Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Stateline Solar Farm, San Bernardino County, CA and Possible Land Use Plan Amendments and Notice of Segregation of Public Lands, 47235-47236 [2011-19781]

Agencies

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

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 150 (Thursday, August 4, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47235-47236]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-19781]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLCAD0900, L51010000.LVRWB09B2380.FX0000]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Proposed Stateline Solar Farm, San Bernardino County, CA and 
Possible Land Use Plan Amendments and Notice of Segregation of Public 
Lands

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969 (NEPA), as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
of 1976 (FLPMA), as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 
Needles Field Office, Needles, California, intends to prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which may include potential land 
use plan amendments to the California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) 
Plan, as amended, and the Las Vegas Resource Management Plan (RMP), 
related to First Solar Development, Inc.'s (First Solar) right-of-way 
(ROW) application for the Stateline Solar Farm (Stateline), a 300-
Megawatt (MW) photovoltaic (PV) Solar electricity generation project.
    By this notice, the BLM is: (1) Announcing the beginning of the 
scoping process to solicit public comments and identify issues related 
to the EIS; and (2) Segregating the public lands located within the 
Stateline ROW application area from operation of the public land laws 
including the Mining Law, but not the Mineral Leasing or Material Sales 
Acts, for a period of 2 years from the date of publication of this 
notice.

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 Stateline ROW application area, effective as of August 4, 2011. The 
segregation will terminate as described below (see SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section).
    Comments on issues related to the EIS may be submitted in writing 
until September 6, 2011. The date(s) and location(s) of any scoping 
meetings will be announced at least 15 days in advance through local 
news media, newspapers, and the BLM Web site at: https://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/cdd.html. In order for comments to be fully considered in the 
Draft EIS, all comments must be received prior to the close of the 
scoping period or 15 days

[[Page 47236]]

after the last public meeting, whichever is later. We will provide 
additional opportunities for public participation upon publication of 
the Draft EIS.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on issues and planning criteria 
related to the Stateline project by any of the following methods:
     Web site: https://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/cdd.html.
     E-mail: statelinesolar@blm.gov.
     Fax: (951) 697-5299.
     Mail: ATTN: Jeffery Childers, Project Manager, BLM 
California Desert District Office, 22835 Calle San Juan de Los Lagos, 
Moreno Valley, California 92553-9046.
Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined at the California 
Desert District office (see address above).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: And/or to have your name added to our 
mailing list, contact Jeffery Childers; telephone 951-697-5308; address 
BLM California Desert District Office, 22835 Calle San Juan de Los 
Lagos, Moreno Valley, California 92553-9046; e-mail at 
jchilders@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: First Solar has requested a ROW 
authorization to construct, operate, maintain, and decommission the 
300-MW PV Stateline solar energy project. The BLM is responding to 
First Solar's ROW application as required by FLPMA. The Stateline 
project would be located on BLM-administered lands and would include 
access roads, PV arrays, an electrical substation, meteorological 
station, monitoring and maintenance facility, and a 2.3 mile generation 
tie-line on approximately 2,000 acres. Potential alternatives to the 
proposed action may include reduced acreage, reduced MW, and/or 
modified footprint alternatives. The project location is in San 
Bernardino County approximately 2 miles south of the Nevada-California 
border and 0.5 miles west of Interstate 15. 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: special status species, cultural 
resources, route designation, social and economic impacts, traffic, 
water, and visual resource resources.
    Pursuant to the BLM's 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 site for solar development. The BLM may also 
consider additional potential plan amendments to the CDCA Plan and the 
Las Vegas RMP that might arise based on its assessment of the potential 
cumulative effects of other projects in the larger Ivanpah Valley 
watershed in California and Nevada to a range of resources, including, 
without limitation, biological, physical, and cultural resources. By 
this notice, the BLM is complying with requirements in 43 CFR 1610.2(c) 
to notify the public of potential amendments to the CDCA Plan and Las 
Vegas RMP, predicated on the findings of the EIS. If land use plan 
amendments are necessary, the BLM will integrate the land use planning 
process with the NEPA process for the Stateline project.
    The plan amendments will be completed in compliance with FLPMA, 
NEPA, and all other relevant Federal law, executive orders, and BLM 
policies. Any new plan decisions will complement existing plan 
decisions and recognize valid existing rights.
    The BLM will use and coordinate the NEPA commenting process to 
satisfy the public involvement process pursuant to Section 106 of the 
National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) (16 U.S.C. 470f) 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, including impacts on Indian trust assets. Federal, 
State, and local agencies, along with 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 First Solar's ROW 
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 Stateline application area from the 
operation of the public land laws including the Mining Law, 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 total approximately 2,000 acres and are 
described as follows:

San Bernardino Meridian,

Township 16 North, Range 14 East,
    Sec. 1, lots 1 and 2, W\1/2\ SW\1/4\;
    Sec. 2, lots 1 and 2, SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 3, lot 1;
    Sec. 11, NE\1/4\ NE\1/4\ , NW\1/4\ NE\1/4\;
    Sec. 12, NW\1/4\ NW\1/4\.
Township 17 North, Range 14 East,
    Sec. 13, W\1/2\ , SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 14, All;
    Sec. 15, All;
    Sec. 22, All excluding the solar ROW CACA 48668;
    Sec. 23, All;
    Sec. 24, N\1/2\, SW\1/4\, NW\1/4\ NE\1/4\ SE\1/4\, W\1/2\ SE\1/
4\;
    Sec. 25, All;
    Sec. 26, All;
    Sec. 34, SE\1/4\ SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 35, All.

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 the First Solar's ROW authorization request 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 First Solar's ROW authorization request; (2) Publication of a 
Federal Register notice of termination of this segregation; or (3) 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.

    Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7, 43 CFR 1610.2, 2091.3-1(e), and 
2804.25(e)

Thomas Pogacnik,
Deputy State Director, Natural Resources.
[FR Doc. 2011-19781 Filed 8-3-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-40-P