Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the North Steens Transmission Line Project in Harney County, OR, 65531-65532 [2011-27146]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 204 / Friday, October 21, 2011 / Notices Containing 640 acres. T. 21 N., R. 46 W., Sec. 4. Containing 640 acres. T. 22 N., R. 46 W., Secs. 24, 25, and 26; Secs. 33, 35, and 36. Containing 3,689 acres. T. 21 N., R. 47 W., Sec. 34. Containing 457.50 acres. Aggregating 7,259.02 acres. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management [OR–65891, LLORB00000–L51010000– ER0000–LVRWH09H0560; HAG–11–0077] Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the North Steens Transmission Line Project in Harney County, OR Bureau of Land Management, Interior. ACTION: Notice of Availability. AGENCY: Notice of the decision will also be published four times in the Delta Discovery. Barbara Opp Waldal, Land Law Examiner, Land Transfer Adjudication II Branch. In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), 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 North Steens Transmission Line Project and by this notice is announcing its availability. DATES: The BLM will not issue a final decision on the proposal for a minimum of 30 days from the date that the Environmental Protection Agency publishes its notice of availability of this Final EIS in the Federal Register. ADDRESSES: Notices of Availability of the Final EIS for the North Steens Transmission Line Project will be mailed to individuals, agencies, organizations, or companies who responded to the BLM on the Draft EIS. Compact discs of the Final EIS are available on request from the BLM Burns District Office, 28910 Hwy 20 West, Hines, Oregon 97738, phone (541) 573–4400, or e-mail: OR_Burns_NS_ Transmission_Line_EIS@blm.gov. Interested persons may also review the Final EIS at the following Web site: https://www.blm.gov/or/districts/burns/ plans/index.php. Printed copies of the Final EIS are available for public inspection at: • Harney County Library, 80 West ‘‘D’’ Street, Burns, Oregon 97720; • Bend Public Library, Reference Department, 601 NW. Wall Street, Bend, Oregon 97701; • Multnomah County Library, Government Documents, 801 SW. 10th Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97205; and • BLM Burns District Office at the address listed above. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Skip Renchler, North Steens Transmission Line Project Lead, telephone (541) 573– 4400; address 28910 Hwy 20 West, Hines, Oregon 97738; or e-mail OR_ Burns_NS_Transmission_Line_ EIS@blm.gov. [FR Doc. 2011–27271 Filed 10–20–11; 8:45 am] SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: SUMMARY: Any party claiming a property interest in the lands affected by the decision may appeal the decision within the following time limits: 1. Unknown parties, parties unable to be located after reasonable efforts have been expended to locate, parties who fail or refuse to sign their return receipt, and parties who receive a copy of the decision by regular mail which is not certified, return receipt requested, shall have until November 21, 2011 to file an appeal. 2. Parties receiving service of the decision by certified mail shall have 30 days from the date of receipt to file an appeal. 3. Notices of appeal transmitted by electronic means, such as facsimile or e-mail, will not be accepted as timely filed. Parties who do not file an appeal in accordance with the requirements of 43 CFR part 4, subpart E, shall be deemed to have waived their rights. DATES: A copy of the decision may be obtained from: Bureau of Land Management, Alaska State Office, 222 West Seventh Avenue, #13, Anchorage, Alaska 99513–7504. ADDRESSES: The BLM by phone at 907–271–5960 or by e-mail at ak.blm.conveyance@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 BLM during normal business hours. In addition, the FIRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question with the BLM. The BLM will reply during normal business hours. sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: BILLING CODE 4310–JA–P VerDate Mar<15>2010 18:11 Oct 20, 2011 Jkt 226001 The applicant, Echanis, LLC, has filed PO 00000 Frm 00039 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 65531 applications for rights-of-way (ROWs) with the BLM and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for construction, operation, maintenance, and termination of a 29-mile-long, 230kilovolt (kV) transmission line that would connect the proposed Echanis Wind Energy Project, located on private land on the north end of Steens Mountain, with Harney Electric Cooperative’s existing transmission system near Diamond Junction, Oregon. A Draft EIS analyzing impacts of the project was released for public comment on July 16, 2010, as announced by the BLM’s publication of a Notice of Availability in the Federal Register (75 FR 41514). The BLM received 258 comments about the Draft EIS. The comments were incorporated, where appropriate, to clarify the analysis presented in the Final EIS. The Final EIS analyzes three alternatives: Two alternatives granting the ROW and a noaction alternative. These alternatives include: Alternative A—No-Action—This alternative includes denying a ROW for construction and operation of a transmission line and associated facilities across lands administered by the BLM and the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Alternative B—Proposed Action— West Route—This alternative includes the granting of a ROW for construction and operation of a 230-kV transmission line and associated facilities across lands administered by the BLM and the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge from the Echanis Wind Energy Project substation to Harney Electric Cooperative’s existing 115-kV transmission line near Diamond Junction, Oregon. Included in the analysis of this alternative are two additional minor route deviations. Alternative C—Preferred Alternative—North Route—This alternative includes the granting of a ROW for construction and operation of a 230-kV transmission line and associated facilities across lands administered by the BLM from the Echanis Wind Energy Project substation to Harney Electric Cooperative’s existing 115-kV transmission line near Crane, Oregon. This alternative is the Preferred Alternative in the Final EIS. The Final EIS also identifies and analyzes measures to mitigate adverse impacts for each alternative. Because the Echanis Wind Energy Project and other associated developments on private land are ‘‘connected actions’’ under NEPA, they are included and analyzed in the Final EIS. Comments on the Draft EIS received from the public and internal BLM E:\FR\FM\21OCN1.SGM 21OCN1 65532 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 204 / Friday, October 21, 2011 / Notices review were considered and incorporated as appropriate into the Final EIS. The comments were incorporated, where appropriate, to clarify the analysis presented in the Final EIS. Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10. Kenny McDaniel, BLM Burns District Manager. [FR Doc. 2011–27146 Filed 10–20–11; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–33–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management [L51010000.FX0000.LVRWA09A2400. LLAZP01000; AZA34187] Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Sonoran Solar Energy Project, Maricopa County, AZ Bureau of Land Management, Interior. ACTION: Notice of availability. AGENCY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Sonoran Solar Energy Project (SSEP) and by this notice is announcing its availability. DATES: The publication of this Notice of Availability (NOA) in the Federal Register initiates a 30-day public comment period. The BLM will not issue a final decision for a minimum of 30 days from the date that the Environmental Protection Agency publishes its NOA in the Federal Register. ADDRESSES: Comments pertaining to the Final EIS for the Sonoran Solar Energy Project may be submitted by any of the following methods: • E-mail: sonoransolar@blm.gov. • Mail: BLM Phoenix District Office, Lower Sonoran Field Office, Sonoran Solar Energy Project, Joe Incardine, National Project Manager, 21605 North 7th Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85027– 2929. Copies of the Final EIS for the proposed Sonoran Solar Energy Project have been sent to Federal, state and local government agencies, and to other stakeholders. Copies are available for public inspection at the BLM’s Phoenix District Office, Lower Sonoran Field Office, 21605 North 7th Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85027–2929 and the BLM Arizona State Office, One North sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES SUMMARY: VerDate Mar<15>2010 18:11 Oct 20, 2011 Jkt 226001 Central Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85004–4427. Interested parties may also review the Final EIS at the following public libraries in Maricopa County, Arizona: • Buckeye Public Library, 310 N. 6th Street, Buckeye, Arizona 85236. • Gila Bend Public Library, 202 N. Euclid Avenue, Gila Bend, Arizona 85337. • Goodyear Public Library, 250 N. Litchfield Road, Goodyear, Arizona 85338. Interested parties may also review the Final EIS at the following Web site: https://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/prog/ energy/solar/sonoran_solar.html. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joe Incardine, BLM National Project Manager; telephone: 801–524–3833; address: 21605 North 7th Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85027–2929; e-mail: jincardi@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: Boulevard Associates, LLC (Boulevard), a fully owned subsidiary of NextEra, LLC, is proposing to construct an up to 375megawatt (MW) concentrated-solarthermal (CST) power plant and ancillary facilities on 3,620 acres (5.78 square miles) of mostly BLM-administered land. The proposed CST project would be sited in the Little Rainbow Valley, east of State Route 85, and south of the Buckeye Hills in Maricopa County, Arizona. This is in BLM’s Lower Gila South Planning Area which is managed in accordance with the Lower Gila South Resource Management Plan (RMP) (1988), as amended (2005). Boulevard has applied for a 14,759-acre right-of-way (ROW); the footprint of the proposed SSEP would total approximately 3,620 acres (5.78 square miles) of mostly BLM land. The project would also include land owned by the Arizona State Land Department (5.23 acres) and private parties (6.04 acres). Related facilities would include road construction and improvements, a gas pipeline, electric lines, and a water well field and pipeline. Boulevard’s ROW application only applies to BLMadministered land. The BLM’s purpose and need for Federal action is to respond to Boulevard’s application under Title V of FLPMA (43 U.S.C. 1761) for a ROW PO 00000 Frm 00040 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 grant to construct, operate, and decommission a solar power plant on public lands in compliance with FLPMA, BLM’s ROW regulations, and other applicable Federal laws. The BLM will decide whether to approve, approve with modification, or deny issuance of a ROW grant to Boulevard for the proposed SSEP. If approved, the solar facility would operate for approximately 30 years based on the purchase power agreement(s) with utilities. The BLM completed a land use plan conformance analysis of the project proposal and determined that the proposed land use is in conformance with the Lower Gila South RMP, as amended. As part of its review of the Boulevard ROW application, the BLM considered the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and Secretarial Orders 3283 Enhancing Renewable Energy Development on the Public Lands and 3285A1 Renewable Energy Development by the Department of the Interior. The Proposed Action would consist of two independent, concentrated solar electric generating facilities with expected outputs of 125 MW and 250 MW. Both facilities would use parabolic trough solar thermal technology to produce electrical power using steam turbine generators. The generators would connect to a new SSEP 500kilovolt (kV) onsite switchyard. Electricity from the new switchyard would be transmitted through a generation tie-line connecting to the existing Jojoba Switchyard. The Proposed Action would use a wetcooling tower for power plant cooling with up to 3,003 acre-feet per year of water being supplied from an onsite groundwater well field. Three natural gas co-firing boilers would be constructed to augment solar heating when less than optimal solar conditions existed (night time, cloud cover, etc.), and would provide up to 25 percent of the annual total electric production. The boilers would be supplied with natural gas via a new 5-mile-long, 8-inch pipeline. A thermal energy storage (TES) system may also be installed to supplement electrical output during reduced solar activity or to extend electrical output into the evening hours. The TES would use molten salt as its energy storage material. The proposed SSEP would include a number of related facilities and infrastructure including power blocks and solar trough arrays (2,300 acres), evaporation ponds, access roads, administration buildings and other support facilities, a land treatment unit, drainage collection and discharge facilities, as well as open areas (totaling 1,300 acres). E:\FR\FM\21OCN1.SGM 21OCN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 204 (Friday, October 21, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65531-65532]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-27146]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[OR-65891, LLORB00000-L51010000-ER0000-LVRWH09H0560; HAG-11-0077]


Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement for the North Steens Transmission Line Project in Harney 
County, OR

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

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

SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, as amended (NEPA), 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 North Steens 
Transmission Line Project and by this notice is announcing its 
availability.

DATES: The BLM will not issue a final decision on the proposal for a 
minimum of 30 days from the date that the Environmental Protection 
Agency publishes its notice of availability of this Final EIS in the 
Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: Notices of Availability of the Final EIS for the North 
Steens Transmission Line Project will be mailed to individuals, 
agencies, organizations, or companies who responded to the BLM on the 
Draft EIS. Compact discs of the Final EIS are available on request from 
the BLM Burns District Office, 28910 Hwy 20 West, Hines, Oregon 97738, 
phone (541) 573-4400, or e-mail: OR_Burns_NS_Transmission_Line_EIS@blm.gov. Interested persons may also review the Final EIS at the 
following Web site: https://www.blm.gov/or/districts/burns/plans/index.php.
    Printed copies of the Final EIS are available for public inspection 
at:
     Harney County Library, 80 West ``D'' Street, Burns, Oregon 
97720;
     Bend Public Library, Reference Department, 601 NW. Wall 
Street, Bend, Oregon 97701;
     Multnomah County Library, Government Documents, 801 SW. 
10th Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97205; and
     BLM Burns District Office at the address listed above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Skip Renchler, North Steens 
Transmission Line Project Lead, telephone (541) 573-4400; address 28910 
Hwy 20 West, Hines, Oregon 97738; or e-mail OR_Burns_NS_Transmission_Line_EIS@blm.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The applicant, Echanis, LLC, has filed 
applications for rights-of-way (ROWs) with the BLM and the U.S. Fish 
and Wildlife Service for construction, operation, maintenance, and 
termination of a 29-mile-long, 230-kilovolt (kV) transmission line that 
would connect the proposed Echanis Wind Energy Project, located on 
private land on the north end of Steens Mountain, with Harney Electric 
Cooperative's existing transmission system near Diamond Junction, 
Oregon. A Draft EIS analyzing impacts of the project was released for 
public comment on July 16, 2010, as announced by the BLM's publication 
of a Notice of Availability in the Federal Register (75 FR 41514). The 
BLM received 258 comments about the Draft EIS. The comments were 
incorporated, where appropriate, to clarify the analysis presented in 
the Final EIS. The Final EIS analyzes three alternatives: Two 
alternatives granting the ROW and a no-action alternative. These 
alternatives include:
    Alternative A--No-Action--This alternative includes denying a ROW 
for construction and operation of a transmission line and associated 
facilities across lands administered by the BLM and the Malheur 
National Wildlife Refuge.
    Alternative B--Proposed Action--West Route--This alternative 
includes the granting of a ROW for construction and operation of a 230-
kV transmission line and associated facilities across lands 
administered by the BLM and the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge from 
the Echanis Wind Energy Project substation to Harney Electric 
Cooperative's existing 115-kV transmission line near Diamond Junction, 
Oregon. Included in the analysis of this alternative are two additional 
minor route deviations.
    Alternative C--Preferred Alternative--North Route--This alternative 
includes the granting of a ROW for construction and operation of a 230-
kV transmission line and associated facilities across lands 
administered by the BLM from the Echanis Wind Energy Project substation 
to Harney Electric Cooperative's existing 115-kV transmission line near 
Crane, Oregon. This alternative is the Preferred Alternative in the 
Final EIS.
    The Final EIS also identifies and analyzes measures to mitigate 
adverse impacts for each alternative. Because the Echanis Wind Energy 
Project and other associated developments on private land are 
``connected actions'' under NEPA, they are included and analyzed in the 
Final EIS.
    Comments on the Draft EIS received from the public and internal BLM

[[Page 65532]]

review were considered and incorporated as appropriate into the Final 
EIS. The comments were incorporated, where appropriate, to clarify the 
analysis presented in the Final EIS.

    Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10.

Kenny McDaniel,
BLM Burns District Manager.
[FR Doc. 2011-27146 Filed 10-20-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-33-P
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