Vegas.
Libraries in Nevada
Nevada State Library, 100 N. Stewart
St., Carson City
White Pine County Library, 950
Campton St., Ely
Lincoln County Library, 100 Depot Ave.,
Caliente
Lincoln County Library, 100 N. First St.
E., Alamo
Mesquite Library, 121 W. First N. St.,
Mesquite
Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo
Road, Las Vegas.
BLM Offices in Utah
Utah State Office, 440 W. 200 S., Salt
Lake City
West Desert District Office, 2370 S. 2300
W., Salt Lake City
Color Country District Office, 1760 East
DL Sargent Drive, Cedar City
Fillmore Field Office, 35 E. 500 N.,
Fillmore
St George Field Office, 345 E. Riverside
Drive, St. George.
Libraries in Utah
Utah State Library, 250 N. 1950 W., Salt
Lake City
Delta City Library, 76 N. 200 W., Delta
Cedar City Library, 303 N. 100 E., Cedar
City
Washington County Library, 88 W. 100
S., St George
Tooele City Library, 128 W. Vine St.,
Tooele
Nephi Library, 21 E. 100 N., Nephi
Beaver Library, 55 W. Center St., Beaver.
The Draft EIS describes and analyzes
SNWA’s rights-of-way (ROW) request
over public land for the SNWA Project,
which would develop and convey
groundwater rights that may be granted
by the Nevada State Engineer (NSE) to
SNWA in Spring, Snake, Delamar, Dry
Lake, and Cave valleys based on
applications that are currently pending
before the NSE. The Draft EIS addresses
the ROW request as submitted by
SNWA; alternative alignments of
pipelines, power lines and other
ancillary facilities; alternative pumping
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locations/scenarios; and a no action
alternative.
A programmatic agreement is a
program alternative allowed under the
regulations of the Advisory Council on
Historic Preservation (ACHP) for
complying with the historic properties
review process required of every Federal
undertaking pursuant to section 106 of
NHPA and its implementing regulations
(36 CFR 800.14). When executed by the
BLM, the Nevada State Historic
Preservation Officer (SHPO), the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, ACHP, and
SNWA, the terms of the executed PA
will set forth the conditions for
satisfying the SNWA Project’s
obligations under section 106 of the
NHPA.
Under the proposed action, SNWA
could be granted a ROW that would
permit the development and operation
of a system of regional water facilities
that could be used to convey up to
217,655 acre-feet-per-year (afy) of
groundwater rights, including 184,655
afy of SNWA groundwater rights (if
permitted by the NSE) with the
remaining capacity reserved for future
use by Lincoln County. The exact
amount of groundwater available to the
proposed project is dependent upon the
future action by the NSE. The EIS and
ROW application do not authorize or
address permitting of water rights. The
NSE is solely responsible for those
issues.
The proposed ROW project would
include approximately 306 miles of a
buried water pipeline between 16 and
84 inches in diameter; approximately
323 miles of 230 kilovolt (kV), 69 kV
and 25 kV overhead power lines; 2
primary electrical substations, 5
secondary substations, 3 pressurereducing facilities; 5 pumping stations;
6 regulating tanks; a 40-million-gallonper-day buried storage reservoir; a 165
million-gallon-per-day water treatment
facility; and associated access roads.
This is the initial EIS in a tiered
NEPA evaluation process. As described
in Council on Environmental Quality
Regulations, a tiered NEPA process can
be used for Proposed Actions such as
the SNWA Project when specific
locations have not been defined for all
phases. Under NEPA, tiering involves a
two-fold approach wherein general
analyses are first covered in a broad EIS
and more detailed issues are tiered
(referenced) to that broader EIS. Once
the broader EIS is completed,
subsequent narrower statements or
environmental assessments incorporate
the general discussions from the broader
EIS by reference, allowing the
subsequent document to concentrate on
the issues specific to the project or
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project phase. The NEPA regulations
encourage Federal agencies to tier
environmental documents for multistage projects to eliminate repetitive
discussions of the same issues and to
focus on the issues that are ready for
decision at each level of environmental
review.
This EIS is broad in scope and
evaluates the potential environmental
effects of granting SNWA’s proposed
ROW, including: (1) Pumping up to
184,655 afy of SNWA groundwater
rights (if permitted by the NSE); and (2)
Construction of the SNWA Project’s
proposed main pipeline, power
facilities, and water storage and
treatment facilities which are part of the
current ROW request. These mainline
facilities are not all of the facilities
ultimately required for construction and
operation of the SNWA Project, if fully
developed. Full development of the
SNWA Project would likely require
between 108 and 131 groundwater
production wells, 100–250 miles of
collector pipeline and overhead power
lines, and 2 additional pumping stations
and electrical substations. The specific
locations of these additional facilities
are dependent upon future rulings of the
NSE (whether and where the SNWA’s
groundwater right applications are
granted), exploratory drilling (which
would determine where SNWA can best
access its groundwater rights), and
agency agreements (SNWA may agree to
change the location, timing, and
quantity of pumping to minimize or
mitigate effects to sensitive resources).
When SNWA later applies for sitespecific ROWs for these additional
groundwater production wells and
associated facilities, then additional
NEPA compliance, tiered to this EIS,
would consider the site-specific effects
of future facility construction and
operation. The sources of water for the
reserved Lincoln County capacity have
not been determined at this time, and
would be subject to additional NEPA
compliance, tiered to this EIS, before it
could be conveyed and delivered by the
SNWA Project.
A permanent ROW of up to 100 feet
in width and temporary construction
ROWs of an additional 100 feet would
be required for the main and lateral
pipelines. In areas of level terrain and
stable soil conditions, the amount of
disturbance of the temporary ROWs may
be reduced, however, any potential
reductions would not be known until
after detailed alignment surveys and
project design have been completed.
The permanent ROW needed for
power line combinations containing 230
kV and/or 69 kV conductors would be
100 feet in width. This width is required
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for safety considerations to allow for
displacement of the conductors. Only a
portion of the permanent ROWs would
be disturbed for installation of power
poles and access roads where needed.
The permanent ROWs for the power
lines carrying only 25 kV are 50 feet in
width. Temporary ROWs for the power
lines are not required because the
permanent ROWs are sufficient for
construction needs.
In connection with the development
of the Draft PA, the BLM identified 15
federally recognized Indian tribes with
a traditional or historic connection to
the areas potentially impacted by the
proposed project. The BLM has initiated
government-to-government consultation
and invited those 15 tribes to sign the
PA as concurring parties. The BLM has
also granted consulting party status to
certain interested organizations, groups,
and agencies that have requested such
status for the Section 106 process.
The Draft PA describes the roles and
responsibilities of the signatories, the
procedures and standards for
determining the areas of potential
effects from the project for direct, visual,
indirect and cumulative effects. This
document also describes the roles of
Indian tribes and consulting parties in
the Section 106 consultation process,
and describes the procedures that will
be used to encourage participation and
take into account the comments of the
public. The Draft PA also describes
procedures for identifying historic
properties that may be affected by the
project, determine the eligibility of such
properties for the National Register of
Historic Places, assessing effects from
the project to qualified historic
properties, and seeking ways to avoid,
minimize, mitigate or otherwise resolve
any identified adverse effects to such
properties. The Draft PA provides
procedures for dealing with
unanticipated discoveries of cultural
resources, monitoring certain segments
of construction by qualified
archaeologists and Indian tribal
monitors, resolving disputes among the
signatories and concurring parties, and
otherwise comply with Section 106
obligation.
The BLM notified the public of nine
scoping meetings that were held in
various communities in Clark, Lincoln,
and White Pine counties (Nevada) and
Tooele and Juab counties (Utah)
between April 26 and May 11, 2005.
The public was offered the opportunity
to provide oral and written comments at
the scoping meetings. A total of 648
individuals attended the scoping
meetings, of which 210 individuals
provided oral comments. During this
first scoping period a total of 954
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substantive letters were received from
agencies, organizations, businesses, and
individuals, and a total of 4,958 form
letters (mainly email) were received
from non-governmental organizations.
In the summer of 2006, additional
scoping was conducted to provide
opportunity for public comment on
substantive SNWA Project changes: (1)
Providing additional pipeline capacity
for use by Lincoln County; and (2)
Removal of the Tikaboo Lateral in
Tikaboo Valley North. A total of 256
substantive letters and no form letters
were received during the second
scoping period.
During both scoping periods, a total of
1,210 substantive letters were received.
Of this total, 597 were received from
Nevada, 459 from Utah, and 154 from
other states or countries. Key issues
identified by individuals, groups, and
governmental entities include water
supply and use, competing or
conflicting land uses, and cumulative
impacts and connected actions.
The BLM has prepared the current
draft version of the PA in consultation
with the Nevada SHPO, ACHP and
SNWA. In 2007, the BLM initiatiated
government-to-government consultation
with the interested tribes in the project
area. In 2011, the BLM convened tribal
information sessions in Ely and Las
Vegas, Nevada, to discuss the Draft PA
and to receive comments and
suggestions on the Draft PA and other
aspects of the project from interested
Indian tribes. In March 2011, the BLM
also coordinated with the nine other
consulting parties that requested to
participate in the Section 106 process.
Please note that public comments will
be available for public review and
disclosure at the BLM Nevada State
Office, 1340 Financial Blvd., Reno,
Nevada during regular business hours, 8
a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday,
except holidays.
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.
Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR
1506.10.
Amy Lueders,
Acting Nevada State Director.
[FR Doc. 2011–14149 Filed 6–9–11; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS–WASO–DPOL–611–7592; 0004–SYP]
Meeting of the National Park System
Advisory Board
National Park Service,
Department of the Interior.
ACTION: Notice of meeting.
AGENCY:
Notice is hereby given in
accordance with the Federal Advisory
Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. Appendix, that
the National Park System Advisory
Board will conduct a teleconference
meeting on June 30, 2011. Members of
the public may attend the meeting in
person in Washington, DC. During this
teleconference, the Board will make
recommendations to the Director of the
National Park Service concerning the
National Park Service’s 2016 centennial
anniversary.
DATES: The teleconference meeting will
be held on June 30, 2011, from 1 p.m.,
to 3 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time,
inclusive.
Location: The teleconference meeting
will be conducted in Meeting Room B
of the American Geophysical Union,
2000 Florida Avenue, NW., Washington,
DC 20009, telephone 202–462–6900.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
information concerning the National
Park System Advisory Board or to
request to address the Board, contact
Shirley Sears Smith, National Park
Service, 1201 I Street, NW., 12th Floor,
Washington, DC 20005, telephone 202–
354–3955, e-mail
shirley_s_smith@nps.gov.
SUMMARY:
Due to the
limited scope of this meeting, the
National Park Service has determined
that a teleconference will be the most
efficient way to convene the Board
members. The Board meeting will be
open to the public in the same way that
other Board meetings have been open to
the public. Space and facilities to
accommodate the public are limited and
attendees will be accommodated on a
first-come basis. Opportunities for oral
comment will be limited to no more
than 3 minutes per speaker and no more
than 15 minutes total. The Board’s
Chairman will determine how time for
oral comments will be allotted. Anyone
may file with the Board a written
statement concerning matters to be
discussed. 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
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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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.
Draft minutes of the meeting will be
available for public inspection about 12
weeks after the meeting in the 12th floor
conference room at 1201 I Street, NW.,
Washington, DC.
Dated: June 7, 2011.
Bernard Fagan,
Chief, Office of Policy.
[FR Doc. 2011–14458 Filed 6–9–11; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS–WASO–NRNHL–0511–7546; 2280–
665]
National Register of Historic Places;
Notification of Pending Nominations
and Related Actions
Nominations for the following
properties being considered for listing
or related actions in the National
Register were received by the National
Park Service before May 21, 2011.
Pursuant to § 60.13 of 36 CFR Part 60,
written comments are being accepted
concerning the significance of the
nominated properties under the
National Register criteria for evaluation.
Comments may be forwarded by United
States Postal Service, to the National
Register of Historic Places, National
Park Service, 1849 C St., NW., MS 2280,
Washington, DC 20240; by all other
carriers, National Register of Historic
Places, National Park Service,1201 Eye
St., NW., 8th floor, Washington DC
20005; or by fax, 202–371–6447. Written
or faxed comments should be submitted
by June 27, 2011. 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
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 112 (Friday, June 10, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34097-34099]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-14149]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLNVL00000.L51010000.ER0000.LVRWF09F3450 241A; N-78803; 11-08807;
MO4500020763; TAS: 14X5017]
Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact
Statement, Including a Draft Programmatic Agreement, for the Clark,
Lincoln, and White Pine Counties Groundwater Development Project, NV
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) of 1969, as amended, and the National Historic Preservation Act
of 1966 (NHPA), as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has
prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and a Draft
Programmatic Agreement (PA), which is included as an Appendix to the
EIS, for the Southern Nevada Water Authority's (SNWA) Clark, Lincoln,
and White Pine Counties Groundwater Development Project (SNWA Project),
and by this notice is announcing the opening of the comment period.
DATES: To ensure comments will be considered, the BLM must receive
written comments on the SNWA Project Draft EIS and Draft PA within 90
days following the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes
its Notice of Availability in the Federal Register. The BLM will
announce future meetings or hearings and any other public involvement
activities at least 15 days in advance through public notices, media
releases, and/or mailings.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the Draft EIS or the
Draft PA for the SNWA Project by any of the following methods:
E-mail: nvgwprojects@blm.gov.
Fax: (775) 861-6689.
Mail: SNWA Project, Bureau of Land Management, Attn: Penny
Woods, P.O. Box 12000, Reno Nevada 89520.
For a copy of the SNWA Project Draft EIS and Draft PA you may: send a
written request to BLM at the above address; call project manager Penny
Woods at (775) 861-6466; e-mail penny_woods@blm.gov; or download the
document from the BLM's Web site at https://www.blm.gov/5w5c. A list of
where review copies are available is in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
section.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Penny Woods, Project Manager,
telephone (775) 861-6466; address P.O. Box 12000, Reno, Nevada 89520;
e-mail penny_woods@blm.gov. Persons who use a telecommunications
device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay
Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact the above individual during
normal business hours. The FIRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week, to leave a message or question with the above individual. You
will receive a reply during normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Cooperating Agencies: Federal--Fish and
Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Indian Affairs,
National Park Service, Forest Service, Army Corps of Engineers, Nellis
Air Force Base; State--Nevada Department of Wildlife, State of Utah;
Counties and County Organizations--Central Nevada Regional Water
Authority, White Pine, Lincoln, and Clark counties (NV); and Juab,
Millard, and Tooele counties (UT).
Review copies are also available in the following locations:
BLM Offices in Nevada
Nevada State Office, 1340 Financial Blvd., Reno
Ely District Office, 702 N. Industrial Way, Ely
Caliente Field Office, U.S. Hwy. 93, Building 1, Caliente
Southern Nevada District Office, 4701 N. Torrey Pines Drive, Las Vegas.
Libraries in Nevada
Nevada State Library, 100 N. Stewart St., Carson City
White Pine County Library, 950 Campton St., Ely
Lincoln County Library, 100 Depot Ave., Caliente
Lincoln County Library, 100 N. First St. E., Alamo
Mesquite Library, 121 W. First N. St., Mesquite
Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas.
BLM Offices in Utah
Utah State Office, 440 W. 200 S., Salt Lake City
West Desert District Office, 2370 S. 2300 W., Salt Lake City
Color Country District Office, 1760 East DL Sargent Drive, Cedar City
Fillmore Field Office, 35 E. 500 N., Fillmore
St George Field Office, 345 E. Riverside Drive, St. George.
Libraries in Utah
Utah State Library, 250 N. 1950 W., Salt Lake City
Delta City Library, 76 N. 200 W., Delta
Cedar City Library, 303 N. 100 E., Cedar City
Washington County Library, 88 W. 100 S., St George
Tooele City Library, 128 W. Vine St., Tooele
Nephi Library, 21 E. 100 N., Nephi
Beaver Library, 55 W. Center St., Beaver.
The Draft EIS describes and analyzes SNWA's rights-of-way (ROW)
request over public land for the SNWA Project, which would develop and
convey groundwater rights that may be granted by the Nevada State
Engineer (NSE) to SNWA in Spring, Snake, Delamar, Dry Lake, and Cave
valleys based on applications that are currently pending before the
NSE. The Draft EIS addresses the ROW request as submitted by SNWA;
alternative alignments of pipelines, power lines and other ancillary
facilities; alternative pumping
[[Page 34098]]
locations/scenarios; and a no action alternative.
A programmatic agreement is a program alternative allowed under the
regulations of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) for
complying with the historic properties review process required of every
Federal undertaking pursuant to section 106 of NHPA and its
implementing regulations (36 CFR 800.14). When executed by the BLM, the
Nevada State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO), the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers, ACHP, and SNWA, the terms of the executed PA will set
forth the conditions for satisfying the SNWA Project's obligations
under section 106 of the NHPA.
Under the proposed action, SNWA could be granted a ROW that would
permit the development and operation of a system of regional water
facilities that could be used to convey up to 217,655 acre-feet-per-
year (afy) of groundwater rights, including 184,655 afy of SNWA
groundwater rights (if permitted by the NSE) with the remaining
capacity reserved for future use by Lincoln County. The exact amount of
groundwater available to the proposed project is dependent upon the
future action by the NSE. The EIS and ROW application do not authorize
or address permitting of water rights. The NSE is solely responsible
for those issues.
The proposed ROW project would include approximately 306 miles of a
buried water pipeline between 16 and 84 inches in diameter;
approximately 323 miles of 230 kilovolt (kV), 69 kV and 25 kV overhead
power lines; 2 primary electrical substations, 5 secondary substations,
3 pressure-reducing facilities; 5 pumping stations; 6 regulating tanks;
a 40-million-gallon-per-day buried storage reservoir; a 165 million-
gallon-per-day water treatment facility; and associated access roads.
This is the initial EIS in a tiered NEPA evaluation process. As
described in Council on Environmental Quality Regulations, a tiered
NEPA process can be used for Proposed Actions such as the SNWA Project
when specific locations have not been defined for all phases. Under
NEPA, tiering involves a two-fold approach wherein general analyses are
first covered in a broad EIS and more detailed issues are tiered
(referenced) to that broader EIS. Once the broader EIS is completed,
subsequent narrower statements or environmental assessments incorporate
the general discussions from the broader EIS by reference, allowing the
subsequent document to concentrate on the issues specific to the
project or project phase. The NEPA regulations encourage Federal
agencies to tier environmental documents for multi-stage projects to
eliminate repetitive discussions of the same issues and to focus on the
issues that are ready for decision at each level of environmental
review.
This EIS is broad in scope and evaluates the potential
environmental effects of granting SNWA's proposed ROW, including: (1)
Pumping up to 184,655 afy of SNWA groundwater rights (if permitted by
the NSE); and (2) Construction of the SNWA Project's proposed main
pipeline, power facilities, and water storage and treatment facilities
which are part of the current ROW request. These mainline facilities
are not all of the facilities ultimately required for construction and
operation of the SNWA Project, if fully developed. Full development of
the SNWA Project would likely require between 108 and 131 groundwater
production wells, 100-250 miles of collector pipeline and overhead
power lines, and 2 additional pumping stations and electrical
substations. The specific locations of these additional facilities are
dependent upon future rulings of the NSE (whether and where the SNWA's
groundwater right applications are granted), exploratory drilling
(which would determine where SNWA can best access its groundwater
rights), and agency agreements (SNWA may agree to change the location,
timing, and quantity of pumping to minimize or mitigate effects to
sensitive resources). When SNWA later applies for site-specific ROWs
for these additional groundwater production wells and associated
facilities, then additional NEPA compliance, tiered to this EIS, would
consider the site-specific effects of future facility construction and
operation. The sources of water for the reserved Lincoln County
capacity have not been determined at this time, and would be subject to
additional NEPA compliance, tiered to this EIS, before it could be
conveyed and delivered by the SNWA Project.
A permanent ROW of up to 100 feet in width and temporary
construction ROWs of an additional 100 feet would be required for the
main and lateral pipelines. In areas of level terrain and stable soil
conditions, the amount of disturbance of the temporary ROWs may be
reduced, however, any potential reductions would not be known until
after detailed alignment surveys and project design have been
completed.
The permanent ROW needed for power line combinations containing 230
kV and/or 69 kV conductors would be 100 feet in width. This width is
required for safety considerations to allow for displacement of the
conductors. Only a portion of the permanent ROWs would be disturbed for
installation of power poles and access roads where needed. The
permanent ROWs for the power lines carrying only 25 kV are 50 feet in
width. Temporary ROWs for the power lines are not required because the
permanent ROWs are sufficient for construction needs.
In connection with the development of the Draft PA, the BLM
identified 15 federally recognized Indian tribes with a traditional or
historic connection to the areas potentially impacted by the proposed
project. The BLM has initiated government-to-government consultation
and invited those 15 tribes to sign the PA as concurring parties. The
BLM has also granted consulting party status to certain interested
organizations, groups, and agencies that have requested such status for
the Section 106 process.
The Draft PA describes the roles and responsibilities of the
signatories, the procedures and standards for determining the areas of
potential effects from the project for direct, visual, indirect and
cumulative effects. This document also describes the roles of Indian
tribes and consulting parties in the Section 106 consultation process,
and describes the procedures that will be used to encourage
participation and take into account the comments of the public. The
Draft PA also describes procedures for identifying historic properties
that may be affected by the project, determine the eligibility of such
properties for the National Register of Historic Places, assessing
effects from the project to qualified historic properties, and seeking
ways to avoid, minimize, mitigate or otherwise resolve any identified
adverse effects to such properties. The Draft PA provides procedures
for dealing with unanticipated discoveries of cultural resources,
monitoring certain segments of construction by qualified archaeologists
and Indian tribal monitors, resolving disputes among the signatories
and concurring parties, and otherwise comply with Section 106
obligation.
The BLM notified the public of nine scoping meetings that were held
in various communities in Clark, Lincoln, and White Pine counties
(Nevada) and Tooele and Juab counties (Utah) between April 26 and May
11, 2005. The public was offered the opportunity to provide oral and
written comments at the scoping meetings. A total of 648 individuals
attended the scoping meetings, of which 210 individuals provided oral
comments. During this first scoping period a total of 954
[[Page 34099]]
substantive letters were received from agencies, organizations,
businesses, and individuals, and a total of 4,958 form letters (mainly
email) were received from non-governmental organizations.
In the summer of 2006, additional scoping was conducted to provide
opportunity for public comment on substantive SNWA Project changes: (1)
Providing additional pipeline capacity for use by Lincoln County; and
(2) Removal of the Tikaboo Lateral in Tikaboo Valley North. A total of
256 substantive letters and no form letters were received during the
second scoping period.
During both scoping periods, a total of 1,210 substantive letters
were received. Of this total, 597 were received from Nevada, 459 from
Utah, and 154 from other states or countries. Key issues identified by
individuals, groups, and governmental entities include water supply and
use, competing or conflicting land uses, and cumulative impacts and
connected actions.
The BLM has prepared the current draft version of the PA in
consultation with the Nevada SHPO, ACHP and SNWA. In 2007, the BLM
initiatiated government-to-government consultation with the interested
tribes in the project area. In 2011, the BLM convened tribal
information sessions in Ely and Las Vegas, Nevada, to discuss the Draft
PA and to receive comments and suggestions on the Draft PA and other
aspects of the project from interested Indian tribes. In March 2011,
the BLM also coordinated with the nine other consulting parties that
requested to participate in the Section 106 process.
Please note that public comments will be available for public
review and disclosure at the BLM Nevada State Office, 1340 Financial
Blvd., Reno, Nevada during regular business hours, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except holidays.
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.
Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10.
Amy Lueders,
Acting Nevada State Director.
[FR Doc. 2011-14149 Filed 6-9-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-HC-P
