Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Ocotillo Sol Solar Project, Imperial County, CA; Possible Land Use Plan Amendment; and Notice of Segregation of Public Lands, 41816-41817 [2011-17718]
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41816
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 136 / Friday, July 15, 2011 / Notices
including impacts on Indian trust assets.
Federal, State, and local agencies, along
with Tribes and other stakeholders that
may be interested or affected by the
BLM’s decision on this project are
invited to participate in the scoping
process and, if eligible, may request or
be requested by the BLM to participate
as a cooperating agency. In connection
with its processing of Power Partners’
application, the BLM is also segregating,
under the authority contained in 43 CFR
2091.3–1(e) and 43 CFR 2804.25(e),
subject to valid existing rights, the
public lands within the Tylerhorse
application area from appropriation
under the public land laws including
the Mining Law of 1872, as amended,
but not the Mineral Leasing or the
Material Sales Acts, for a period of 2
years from the date of publication of this
notice. The public lands contained
within this segregation are described as
follows:
Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7; 43 CFR 1610.2,
2091.3–1(e), and 2804.25(e).
San Bernardino Meridian
SUMMARY:
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Township 10 North, Range 15 West,
Section 24;
Section 26, lots 1 to 8, inclusive; and
Section 28, lot 1 and SW1⁄4; SE1⁄4.
Containing 1,200.29 acres more or less,
Kern County.
The BLM has determined that this
segregation is necessary to ensure the
orderly administration of the public
lands by maintaining the status quo
while it processes Power Partners’ ROW
application for the above described
lands. The segregation period will
terminate and the lands will
automatically reopen to appropriation
under the public land laws, including
the Mining Law, if one of the following
events occurs: (1) The BLM issues a
decision granting, granting with
modifications, or denying Power
Partners’ ROW application request; (2)
publication of a Federal Register notice
terminating this segregation; or (3) if no
further administrative action occurs at
the end of this segregation. Any
segregation made under this authority is
effective only for a period of up to 2
years.
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.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:55 Jul 14, 2011
Jkt 223001
James W. Keeler,
Acting Deputy State Director, California.
[FR Doc. 2011–17720 Filed 7–14–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–40–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLCAD07000,
L51010000.FX0000.LVRWB10B4050]
Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement for
the Proposed Ocotillo Sol Solar
Project, Imperial County, CA; Possible
Land Use Plan Amendment; and Notice
of Segregation of Public Lands
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Intent.
AGENCY:
In compliance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 as amended (NEPA), and the
Federal Land Policy and Management
Act of 1976 (FLPMA), as amended, the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) El
Centro Field Office, El Centro,
California, intends to prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS),
which may include an amendment to
the California Desert Conservation Area
(CDCA) Plan, related to San Diego Gas
& Electric’s (SDG&E) right-of-way
(ROW) authorization request for the
Ocotillo Sol Solar Energy Facility
(Project), a 15–18 megawatt (MW) solar
energy facility. By this notice, the BLM
is announcing the beginning of the
scoping process to solicit public
comments and identify issues related to
the EIS and proposed plan amendment.
By this notice, the BLM is also
segregating, subject to valid existing
rights, approximately 240 acres of
public lands located in the State of
California from appropriation under the
public land laws, including the Mining
Law of 1872, as amended, but not the
Mineral Leasing or Material Sales Acts,
for a period of 2 years for the purpose
of processing SDG&E’s ROW
authorization request.
DATES: This notice initiates: (1) The
public scoping process for the EIS and
(2) the 2 year segregation period for the
public lands within the Project’s ROW
application area, effective as of July 15,
2011. Comments on issues related to the
EIS may be submitted in writing until
August 15, 2011. The BLM expects to
hold two public meetings during the
formal scoping period in El Centro,
California, the dates and locations of
PO 00000
Frm 00064
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
which will be announced at least 15
days in advance through local media,
newspapers, mailings, and the BLM
California Desert District Web site
(https://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/
cdd.html). In order to be included in the
Draft EIS, all comments must be
received prior to the close of the scoping
period or 15 days after the last public
meeting, whichever is later. We will
provide additional opportunities for
public participation upon publication of
the Draft EIS. The segregation of the
public lands is effective as of July 15,
2011. The segregation will terminate if
one of the following events occurs: (1)
The BLM issues a decision granting,
granting with modifications, or denying
SDG&E’s ROW authorization request; (2)
publication of a Federal Register notice
terminating this segregation; or (3) if no
further administrative action occurs at
the end of this segregation on July 15,
2013.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
related to the Ocotillo Sol Solar Project
by any of the following methods:
• Mail: Noel Ludwig, California
Desert District Office, 22835 Calle San
Juan de Los Lagos, Moreno Valley,
California 92553.
• E-mail: ocotillosol@blm.gov.
• Fax: (951) 697–5299, Attn: Noel
Ludwig.
Documents pertinent to this project
proposal may be examined at the BLM
California Desert District Office.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
further information and/or to have your
name added to our mailing list, contact
Noel Ludwig, BLM project manager,
telephone (951)–697–5368; address
California Desert District Office, 22835
Calle San Juan de Los Lagos, Moreno
Valley, California 92553; e-mail
ocotillosol@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: SDG&E
has submitted a ROW application
requesting authorization to construct,
operate, maintain, and decommission
the Ocotillo Sol Project on BLMadministered public lands in southwest
Imperial County, California. The BLM is
responding to SDG&E’s application as
required by FLPMA. The project would
be constructed on an approximately 100
acre site located approximately 8 miles
southwest of El Centro, 4 miles south of
Interstate 8, and 82 miles east of San
E:\FR\FM\15JYN1.SGM
15JYN1
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 136 / Friday, July 15, 2011 / Notices
Diego. An additional 15 acres would be
temporarily disturbed during
construction.
The Project would be a 15 to 18 MW
(with peak capacity of 20 MW) project
and would include photo-voltaic (PV)
arrays, inverters, transformers, and a
maintenance building. The project
would connect to the existing SDG&E
Imperial Valley Substation (IVS), which
is located to the Project’s immediate
north via a buried 12.47 kilovolt cable.
The project would not require any
expansion of the IVS, nor any upgrades
to the existing transmission lines exiting
the substation.
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: Air quality, biological resources,
cultural resources, water resources,
geological resources and hazards, land
use, noise, paleontological resources,
socioeconomics, traffic and
transportation, and visual resources. An
updated inventory of wilderness
characteristics will be used to determine
whether lands with wilderness
characteristics are present in the project
area and to analyze impacts associated
with these resources.
Pursuant to the CDCA Plan, sites
associated with power generation or
transmission not identified in the CDCA
Plan will be considered through the
plan amendment process to determine
the suitability of the sites for renewable
energy development. Since the Project
site was not previously identified as
suitable, authorization of the Project
would require amendment of the CDCA
Plan. By this notice, the BLM is
complying with requirements in 43 CFR
1610.2(c) to notify the public of
potential amendments to land use plans
predicated on the findings in the EIS. If
a Plan Amendment is necessary, the
BLM will integrate the land use
planning process with the NEPA
process for the Project. A preliminary
list of the potential planning criteria
that will be used to help guide and
define the scope of the plan amendment
process include:
• The plan amendments will be
completed in compliance with FLPMA,
NEPA, and all other relevant Federal
laws, executive orders, and BLM
policies;
• Existing, valid plan decisions will
not be changed and any new plan
decisions will not conflict with existing
plan decisions; and
• The plan amendment(s) will
recognize valid existing rights.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:55 Jul 14, 2011
Jkt 223001
The BLM will also use and coordinate
the NEPA commenting process to help
fulfill the public involvement process
under Section 106 of the National
Historic Preservation Act (16 U.S.C.
470(f) as provided for in 36 CFR
800.2(d)(3). Native American Tribal
consultations will be conducted in
accordance with policy, and Tribal
concerns will be given due
consideration. Federal, State, and local
agencies, along with Tribes and other
stakeholders that may be interested or
affected by the BLM’s decision on this
project, are invited to participate in the
scoping process and, if eligible, may
request or be requested by the BLM to
participate as cooperating agencies.
In connection with its processing of
SDG&E’s application, the BLM is also
segregating, under the authority
contained in 43 CFR 2091.3–1(e) and
2804.25(e), subject to valid existing
rights, the public lands within the
Project application area from
appropriation under the public land
laws, including the Mining Law of 1872,
as amended, but not the Mineral Leasing
the Material Sales Acts, for a period of
2 years from the date of publication of
this notice. The public lands contained
within this temporary segregation total
approximately 240 acres and are
described as follows:
San Bernardino Meridian
T. 161⁄2 S., R. 12 E.,
Sec. 3, E1⁄2SW1⁄4, SE1⁄4.
The BLM has determined that this
temporary segregation is necessary to
ensure the orderly administration of the
public lands by maintaining the status
quo while it processes SDG&E’s ROW
application for the above described
lands. The segregation period will
terminate and the lands will
automatically reopen to appropriation
under the public land laws, including
the Mining Law, if one of the following
events occurs: (1) The BLM issues a
decision granting, granting with
modifications, or denying SDG&E’s
ROW application; (2) publication of a
Federal Register notice terminating this
segregation; or (3) there is no further
administrative action at the end of the
segregation provided for in the Federal
Register notice initiating the
segregation, whichever occurs first. Any
segregation made under this authority is
effective only for a period of up to 2
years.
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
PO 00000
Frm 00065
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
41817
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 1501.7; 43 CFR 1610.2,
2091.3–1(e), and 2804.25(e).
Thomas Pogacnik,
Deputy State Director, California.
[FR Doc. 2011–17718 Filed 7–14–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–40–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLCAD05000,
L51010000.LVRWB11B4520.FX0000]
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Joint
Environmental Impact Statement and
Environmental Impact Report for the
Proposed Alta East Wind Project, and
Possible Land Use Plan Amendment,
Kern County, CA
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Intent.
AGENCY:
In compliance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended (NEPA), the Federal
Land Policy and Management Act of
1976, as amended (FLPMA), and the
California Environmental Quality Act,
the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
Ridgecrest Field Office, Ridgecrest,
California, together with the County of
Kern, California, intend to prepare a
joint Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS)/Environmental Impact Report
(EIR), which may include an
amendment to the California Desert
Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan (1980 as
amended), related to Alta Windpower
Development LLC’s (Applicant or AWD)
right-of-way (ROW) authorization
request for the Alta East Wind Project
(Project), a 300-megawatt (MW) wind
farm. By this notice BLM and Kern
County are announcing the beginning of
the scoping process to identify issues
and solicit public comments on the EIS/
EIR and proposed plan amendment. By
this notice the BLM is also segregating,
subject to valid existing rights,
approximately 2,083 acres of public
lands from appropriation under the
public land laws, including the Mining
Law of 1872, as amended, but not from
leasing under the mineral leasing laws
or disposal under the mineral material
laws, for a period of 2 years from the
date of publication of this notice for the
purpose of processing AWD’s ROW
authorization request.
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\15JYN1.SGM
15JYN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 136 (Friday, July 15, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41816-41817]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-17718]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLCAD07000, L51010000.FX0000.LVRWB10B4050]
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
the Proposed Ocotillo Sol Solar Project, Imperial County, CA; Possible
Land Use Plan Amendment; and Notice of Segregation of Public Lands
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Intent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 as amended (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act
of 1976 (FLPMA), as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) El
Centro Field Office, El Centro, California, intends to prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which may include an amendment to
the California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan, related to San
Diego Gas & Electric's (SDG&E) right-of-way (ROW) authorization request
for the Ocotillo Sol Solar Energy Facility (Project), a 15-18 megawatt
(MW) solar energy facility. By this notice, the BLM is announcing the
beginning of the scoping process to solicit public comments and
identify issues related to the EIS and proposed plan amendment. By this
notice, the BLM is also segregating, subject to valid existing rights,
approximately 240 acres of public lands located in the State of
California from appropriation under the public land laws, including the
Mining Law of 1872, as amended, but not the Mineral Leasing or Material
Sales Acts, for a period of 2 years for the purpose of processing
SDG&E's ROW authorization request.
DATES: This notice initiates: (1) The public scoping process for the
EIS and (2) the 2 year segregation period for the public lands within
the Project's ROW application area, effective as of July 15, 2011.
Comments on issues related to the EIS may be submitted in writing until
August 15, 2011. The BLM expects to hold two public meetings during the
formal scoping period in El Centro, California, the dates and locations
of which will be announced at least 15 days in advance through local
media, newspapers, mailings, and the BLM California Desert District Web
site (https://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/cdd.html). In order to be included
in the Draft EIS, all comments must be received prior to the close of
the scoping period or 15 days after the last public meeting, whichever
is later. We will provide additional opportunities for public
participation upon publication of the Draft EIS. The segregation of the
public lands is effective as of July 15, 2011. The segregation will
terminate if one of the following events occurs: (1) The BLM issues a
decision granting, granting with modifications, or denying SDG&E's ROW
authorization request; (2) publication of a Federal Register notice
terminating this segregation; or (3) if no further administrative
action occurs at the end of this segregation on July 15, 2013.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the Ocotillo Sol Solar
Project by any of the following methods:
Mail: Noel Ludwig, California Desert District Office,
22835 Calle San Juan de Los Lagos, Moreno Valley, California 92553.
E-mail: ocotillosol@blm.gov.
Fax: (951) 697-5299, Attn: Noel Ludwig.
Documents pertinent to this project proposal may be examined at the
BLM California Desert District Office.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information and/or to have
your name added to our mailing list, contact Noel Ludwig, BLM project
manager, telephone (951)-697-5368; address California Desert District
Office, 22835 Calle San Juan de Los Lagos, Moreno Valley, California
92553; e-mail ocotillosol@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: SDG&E has submitted a ROW application
requesting authorization to construct, operate, maintain, and
decommission the Ocotillo Sol Project on BLM-administered public lands
in southwest Imperial County, California. The BLM is responding to
SDG&E's application as required by FLPMA. The project would be
constructed on an approximately 100 acre site located approximately 8
miles southwest of El Centro, 4 miles south of Interstate 8, and 82
miles east of San
[[Page 41817]]
Diego. An additional 15 acres would be temporarily disturbed during
construction.
The Project would be a 15 to 18 MW (with peak capacity of 20 MW)
project and would include photo-voltaic (PV) arrays, inverters,
transformers, and a maintenance building. The project would connect to
the existing SDG&E Imperial Valley Substation (IVS), which is located
to the Project's immediate north via a buried 12.47 kilovolt cable. The
project would not require any expansion of the IVS, nor any upgrades to
the existing transmission lines exiting the substation.
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:
Air quality, biological resources, cultural resources, water resources,
geological resources and hazards, land use, noise, paleontological
resources, socioeconomics, traffic and transportation, and visual
resources. An updated inventory of wilderness characteristics will be
used to determine whether lands with wilderness characteristics are
present in the project area and to analyze impacts associated with
these resources.
Pursuant to the CDCA Plan, sites associated with power generation
or transmission not identified in the CDCA Plan will be considered
through the plan amendment process to determine the suitability of the
sites for renewable energy development. Since the Project site was not
previously identified as suitable, authorization of the Project would
require amendment of the CDCA Plan. By this notice, the BLM is
complying with requirements in 43 CFR 1610.2(c) to notify the public of
potential amendments to land use plans predicated on the findings in
the EIS. If a Plan Amendment is necessary, the BLM will integrate the
land use planning process with the NEPA process for the Project. A
preliminary list of the potential planning criteria that will be used
to help guide and define the scope of the plan amendment process
include:
The plan amendments will be completed in compliance with
FLPMA, NEPA, and all other relevant Federal laws, executive orders, and
BLM policies;
Existing, valid plan decisions will not be changed and any
new plan decisions will not conflict with existing plan decisions; and
The plan amendment(s) will recognize valid existing
rights.
The BLM will also use and coordinate the NEPA commenting process to
help fulfill the public involvement process under Section 106 of the
National Historic Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470(f) as provided for in
36 CFR 800.2(d)(3). Native American Tribal consultations will be
conducted in accordance with policy, and Tribal concerns will be given
due consideration. Federal, State, and local agencies, along with
Tribes and other stakeholders that may be interested or affected by the
BLM's decision on this project, are invited to participate in the
scoping process and, if eligible, may request or be requested by the
BLM to participate as cooperating agencies.
In connection with its processing of SDG&E's application, the BLM
is also segregating, under the authority contained in 43 CFR 2091.3-
1(e) and 2804.25(e), subject to valid existing rights, the public lands
within the Project application area from appropriation under the public
land laws, including the Mining Law of 1872, as amended, but not the
Mineral Leasing the Material Sales Acts, for a period of 2 years from
the date of publication of this notice. The public lands contained
within this temporary segregation total approximately 240 acres and are
described as follows:
San Bernardino Meridian
T. 16\1/2\ S., R. 12 E.,
Sec. 3, E\1/2\SW\1/4\, SE\1/4\.
The BLM has determined that this temporary segregation is necessary
to ensure the orderly administration of the public lands by maintaining
the status quo while it processes SDG&E's ROW application for the above
described lands. The segregation period will terminate and the lands
will automatically reopen to appropriation under the public land laws,
including the Mining Law, if one of the following events occurs: (1)
The BLM issues a decision granting, granting with modifications, or
denying SDG&E's ROW application; (2) publication of a Federal Register
notice terminating this segregation; or (3) there is no further
administrative action at the end of the segregation provided for in the
Federal Register notice initiating the segregation, whichever occurs
first. Any segregation made under this authority is effective only for
a period of up to 2 years.
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 1501.7; 43 CFR 1610.2, 2091.3-1(e), and
2804.25(e).
Thomas Pogacnik,
Deputy State Director, California.
[FR Doc. 2011-17718 Filed 7-14-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-40-P
