Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the SunZia Southwest 500 kV Transmission Line Project in New Mexico and Arizona, and Prospective Draft Land Use Plan Amendments, 31637-31640 [2012-12978]
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 103 / Tuesday, May 29, 2012 / Notices
could not be accommodated on the
agenda, may submit written statements
to the Council Coordinator up to 30
days subsequent to the meeting.
Meeting Minutes
Summary minutes of the conference
will be maintained by the Council
Coordinator (see FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT) and will be
available for public inspection within
90 days of the meeting and will be
posted on the Council’s Web site at
https://www.fws.gov/whhcc.
Gregory E. Seikaniec,
[Acting] Director.
[FR Doc. 2012–12906 Filed 5–25–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Indian Affairs
Revision of Agency Information
Collection for the American Indian and
Alaska Native Population and Labor
Force Report
AGENCY:
Bureau of Indian Affairs,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of request for comments.
In compliance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the
Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs is
seeking comments on the survey
instrument for the collection of
information for the American Indian
and Alaska Native Population and Labor
Force Report. The survey instrument
that is currently authorized by Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) Control
Number 1076–0147 expires August 31,
2012.
DATES: Submit comments on or before
July 30, 2012.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
on the information collection to Steven
Payson, U.S. Department of the Interior,
Bureau of Indian Affairs, 1849 C Street
NW., Washington, DC 20240; email:
Steven.Payson@bia.gov.
SUMMARY:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Steven Payson, 202–513–7745.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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I. Abstract
The Assistant Secretary—Indian
Affairs is seeking comments on a survey
instrument to collect information for the
American Indian Population and Labor
Force Report, as required by the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The
Indian Employment, Training and
Related Services Demonstration Act of
1992, as amended, requires the
Secretary to develop, maintain and
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publish, not less than biennially, a
report on the population by gender, age,
availability for work, and employment.
The survey instrument is being revised
to include updated instructions and
additional questions that are consistent
with the definitions of standard
measures of population and
employment, as defined in the Federal
Statistical System, to represent an
accurate report. The proposed revisions
will be published in a subsequent
Federal Register notice.
II. Request for Comments
The BIA requests your comments on
this collection concerning: (a) The
necessity of this information collection
for the proper performance of the
functions of the agency, including
whether the information will have
practical utility; (b) The accuracy of the
agency’s estimate of the burden (hours
and cost) of the collection of
information, including the validity of
the methodology and assumptions used;
(c) Ways we could enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected; and (d) Ways we could
minimize the burden of the collection of
the information on the respondents.
Please note that an agency may not
conduct or sponsor, and an individual
need not respond to, a collection of
information unless it has a valid OMB
Control Number.
It is our policy to make all comments
available to the public for review at the
location listed in the ADDRESSES section.
Before including your address, phone
number, email address or other
personally identifiable 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.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 1076–0147.
Title: Department of the Interior,
Office of the Assistant Secretary—
Indian Affairs, American Indian
Population and Labor Force Report.
Brief Description of Collection: Public
Law 102–477, the Indian Employment,
Training, and Related Services
Demonstration Act of 1992, as amended,
mandates the Secretary to publish, not
less than biennially, a report on the
American Indian and Alaska Native
population eligible for services by
gender, age, availability for work, and
employment. Additional survey
questions will be included to obtain
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more accurate and comprehensive
information about the American Indian
Population and Labor Force.
Instructions for the existing questions
will be revised to acquire information
that is consistent with the definitions of
standard measures of population and
employment as defined in the Federal
Statistical System. Response to this
information collection is voluntary.
Type of Review: Revision of currently
approved collection.
Respondents: American Indian Tribes
and Alaska Natives.
Frequency of Response: Biennially.
Estimated Time per Response: 16
hours.
Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden:
4,680 hours (9,360 hours biennially).
Dated: May 21, 2012.
Alvin Foster,
Assistant Director for Information Resources.
[FR Doc. 2012–12905 Filed 5–25–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–4M–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[NM–114438; AZA–35058; L51010000
ER0000 LVRWG09G0690 LLNM930000]
Notice of Availability of the Draft
Environmental Impact Statement for
the SunZia Southwest 500 kV
Transmission Line Project in New
Mexico and Arizona, and Prospective
Draft Land Use Plan Amendments
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 Draft Resource Management
Plan (Draft RMP) Amendment and a
Draft Environmental Impact Statement
(Draft EIS) for the SunZia Southwest
Transmission Line Project and by this
notice is announcing the opening of the
comment period.
DATES: To ensure that comments will be
considered, the BLM must receive
written comments on the Draft RMP
Amendment and Draft EIS 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.
SUMMARY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 103 / Tuesday, May 29, 2012 / Notices
You may submit comments
related to the SunZia Southwest
Transmission Line Project by any of the
following methods:
• Web site: www.blm.gov/nm/sunzia.
• Email: NMSunZiaProject@blm.gov.
• Mail: Bureau of Land Management,
New Mexico State Office, Attention:
SunZia Southwest Transmission Project,
P.O. Box 27115, Santa Fe, NM 87502–
0115.
• Courier or hand delivery: Bureau of
Land Management, New Mexico State
Office, 301 Dinosaur Trail, Santa Fe,
NM 87508–1560.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Adrian Garcia, Project Manager, c/o
Bureau of Land Management, New
Mexico State Office, 301 Dinosaur Trail,
Santa Fe, NM 87508–1560, or by
telephone at 505–954–2000. Any
persons wishing to be added to our
mailing list of interested parties may
write or call the BLM Project Manager,
at the address or phone number above.
Persons who use a telecommunications
device for the deaf (TTD) may call the
Federal Information Relay Service
(FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339 to contact the
above individuals during normal
business hours. The FIRS is available 24
hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a
message or question for the above
individual. You will receive a reply
during normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In
September 2008, SunZia Transmission
LLC, submitted a right-of-way (ROW)
application to the BLM requesting
authorization to construct, operate,
maintain, and commission two electric
transmission lines on public lands. The
Applicant’s objective for the Project is to
improve the reliability and efficiency of
the western electrical grid and aid in
delivering electrical energy throughout
the region. The BLM’s purpose and need
for the EIS is to respond to the
Applicant’s ROW application.
On May 29, 2009, the BLM published
in the Federal Register (74 FR 25764) a
Notice of Intent (NOI) to Prepare an EIS
pursuant to NEPA, as required by
Federal regulations promulgated for
FLPMA found at 43 CFR part 2800. The
BLM is the lead Federal agency for the
NEPA analysis process and preparation
of the EIS. Cooperating agencies
include: Arizona Department of
Transportation, Arizona State Land
Department, Arizona Game and Fish
Department, National Park Service, New
Mexico Space Authority, New Mexico
State Land Office, Holloman Air Force
Base, Ft. Bliss (U.S. Army), White Sands
Missile Range (U.S. Army), Ft.
Huachuca (U.S. Army), U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (FWS), and the
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ADDRESSES:
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Department of Defense Siting
Clearinghouse.
To allow the public an opportunity to
review the proposal and Project
information, the BLM held public
scoping meetings in June 2009 in Eloy,
Oracle, Safford, and Willcox, Arizona,
and Lordsburg, New Mexico. In July
2009, public scoping meetings were
held in Deming, Socorro, Carrizo, and
Elephant Butte, New Mexico.
Based on the BLM’s evaluation of
comments received during the initial
scoping period, the study area was
expanded to include alternative routes
east of the White Sands Missile Range
in New Mexico. Three scoping meetings
were held in October 2009, in Las
Cruces, Chaparral, and Alamogordo,
New Mexico.
The Draft EIS analyzes the
consequences of granting a ROW to
SunZia Transmission, LLC (SunZia or
Applicant) for locating two parallel
overhead 500 kilovolt (kV) electric
transmission lines from the proposed
SunZia East substation in Lincoln
County, New Mexico, to the existing
Pinal Central Substation in Pinal
County, Arizona. The proposed SunZia
Transmission Project (Project) would
include two new, single circuit 500 kV
transmission lines located adjacent to
one another and would be located on
Federal, State, and private lands. One of
the 500 kV transmission lines would be
constructed and operated as an
alternating current (AC) facility
transmission line, and SunZia may
construct and operate one of the
proposed transmission lines as either
AC or direct current (DC). The requested
ROW width would be about 400 feet, in
order to accommodate a separation of
200 feet between the two lines, but
could be up to 1,000 feet wide in areas
where terrain poses engineering or
construction constraints. Engineering
studies would determine those
requirements as part of the Project. In
addition to the SunZia East Substation,
three new substations would be
constructed and operated at the
following intermediate sites: the
proposed Midpoint Substation near
Deming, New Mexico, in Luna County;
the proposed Lordsburg Substation near
Lordsburg, New Mexico, in Hidalgo
County; and the proposed Willow
Substation, near Willcox, Arizona, in
Graham County.
The lengths of the varying Project
alternative routes considered and
evaluated in the Draft EIS range between
about 460 miles to 530 miles. The BLM
has identified in the Draft EIS a
preferred alternative route. The BLM
seeks comments on all the alternatives
considered in the Draft EIS.
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The length of the BLM preferred route
would be about 530 miles. It is
estimated that approximately 191 miles,
or 36 percent, of the ROW for the
preferred route would be located on
Federal lands in New Mexico and
Arizona. Once constructed, the Project
would be in operation year-round. In
New Mexico, about 137 miles of the
BLM preferred route would cross public
lands administered by four BLM Field
Offices: Las Cruces, Socorro, Rio Puerco,
and Roswell. In Arizona, about 54 miles
of the BLM preferred route would cross
public lands administered by two Field
Offices: the Safford and Tucson BLM
Field Offices. The BLM’s New Mexico
State Office has been designated the
lead office for this ROW application.
This Project includes prospective
amendments of the BLM Socorro RMP,
the Mimbres RMP, and possibly the
Safford Field Office RMP. By this
notice, and the NOI to Prepare an EIS
published in May 2009, the BLM is
complying with requirements in 43 CFR
1610.2(c). The BLM is integrating the
land use planning process with the
NEPA analysis process for this Project.
Alternative routes were added to the
study area based on the BLM’s
evaluation of comments received during
the second scoping period, which ended
on November 27, 2009. These
alternative routes were located within
Lincoln, Torrance, Valencia, and
Socorro Counties in New Mexico and
within Pima, Cochise, and Pinal
Counties in Arizona. A third set of
public meetings was held in April 2010
in Socorro, New Mexico, and Tucson,
Arizona.
Issues and potential impacts to
specific resources were identified
during scoping and in coordinating
agency meetings. These issues and
potential impacts include:
• Engineering and construction
restraints;
• Corridor alignments and
alternatives;
• Effects to sedimentation in rivers,
soil erosion, and alteration of
watersheds;
• Effects to wildlife habitats,
migratory birds and waterfowl, other
bird species impacts, bighorn sheep,
deserts and grasslands, management of
invasive plant species, and ensuring
effective reclamation;
• Effects to cultural resources and
archaeological sites;
• Effects to Native American
traditional cultural properties and
respected places;
• Effects to visual resources and
existing view sheds;
• Conflicts with current land use
plans;
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 103 / Tuesday, May 29, 2012 / Notices
• Impacts on wilderness areas,
livestock grazing and ranching, property
values, off-highway vehicle use, and
military use;
• Effects to rural lifestyles, tourism,
and socioeconomic conditions; and
• Avoidance of sensitive areas such
as wilderness areas, wildlife refuges,
national forests, and military airspace.
Alternative routes for the proposed
transmission lines were divided into
four route groups containing various
alternative segments, or subroutes. The
BLM has identified in the Draft EIS a
preferred alternative route. The BLM
seeks comments on the preferred route,
all other routes, and the no action
alternative, considered in the Draft EIS.
Route Group 1: SunZia East
Substation to Midpoint Substation—
Consists of Subroutes 1A1, 1A, 1B, 1B1,
1B2, 1B2a, and 1B3.
Subroute 1A1 (228.8 miles), the BLM
preferred alternative, proceeds
northwest from the proposed SunZia
East substation then continues into
Torrance County, about 4.3 miles north
of the Gran Quivira Unit of the Salinas
Pueblo Mission National Monument,
and then enters Socorro County, east of
the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge.
Subroute 1A1 crosses the Rio Grande
River north of Socorro, and then turns
south along an existing transmission
line path into Sierra County. The route
continues south to the proposed
Midpoint Substation, near Deming, New
Mexico. The ROW for Subroute 1A1
would parallel about 130 miles of
existing utility ROW and crosses about
110 miles of public land administered
by the BLM.
Subroutes 1A, 1B, 1B1, 1B2, 1B2a and
1B3 were all considered and evaluated.
For discussion of analysis on these
routes, refer to the Draft EIS.
Route Group 2: SunZia East
Substation to Midpoint Substation—
Generally east of White Sands Missile
Range and through Ft. Bliss Army Base
˜
(Ft. Bliss) within Lincoln, Otero, Dona
Ana, and Luna Counties. This group of
alternatives was considered during the
expanded scoping period of 2010, and
then eliminated from detailed study in
the Draft EIS because routes under this
group of alternatives would require
traversing lands under the jurisdiction
of Ft. Bliss. Ft. Bliss has indicated that
overhead transmission lines through Ft.
Bliss-administered lands would have
substantial impacts to its military
operations and would be incompatible
with their military mission.
Route Group 3: Midpoint Substation
to Willow-500 kV Substation—Consists
of Subroutes 3A1, 3A, and 3B.
Subroute 3A1 (140.3 miles), the BLM
preferred alternative, proceeds west
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from the Midpoint Substation to a point
about 9 miles west of the proposed
Lordsburg Substation in Hidalgo
County, New Mexico. From that point
the subroute crosses to the south and
continues along a portion of an existing
pipeline corridor into Cochise County,
Arizona, then northwest to the proposed
Willow-500kV substation in Graham
County. The ROW for Subroute 3A1
would parallel about 33 miles of
existing utility ROW and cross about 66
miles of Federal lands administered by
the BLM.
Subroutes 3A and 3B were considered
and evaluated. For discussion of
analysis on these routes refer to the
Draft EIS.
Route Group 4: Willow-500kV
Substation to Pinal Central Substation—
Consists of Subroutes 4A, 4B, 4C1, 4C2,
4C2a, 4C2b, 4C2c, and 4C3.
The amount of BLM land subject to
ROW for the various alternatives in this
group would be about 2 miles (Subroute
4C2a or 4C2b) to 15 miles (sub-route
4C2 or 4C2c). Subroute 4C2c (161.2
miles), the BLM preferred alternative,
follows an existing 345 kV transmission
line corridor from the Willow 500 kV
Substation southwest, crossing the San
Pedro River about 12 miles north of
Benson, Arizona. The route then
continues northwesterly, crossing the
northeast corner of Pima County, then
follows a westerly path through Pinal
County, north of Oracle, Arizona toward
the Tortolita Substation, approximately
25 miles northwest of Tucson. From that
point, Subroute 4C2c would parallel
approximately 90 miles of existing
utilities (including about 72 miles of
existing electrical transmission lines).
Subroutes 4A, 4B, 4C1, 4C2, 4C2a,
4C2b and 4C3 were considered and
evaluated. For discussion of analysis on
these routes, refer to the Draft EIS.
In addition to the sub-routes
described above, various local
alternatives and crossover segments
within Route Group 4 were also
included in detailed study in the Draft
EIS. The BLM, SunZia, and cooperating
agencies worked together to identify
alternative routes that would conform to
existing land use plans. However, in
locations where conformance is not
likely, the BLM identified draft plan
amendments that would bring any of the
alternatives routes into conformance
with the respective land use plans, as
described below. The BLM will identify
those plan amendments it intends to
implement (as proposed plan
amendments) in the Final EIS.
The following land use plan
amendments may be necessary to bring
the SunZia Southwest Transmission
Line Project into conformance with
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31639
applicable BLM RMPs. Prospective plan
amendments will comply with
applicable Federal laws and regulations
and apply only to Federal lands and
mineral estate administered by the BLM.
Plan amendment alternatives were
considered, which included multipleuse corridors of varying widths. The
BLM preferred alternative is to amend
the RMPs’ existing visual resource
management (VRM) decisions as well as
ROW avoidance areas as described in
the Draft EIS. The affected RMPs
include:
• Socorro RMP (2010), Socorro Field
Office: Amendments may be needed for
modifications to existing VRM decisions
and/or to ROW avoidance area decisions
(BLM preferred alternative and other
alternatives in Route Group 1).
• Mimbres RMP (1993), Las Cruces
District Office: Amendments may be
needed for modifications to existing
VRM decisions and/or to ROW
avoidance area decisions (BLM
preferred alternative in Route group 3).
• Safford District RMP (1991), Safford
Field Office (Gila District): An
amendment may be needed for
modifications to existing VRM decisions
and/or ROW avoidance area decisions
(only alternative Subroute 4C1 in Route
Group 4 would require a plan
amendment, although this alternative is
not the BLM preferred alternative).
The Draft EIS analyzes the
environmental consequences of a no
action alternative, the proposed action,
segment and design alternatives, and
land use plan amendments. For this EIS,
the no action alternative means that the
BLM would not grant SunZia a ROW for
the construction and operation of the
proposed Project and would not amend
any land use plans. The Project
facilities, including transmission lines
and substations, would not be built and
existing land uses and present activities
in the Project study area would
continue. This alternative does not
consider the potential for additional
actions that could occur depending on
the denial of the proposed action or
alternatives.
The BLM will use and coordinate the
NEPA commenting process to satisfy the
public involvement process for Section
106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470f) as
provided for in 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3).
Ongoing tribal consultations will
continue to be conducted in accordance
with policy and tribal concerns, and any
impacts on Indian trust assets will be
given due consideration. Federal, State,
and local agencies, along with other
stakeholders that may be interested or
affected by the BLM’s decision on this
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Project, are invited to comment on the
draft.
Copies of the Draft EIS have been sent
to affected Federal, State, and local
governments, public libraries in the
Project area, and to interested parties
that previously requested a copy. The
Draft EIS and supporting documents
will be available electronically on the
following BLM Project Web site:
www.blm.gov/nm/sunzia.
Copies of the Draft EIS are available
for public inspection during normal
business hours at the following
locations:
• Bureau of Land Management, Las
Cruces District Office, 1800 Marquess
Street, Las Cruces, NM 88005–3370
• Bureau of Land Management,
Roswell Field Office, 2909 West Second
Street, Roswell, NM 88201–2019
• Bureau of Land Management,
Socorro Field Office, 901 South
Highway 85, Socorro, NM 87801–4168
• Bureau of Land Management, Rio
Puerco Field Office, 435 Montano Road
NE., Albuquerque, NM 87107–4935
• Bureau of Land Management,
Tucson Field Office, 3201 East
Universal Way, Tucson, AZ 85756
• Bureau of Land Management,
Safford Field Office, 711 14th Avenue,
Safford, AZ 85546–3337
• Bureau of Land Management, Gila
District Office, 1763 Paseo San Luis,
Sierra Vista, AZ 85635–4611
• Bureau of Land Management, New
Mexico State Office, 301 Dinosaur Trail,
Santa Fe, NM 87508–1560
• Bureau of Land Management,
Arizona State Office, One North Central
Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85004–4427
• Arizona State Land Department
(ASLD), 1616 West Adams, Phoenix, AZ
85007–2614
• Arizona Game & Fish Department
(AZGFD), 5000 West Carefree Highway,
Phoenix, AZ 85086–5000
• New Mexico State Land Office
(NMSLO), 310 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa
Fe, NM 87504–1148
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(USACE), Regulatory Division, 4101
Jefferson Plaza NE., Albuquerque, NM
87109–3435
• U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
(USFWS), 500 Gold Avenue SW.,
Albuquerque, NM 87102–3118
A limited number of copies of the
document will be available. To request
a copy, contact Adrian Garcia, BLM
Project Manager, BLM New Mexico
State Office, 301 Dinosaur Trail, Santa
Fe, NM 87508–1560.
Please note that public comments and
information submitted including names,
street addresses, and email addresses of
persons who submit comments will be
available for public review and
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disclosure at the above address during
regular business hours (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.),
Monday through Friday, except
holidays.
Before including your address, phone
number, email address, or any other
personal identifying information in your
comment, please be advised that your
entire comment, including your
personal identifying information, may
be publically available at any time.
While you may ask us to withhold this
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
Felicia J. Probert,
Acting State Director, New Mexico.
[FR Doc. 2012–12978 Filed 5–25–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–FB–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
Headlands and Lacks Creek areas of
Humboldt County, hear a report on land
use and natural resources shared by the
BLM and neighboring national forests
and plan for upcoming work with the
BLM northwest California field offices.
All meetings are open to the public.
Members of the public may present
written comments to the council. Each
formal council meeting will have time
allocated for public comments.
Depending on the number of persons
wishing to speak, and the time
available, the time for individual
comments may be limited. Members of
the public are welcome on field tours,
but they must provide their own
transportation and meals. Individuals
who plan to attend and need special
assistance, such as sign language
interpretation and other reasonable
accommodations, should contact the
BLM as provided above.
[LLCAN01000.L18200000.XZ0000]
Dated: May 14, 2012.
Joseph J. Fontana,
Public Affairs Officer.
Notice of Public Meeting: Northwest
California Resource Advisory Council
[FR Doc. 2012–12908 Filed 5–25–12; 8:45 am]
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting.
BILLING CODE 4310–40–P
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
Federal Land Policy and Management
Act of 1976 (FLPMA), and the Federal
Advisory Committee Act of 1972
(FACA), the U.S. Department of the
Interior, Bureau of Land Management
(BLM) Northwest California Resource
Advisory Council will meet as indicated
below.
DATES: The meeting will be held
Thursday and Friday, July 26 and 27,
2012, at the Geyserville Inn, 21714
Geyserville Ave., Geyserville, California.
On July 26, the council will convene at
10 a.m. and depart for a field tour of
public lands. Members of the public are
welcome. They must provide their own
transportation, food and beverages. On
July 27, the council meets from 8 a.m.
to 2 p.m. in the conference room of the
Geyserville Inn. Public comments will
be accepted at 11 a.m.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Nancy Haug, BLM Northern California
District manager, (530) 224–2160; or
Joseph J. Fontana, public affairs officer,
(530) 252–5332.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 12member council advises the Secretary of
the Interior, through the BLM, on a
variety of planning and management
issues associated with public land
management in Northwest California. At
this meeting the RAC will discuss
planning efforts for the Lost Coast
SUMMARY:
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INTERNATIONAL TRADE
COMMISSION
[USITC SE–12–015]
Government in the Sunshine Act
Meeting Notice
United
States International Trade Commission.
TIME AND DATE: May 30, 2012 at 11:30
a.m.
PLACE: Room 101, 500 E Street SW.,
Washington, DC 20436, Telephone:
(202) 205–2000.
STATUS: Open to the public.
MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED:
1. Agendas for future meetings: none.
2. Minutes.
3. Ratification List.
4. Vote in Inv. Nos. 701–TA–480 and
731–TA–1188 (Final) (High Pressure
Steel Cylinders from China). The
Commission is currently scheduled to
transmit its determinations and
Commissioners’ opinions to the
Secretary of Commerce on or before
June 11, 2012.
5. Outstanding action jackets: none.
In accordance with Commission
policy, subject matter listed above, not
disposed of at the scheduled meeting,
may be carried over to the agenda of the
following meeting.
AGENCY HOLDING THE MEETING:
Issued: May 21, 2012.
E:\FR\FM\29MYN1.SGM
29MYN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 103 (Tuesday, May 29, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31637-31640]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-12978]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[NM-114438; AZA-35058; L51010000 ER0000 LVRWG09G0690 LLNM930000]
Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact
Statement for the SunZia Southwest 500 kV Transmission Line Project in
New Mexico and Arizona, and Prospective Draft Land Use Plan Amendments
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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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 (FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has
prepared a Draft Resource Management Plan (Draft RMP) Amendment and a
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS) for the SunZia
Southwest Transmission Line Project and by this notice is announcing
the opening of the comment period.
DATES: To ensure that comments will be considered, the BLM must receive
written comments on the Draft RMP Amendment and Draft EIS 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.
[[Page 31638]]
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the SunZia Southwest
Transmission Line Project by any of the following methods:
Web site: www.blm.gov/nm/sunzia.
Email: NMSunZiaProject@blm.gov.
Mail: Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico State Office,
Attention: SunZia Southwest Transmission Project, P.O. Box 27115, Santa
Fe, NM 87502-0115.
Courier or hand delivery: Bureau of Land Management, New
Mexico State Office, 301 Dinosaur Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87508-1560.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Adrian Garcia, Project Manager, c/o
Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico State Office, 301 Dinosaur Trail,
Santa Fe, NM 87508-1560, or by telephone at 505-954-2000. Any persons
wishing to be added to our mailing list of interested parties may write
or call the BLM Project Manager, at the address or phone number above.
Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TTD) may call
the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to
contact the above individuals during normal business hours. The FIRS is
available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question
for the above individual. You will receive a reply during normal
business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In September 2008, SunZia Transmission LLC,
submitted a right-of-way (ROW) application to the BLM requesting
authorization to construct, operate, maintain, and commission two
electric transmission lines on public lands. The Applicant's objective
for the Project is to improve the reliability and efficiency of the
western electrical grid and aid in delivering electrical energy
throughout the region. The BLM's purpose and need for the EIS is to
respond to the Applicant's ROW application.
On May 29, 2009, the BLM published in the Federal Register (74 FR
25764) a Notice of Intent (NOI) to Prepare an EIS pursuant to NEPA, as
required by Federal regulations promulgated for FLPMA found at 43 CFR
part 2800. The BLM is the lead Federal agency for the NEPA analysis
process and preparation of the EIS. Cooperating agencies include:
Arizona Department of Transportation, Arizona State Land Department,
Arizona Game and Fish Department, National Park Service, New Mexico
Space Authority, New Mexico State Land Office, Holloman Air Force Base,
Ft. Bliss (U.S. Army), White Sands Missile Range (U.S. Army), Ft.
Huachuca (U.S. Army), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and the
Department of Defense Siting Clearinghouse.
To allow the public an opportunity to review the proposal and
Project information, the BLM held public scoping meetings in June 2009
in Eloy, Oracle, Safford, and Willcox, Arizona, and Lordsburg, New
Mexico. In July 2009, public scoping meetings were held in Deming,
Socorro, Carrizo, and Elephant Butte, New Mexico.
Based on the BLM's evaluation of comments received during the
initial scoping period, the study area was expanded to include
alternative routes east of the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
Three scoping meetings were held in October 2009, in Las Cruces,
Chaparral, and Alamogordo, New Mexico.
The Draft EIS analyzes the consequences of granting a ROW to SunZia
Transmission, LLC (SunZia or Applicant) for locating two parallel
overhead 500 kilovolt (kV) electric transmission lines from the
proposed SunZia East substation in Lincoln County, New Mexico, to the
existing Pinal Central Substation in Pinal County, Arizona. The
proposed SunZia Transmission Project (Project) would include two new,
single circuit 500 kV transmission lines located adjacent to one
another and would be located on Federal, State, and private lands. One
of the 500 kV transmission lines would be constructed and operated as
an alternating current (AC) facility transmission line, and SunZia may
construct and operate one of the proposed transmission lines as either
AC or direct current (DC). The requested ROW width would be about 400
feet, in order to accommodate a separation of 200 feet between the two
lines, but could be up to 1,000 feet wide in areas where terrain poses
engineering or construction constraints. Engineering studies would
determine those requirements as part of the Project. In addition to the
SunZia East Substation, three new substations would be constructed and
operated at the following intermediate sites: the proposed Midpoint
Substation near Deming, New Mexico, in Luna County; the proposed
Lordsburg Substation near Lordsburg, New Mexico, in Hidalgo County; and
the proposed Willow Substation, near Willcox, Arizona, in Graham
County.
The lengths of the varying Project alternative routes considered
and evaluated in the Draft EIS range between about 460 miles to 530
miles. The BLM has identified in the Draft EIS a preferred alternative
route. The BLM seeks comments on all the alternatives considered in the
Draft EIS.
The length of the BLM preferred route would be about 530 miles. It
is estimated that approximately 191 miles, or 36 percent, of the ROW
for the preferred route would be located on Federal lands in New Mexico
and Arizona. Once constructed, the Project would be in operation year-
round. In New Mexico, about 137 miles of the BLM preferred route would
cross public lands administered by four BLM Field Offices: Las Cruces,
Socorro, Rio Puerco, and Roswell. In Arizona, about 54 miles of the BLM
preferred route would cross public lands administered by two Field
Offices: the Safford and Tucson BLM Field Offices. The BLM's New Mexico
State Office has been designated the lead office for this ROW
application.
This Project includes prospective amendments of the BLM Socorro
RMP, the Mimbres RMP, and possibly the Safford Field Office RMP. By
this notice, and the NOI to Prepare an EIS published in May 2009, the
BLM is complying with requirements in 43 CFR 1610.2(c). The BLM is
integrating the land use planning process with the NEPA analysis
process for this Project.
Alternative routes were added to the study area based on the BLM's
evaluation of comments received during the second scoping period, which
ended on November 27, 2009. These alternative routes were located
within Lincoln, Torrance, Valencia, and Socorro Counties in New Mexico
and within Pima, Cochise, and Pinal Counties in Arizona. A third set of
public meetings was held in April 2010 in Socorro, New Mexico, and
Tucson, Arizona.
Issues and potential impacts to specific resources were identified
during scoping and in coordinating agency meetings. These issues and
potential impacts include:
Engineering and construction restraints;
Corridor alignments and alternatives;
Effects to sedimentation in rivers, soil erosion, and
alteration of watersheds;
Effects to wildlife habitats, migratory birds and
waterfowl, other bird species impacts, bighorn sheep, deserts and
grasslands, management of invasive plant species, and ensuring
effective reclamation;
Effects to cultural resources and archaeological sites;
Effects to Native American traditional cultural properties
and respected places;
Effects to visual resources and existing view sheds;
Conflicts with current land use plans;
[[Page 31639]]
Impacts on wilderness areas, livestock grazing and
ranching, property values, off-highway vehicle use, and military use;
Effects to rural lifestyles, tourism, and socioeconomic
conditions; and
Avoidance of sensitive areas such as wilderness areas,
wildlife refuges, national forests, and military airspace.
Alternative routes for the proposed transmission lines were divided
into four route groups containing various alternative segments, or
subroutes. The BLM has identified in the Draft EIS a preferred
alternative route. The BLM seeks comments on the preferred route, all
other routes, and the no action alternative, considered in the Draft
EIS.
Route Group 1: SunZia East Substation to Midpoint Substation--
Consists of Subroutes 1A1, 1A, 1B, 1B1, 1B2, 1B2a, and 1B3.
Subroute 1A1 (228.8 miles), the BLM preferred alternative, proceeds
northwest from the proposed SunZia East substation then continues into
Torrance County, about 4.3 miles north of the Gran Quivira Unit of the
Salinas Pueblo Mission National Monument, and then enters Socorro
County, east of the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge. Subroute 1A1
crosses the Rio Grande River north of Socorro, and then turns south
along an existing transmission line path into Sierra County. The route
continues south to the proposed Midpoint Substation, near Deming, New
Mexico. The ROW for Subroute 1A1 would parallel about 130 miles of
existing utility ROW and crosses about 110 miles of public land
administered by the BLM.
Subroutes 1A, 1B, 1B1, 1B2, 1B2a and 1B3 were all considered and
evaluated. For discussion of analysis on these routes, refer to the
Draft EIS.
Route Group 2: SunZia East Substation to Midpoint Substation--
Generally east of White Sands Missile Range and through Ft. Bliss Army
Base (Ft. Bliss) within Lincoln, Otero, Do[ntilde]a Ana, and Luna
Counties. This group of alternatives was considered during the expanded
scoping period of 2010, and then eliminated from detailed study in the
Draft EIS because routes under this group of alternatives would require
traversing lands under the jurisdiction of Ft. Bliss. Ft. Bliss has
indicated that overhead transmission lines through Ft. Bliss-
administered lands would have substantial impacts to its military
operations and would be incompatible with their military mission.
Route Group 3: Midpoint Substation to Willow-500 kV Substation--
Consists of Subroutes 3A1, 3A, and 3B.
Subroute 3A1 (140.3 miles), the BLM preferred alternative, proceeds
west from the Midpoint Substation to a point about 9 miles west of the
proposed Lordsburg Substation in Hidalgo County, New Mexico. From that
point the subroute crosses to the south and continues along a portion
of an existing pipeline corridor into Cochise County, Arizona, then
northwest to the proposed Willow-500kV substation in Graham County. The
ROW for Subroute 3A1 would parallel about 33 miles of existing utility
ROW and cross about 66 miles of Federal lands administered by the BLM.
Subroutes 3A and 3B were considered and evaluated. For discussion
of analysis on these routes refer to the Draft EIS.
Route Group 4: Willow-500kV Substation to Pinal Central
Substation--Consists of Subroutes 4A, 4B, 4C1, 4C2, 4C2a, 4C2b, 4C2c,
and 4C3.
The amount of BLM land subject to ROW for the various alternatives
in this group would be about 2 miles (Subroute 4C2a or 4C2b) to 15
miles (sub-route 4C2 or 4C2c). Subroute 4C2c (161.2 miles), the BLM
preferred alternative, follows an existing 345 kV transmission line
corridor from the Willow 500 kV Substation southwest, crossing the San
Pedro River about 12 miles north of Benson, Arizona. The route then
continues northwesterly, crossing the northeast corner of Pima County,
then follows a westerly path through Pinal County, north of Oracle,
Arizona toward the Tortolita Substation, approximately 25 miles
northwest of Tucson. From that point, Subroute 4C2c would parallel
approximately 90 miles of existing utilities (including about 72 miles
of existing electrical transmission lines).
Subroutes 4A, 4B, 4C1, 4C2, 4C2a, 4C2b and 4C3 were considered and
evaluated. For discussion of analysis on these routes, refer to the
Draft EIS.
In addition to the sub-routes described above, various local
alternatives and crossover segments within Route Group 4 were also
included in detailed study in the Draft EIS. The BLM, SunZia, and
cooperating agencies worked together to identify alternative routes
that would conform to existing land use plans. However, in locations
where conformance is not likely, the BLM identified draft plan
amendments that would bring any of the alternatives routes into
conformance with the respective land use plans, as described below. The
BLM will identify those plan amendments it intends to implement (as
proposed plan amendments) in the Final EIS.
The following land use plan amendments may be necessary to bring
the SunZia Southwest Transmission Line Project into conformance with
applicable BLM RMPs. Prospective plan amendments will comply with
applicable Federal laws and regulations and apply only to Federal lands
and mineral estate administered by the BLM. Plan amendment alternatives
were considered, which included multiple-use corridors of varying
widths. The BLM preferred alternative is to amend the RMPs' existing
visual resource management (VRM) decisions as well as ROW avoidance
areas as described in the Draft EIS. The affected RMPs include:
Socorro RMP (2010), Socorro Field Office: Amendments may
be needed for modifications to existing VRM decisions and/or to ROW
avoidance area decisions (BLM preferred alternative and other
alternatives in Route Group 1).
Mimbres RMP (1993), Las Cruces District Office: Amendments
may be needed for modifications to existing VRM decisions and/or to ROW
avoidance area decisions (BLM preferred alternative in Route group 3).
Safford District RMP (1991), Safford Field Office (Gila
District): An amendment may be needed for modifications to existing VRM
decisions and/or ROW avoidance area decisions (only alternative
Subroute 4C1 in Route Group 4 would require a plan amendment, although
this alternative is not the BLM preferred alternative).
The Draft EIS analyzes the environmental consequences of a no
action alternative, the proposed action, segment and design
alternatives, and land use plan amendments. For this EIS, the no action
alternative means that the BLM would not grant SunZia a ROW for the
construction and operation of the proposed Project and would not amend
any land use plans. The Project facilities, including transmission
lines and substations, would not be built and existing land uses and
present activities in the Project study area would continue. This
alternative does not consider the potential for additional actions that
could occur depending on the denial of the proposed action or
alternatives.
The BLM will use and coordinate the NEPA commenting process to
satisfy the public involvement process for Section 106 of the National
Historic Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470f) as provided for in 36 CFR
800.2(d)(3). Ongoing tribal consultations will continue to be conducted
in accordance with policy and tribal concerns, and any impacts on
Indian trust assets will be given due consideration. Federal, State,
and local agencies, along with other stakeholders that may be
interested or affected by the BLM's decision on this
[[Page 31640]]
Project, are invited to comment on the draft.
Copies of the Draft EIS have been sent to affected Federal, State,
and local governments, public libraries in the Project area, and to
interested parties that previously requested a copy. The Draft EIS and
supporting documents will be available electronically on the following
BLM Project Web site: www.blm.gov/nm/sunzia.
Copies of the Draft EIS are available for public inspection during
normal business hours at the following locations:
Bureau of Land Management, Las Cruces District Office,
1800 Marquess Street, Las Cruces, NM 88005-3370
Bureau of Land Management, Roswell Field Office, 2909 West
Second Street, Roswell, NM 88201-2019
Bureau of Land Management, Socorro Field Office, 901 South
Highway 85, Socorro, NM 87801-4168
Bureau of Land Management, Rio Puerco Field Office, 435
Montano Road NE., Albuquerque, NM 87107-4935
Bureau of Land Management, Tucson Field Office, 3201 East
Universal Way, Tucson, AZ 85756
Bureau of Land Management, Safford Field Office, 711 14th
Avenue, Safford, AZ 85546-3337
Bureau of Land Management, Gila District Office, 1763
Paseo San Luis, Sierra Vista, AZ 85635-4611
Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico State Office, 301
Dinosaur Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87508-1560
Bureau of Land Management, Arizona State Office, One North
Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85004-4427
Arizona State Land Department (ASLD), 1616 West Adams,
Phoenix, AZ 85007-2614
Arizona Game & Fish Department (AZGFD), 5000 West Carefree
Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85086-5000
New Mexico State Land Office (NMSLO), 310 Old Santa Fe
Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87504-1148
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Regulatory Division,
4101 Jefferson Plaza NE., Albuquerque, NM 87109-3435
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), 500 Gold Avenue SW.,
Albuquerque, NM 87102-3118
A limited number of copies of the document will be available. To
request a copy, contact Adrian Garcia, BLM Project Manager, BLM New
Mexico State Office, 301 Dinosaur Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87508-1560.
Please note that public comments and information submitted
including names, street addresses, and email addresses of persons who
submit comments will be available for public review and disclosure at
the above address during regular business hours (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.),
Monday through Friday, except holidays.
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or any
other personal identifying information in your comment, please be
advised that your entire comment, including your personal identifying
information, may be publically available at any time. While you may ask
us to withhold this information from public review, we cannot guarantee
that we will be able to do so.
Felicia J. Probert,
Acting State Director, New Mexico.
[FR Doc. 2012-12978 Filed 5-25-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-FB-P
