Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the Sonoran Solar Energy Project, Arizona, 80961-80962 [2011-33094]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 248 / Tuesday, December 27, 2011 / Notices survey, live trap, anesthetize, tag, collect genetic materials) the black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) in conjunction with surveys and population monitoring activities throughout its entire range, including Canada and Mexico, for the purpose of enhancing the species’ survival. National Environmental Policy Act In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), we have made an initial determination that the proposed activities in these permits are categorically excluded from the requirement to prepare an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement (516 DM 6 Appendix 1, 1.4C(1)). Public Availability of Comments All comments and materials we receive in response to this request will be available for public inspection, by appointment, during normal business hours at the address listed in the ADDRESSES section of this notice. Before including your address, phone number, email 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 We provide this notice under section 10 of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). Dated: December 13, 2011. Michael Thabault, Assistant Regional Director–Ecological Services, Denver, CO. [FR Doc. 2011–33081 Filed 12–23–11; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–55–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES [LLNV912000.L10100000.PH0000. LXSS006F; 12–08807; MO# 4500031060; TAS: 14X1109] Notice of Public Meeting: Resource Advisory Councils, Nevada Bureau of Land Management, Interior. ACTION: Notice of public meeting. AGENCY: In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act and the Federal Advisory SUMMARY: VerDate Mar<15>2010 22:00 Dec 23, 2011 Jkt 226001 Committee Act of 1972 (FACA), the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Nevada will hold a joint meeting of its three Resource Advisory Councils (RACs), the Sierra Front-Northwestern Great Basin RAC, the Northeastern Great Basin RAC, and the Mojave-Southern Great Basin RAC in Las Vegas, Nevada. The meeting is open to the public and a public comment period will be available. DATES: Dates and Times: The three RACs will meet on Thursday, January 26, 2012, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday, January 27, 2012, from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. A public comment period will be held early in the afternoon on Thursday, January 26. The specific time for public comment will be included in the agenda, which will be available two weeks prior to the meetings at www.blm.gov/nv. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rochelle Francisco, telephone: (775) 861–6588, email: rfrancisco@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: The three 15-member Nevada RACs advise the Secretary of the Interior, through the BLM Nevada State Director, on a variety of planning and management issues associated with public land management in Nevada. The meeting will be held at the Suncoast Hotel and Casino, 9090 Alta Drive, Las Vegas, Nevada. Agenda topics include a presentation and discussion of accomplishments during 2011; closeout reports of the three RACs; the year ahead for the BLM in Nevada; breakout meetings of each group category; breakout meetings of the three RACs; discussion of a recreation subgroup; and scheduling meetings of the individual RACs for the upcoming year. The public may provide written comments to the three RAC groups or to an individual RAC. Individuals who plan to attend and need further information about the meeting or need special assistance such as sign language interpretation or other reasonable accommodations may contact Rochelle Francisco at the phone number or email address above. Amy Lueders, State Director, Nevada. [FR Doc. 2011–33083 Filed 12–23–11; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–HC–P PO 00000 Frm 00094 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 80961 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management [L51010000.FX0000.LVRWA09A2400. LLAZP02000;AZA34187] Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the Sonoran Solar Energy Project, Arizona Bureau of Land Management, Interior. ACTION: Notice of availability. AGENCY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability of the Record of Decision (ROD) for the Sonoran Solar Energy Project (SSEP). The Secretary of the Interior approved the ROD on December 19, 2011, which constitutes the Interior Department’s final decision. ADDRESSES: Copies of the ROD for the proposed SSEP 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 Seventh Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85027–2929 and the BLM Arizona State Office, One North Central Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85004–4427. Interested parties may also review the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) at the following public libraries in Maricopa County, Arizona: • Buckeye Public Library, 310 North Sixth Street, Buckeye, Arizona 85236. • Gila Bend Public Library, 202 North Euclid Avenue, Gila Bend, Arizona 85337. • Goodyear Public Library, 250 North Litchfield Road, Goodyear, Arizona 85338. Interested parties may also view 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, Phoenix District Office/Lower Sonoran Field Office, 21605 North Seventh Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85027–2929; phone: (801) 524–3833; or email: jincardi@blm.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Boulevard Associates, LLC, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, filed a right-of-way (ROW) application for the SSEP on BLM-managed lands in the Little Rainbow Valley, east of State Route 85, and south of the Buckeye Hills and the town of Buckeye in Maricopa County, Arizona. As required under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended, the Final EIS for the SSEP analyzed a No Action alternative which SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\27DEN1.SGM 27DEN1 sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES 80962 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 248 / Tuesday, December 27, 2011 / Notices would preclude development of the SSEP in any configuration and maintain existing land uses in the project area. The Final EIS also analyzed three action alternatives, one sub-alternative, and two options including: (1) The Proposed Action (375-megawatt (MW) wet-cooled concentrated solar thermal parabolic trough facility on 3,620 acres of land); (2) Alternative A: Reduced Water Use (using a dry-cooling technology); (3) Sub-alternative A1: Photovoltaic (PV) (a 300–MW PV facility occupying 2,013 acres of land); (4) Alternative B: Reduced Footprint (a 250–MW wetcooled facility occupying 2,320 acres of land); (5) Brine Concentrator Option (could be added to the Proposed Action or Alternative B to reduce wastewater); and (6) Generation Intertie (Gen-tie) Line Option (could be used for any alternative to address alternate methods and locations for crossing existing highvoltage transmission lines near the project area). The Preferred Alternative from the Final EIS, including the proposed gentie line, is the Selected Alternative in the ROD. The Selected Alternative will allow the issuance of a ROW grant for a PV facility capable of generating up to 300 MW of solar power on 2,013 acres of land. The project will consist of multiple arrays of PV panels electrically connected to associated power inverter units. The current from the power inverters will be gathered by an internal electrical collection system and transformed to transmission voltage prior to leaving the project area. The Selected Alternative facilities include the following major components or systems: PV modules/arrays; solar trackers and/or fixed support structures; an electrical collection system; a step-up transformation/on-site switchyard; a 500-kilovolt generation tie-line/utility interconnection; administration buildings and local warehouses; and drainage collection and discharge facilities. A single evaporation pond of approximately 1 acre is required. The PV does not use heat transfer fluid; therefore, no land-treatment unit is required. The Selected Alternative in the ROD will use approximately 33 acrefeet per year of water for project operations, mostly for washing PV mirrors. That amounts to 1–2 percent of the water that the original proposed action would have used. As described in the Final EIS, the BLM Selected Alternative, with its preferred gen-tie line, was developed in response to agency and public comments on water consumption. It was developed after the Draft EIS, due to advancements in technology and a change in market conditions that VerDate Mar<15>2010 22:00 Dec 23, 2011 Jkt 226001 allowed for a reconsideration of PV technology as a viable alternative. The Selected Alternative also avoids other resource issues raised by the public and agency cooperators, including wildlife habitat and travel corridors, pending Federal Emergency Management Agency floodplains, air quality point sources and vapor plumes, and nearby residences. The Notice of Availability of the Final EIS for the SSEP was published in the Federal Register on October 21, 2011 (76 FR 65532). Publication of the Notice of Availability initiated a 30-day comment period on the Final EIS. At the close of the 30-day period on November 21, 2011, four comments had been received. These comments and their responses are attached to the ROD. Because this decision is approved by the Secretary of the Interior, it is not subject to administrative appeal (43 CFR 4.410(a)(3)). Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6. Robert V. Abbey, Director, Bureau of Land Management. [FR Doc. 2011–33094 Filed 12–23–11; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–32–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management [CACA 49698, LLCAD07000, L51010000.FX0000, LVRWB10B3810] Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the Tule Wind, LLC’s Tule Wind Project, San Diego County, CA Bureau of Land Management, Interior. ACTION: Notice of Availability. AGENCY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability of the Record of Decision (ROD) for the project, located in San Diego County. The Secretary of the Interior approved the ROD on December 19, 2011, which constitutes the Department’s final decision. ADDRESSES: Copies of the ROD are available upon request from the Field Manager, BLM El Centro Field Office, 1661 S. 4th Street, El Centro, California 92243, and the BLM California Desert District Office, 22835 Calle San Juan de Los Lagos, Moreno Valley, California 92553, or via the Internet at the following Web site: https:// www.ca.blm.gov/elcentro. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Greg Thomsen, Project Manager, telephone (951) 697–5237; address BLM California Desert District Office, 22835 Calle San Juan de Los Lagos, Moreno Valley, SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00095 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 9990 California 92553–9046; email catulewind@blm.gov. Tule Wind, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Iberdrola Renewables, Inc., filed right-of-way (ROW) application CACA– 51204 for the Tule Wind Project. The project will consist of up to 62 wind turbines (1.5 to 3.0 megawatts (MW) each) with a generating capacity of up to 186 MW, an overhead and underground 34.5-kilovolt (kV) collector system leading to a collector substation, an operations and maintenance facility, and a 138-kV transmission line as the generation tie-in to the existing Boulevard Substation. The Tule Wind Project will be on 12,200 acres of BLMmanaged lands. The project site is located in the In-Ko-Pah Mountains near the McCain Valley in San Diego County, north of the unincorporated community of Boulevard. The BLM selected the preferred alternative that was evaluated in the Final EIS. The Notice of Availability of the Final EIS for the Tule Wind Project was published in the Federal Register on October 24, 2011 (76 FR 65746). In addition to the Tule Wind Project, the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)/Environmental Impact Report evaluated a ROW application by San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) to construct the ECO Project, which includes a 138-kV transmission line that would traverse approximately 1.5 miles of public land managed by the BLM. The BLM will issue a separate decision on the SDG&E’s ROW application. As a result of the ROD, access to certain recreation areas including, but not limited to, the Lark Canyon OHV Area, Lark Canyon Campground, Cottonwood Campground, Carrizo Overlook, and Sacatone Overlook could be reduced during construction, and in some instances, access roads off McCain Valley Road to these areas may be temporarily closed (resulting in an inability to access these areas and facilities by vehicles) during the period of time construction is authorized. Specific routes and times will be announced when a more detailed construction schedule is completed. Because this decision is approved by the Secretary of the Interior, it is not subject to administrative appeal (43 CFR 4.410(a)(3)). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6. Robert V. Abbey, Director, Bureau of Land Management. [FR Doc. 2011–33093 Filed 12–23–11; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–40–P E:\FR\FM\27DEN1.SGM 27DEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 248 (Tuesday, December 27, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 80961-80962]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-33094]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[L51010000.FX0000.LVRWA09A2400.LLAZP02000;AZA34187]


Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the Sonoran 
Solar Energy Project, Arizona

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability 
of the Record of Decision (ROD) for the Sonoran Solar Energy Project 
(SSEP). The Secretary of the Interior approved the ROD on December 19, 
2011, which constitutes the Interior Department's final decision.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the ROD for the proposed SSEP 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 
Seventh Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85027-2929 and the BLM Arizona State 
Office, One North Central Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85004-4427. 
Interested parties may also review the final Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) at the following public libraries in Maricopa County, 
Arizona:
     Buckeye Public Library, 310 North Sixth Street, Buckeye, 
Arizona 85236.
     Gila Bend Public Library, 202 North Euclid Avenue, Gila 
Bend, Arizona 85337.
     Goodyear Public Library, 250 North Litchfield Road, 
Goodyear, Arizona 85338.
    Interested parties may also view 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, Phoenix District Office/Lower Sonoran Field Office, 21605 
North Seventh Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85027-2929; phone: (801) 524-
3833; or email: jincardi@blm.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Boulevard Associates, LLC, a subsidiary of 
NextEra Energy Resources, filed a right-of-way (ROW) application for 
the SSEP on BLM-managed lands in the Little Rainbow Valley, east of 
State Route 85, and south of the Buckeye Hills and the town of Buckeye 
in Maricopa County, Arizona. As required under the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended, the Final EIS for the 
SSEP analyzed a No Action alternative which

[[Page 80962]]

would preclude development of the SSEP in any configuration and 
maintain existing land uses in the project area. The Final EIS also 
analyzed three action alternatives, one sub-alternative, and two 
options including: (1) The Proposed Action (375-megawatt (MW) wet-
cooled concentrated solar thermal parabolic trough facility on 3,620 
acres of land); (2) Alternative A: Reduced Water Use (using a dry-
cooling technology); (3) Sub-alternative A1: Photovoltaic (PV) (a 300-
MW PV facility occupying 2,013 acres of land); (4) Alternative B: 
Reduced Footprint (a 250-MW wet-cooled facility occupying 2,320 acres 
of land); (5) Brine Concentrator Option (could be added to the Proposed 
Action or Alternative B to reduce wastewater); and (6) Generation 
Intertie (Gen-tie) Line Option (could be used for any alternative to 
address alternate methods and locations for crossing existing high-
voltage transmission lines near the project area).
    The Preferred Alternative from the Final EIS, including the 
proposed gen-tie line, is the Selected Alternative in the ROD. The 
Selected Alternative will allow the issuance of a ROW grant for a PV 
facility capable of generating up to 300 MW of solar power on 2,013 
acres of land. The project will consist of multiple arrays of PV panels 
electrically connected to associated power inverter units. The current 
from the power inverters will be gathered by an internal electrical 
collection system and transformed to transmission voltage prior to 
leaving the project area. The Selected Alternative facilities include 
the following major components or systems: PV modules/arrays; solar 
trackers and/or fixed support structures; an electrical collection 
system; a step-up transformation/on-site switchyard; a 500-kilovolt 
generation tie-line/utility interconnection; administration buildings 
and local warehouses; and drainage collection and discharge facilities. 
A single evaporation pond of approximately 1 acre is required. The PV 
does not use heat transfer fluid; therefore, no land-treatment unit is 
required. The Selected Alternative in the ROD will use approximately 33 
acre-feet per year of water for project operations, mostly for washing 
PV mirrors. That amounts to 1-2 percent of the water that the original 
proposed action would have used.
    As described in the Final EIS, the BLM Selected Alternative, with 
its preferred gen-tie line, was developed in response to agency and 
public comments on water consumption. It was developed after the Draft 
EIS, due to advancements in technology and a change in market 
conditions that allowed for a reconsideration of PV technology as a 
viable alternative. The Selected Alternative also avoids other resource 
issues raised by the public and agency cooperators, including wildlife 
habitat and travel corridors, pending Federal Emergency Management 
Agency floodplains, air quality point sources and vapor plumes, and 
nearby residences.
    The Notice of Availability of the Final EIS for the SSEP was 
published in the Federal Register on October 21, 2011 (76 FR 65532). 
Publication of the Notice of Availability initiated a 30-day comment 
period on the Final EIS. At the close of the 30-day period on November 
21, 2011, four comments had been received. These comments and their 
responses are attached to the ROD.
    Because this decision is approved by the Secretary of the Interior, 
it is not subject to administrative appeal (43 CFR 4.410(a)(3)).

     Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6.

Robert V. Abbey,
Director, Bureau of Land Management.
[FR Doc. 2011-33094 Filed 12-23-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-32-P

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