Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement, Proposed Rawlins Resource Management Plan Amendment, and Segregation of Public Lands for the Chokecherry and Sierra Madre Wind Farm Project, 39503-39505 [2012-16160]
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 128 / Tuesday, July 3, 2012 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLWYL03000 L51010000.FX0000
LVRWK09K1030; WYW–167155]
Notice of Availability of the Final
Environmental Impact Statement,
Proposed Rawlins Resource
Management Plan Amendment, and
Segregation of Public Lands for the
Chokecherry and Sierra Madre Wind
Farm Project
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, the Bureau of
Land Management (BLM) has prepared
a Proposed Rawlins Resource
Management Plan (RMP) Amendment
(Volume I) and Chokecherry and Sierra
Madre (CCSM) Wind Energy Project
(Volume II) Final Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS), and by this notice is
announcing its availability. This notice
will also segregate 2,560 acres of public
lands located within the CCSM right-ofway (ROW) application area from
appropriation under the public land
laws including the 1872 Mining Law,
but not the Mineral Leasing or Mineral
Material Acts, for a period of 2 years
from the date of publication of this
notice.
SUMMARY:
BLM planning regulations state
that any person who meets the
conditions as described in the
regulations may protest the BLM’s
Proposed RMP Amendment/Final EIS.
A person who meets the conditions and
files a protest must file the protest
within 30 days of the date that the
Environmental Protection Agency
publishes its notice in the Federal
Register.
DATES:
Copies of the Proposed RMP
Amendment/Final EIS have been sent to
affected Federal, State, and local
government agencies and to other
stakeholders. Copies of the Proposed
RMP Amendment/Final EIS are
available for public inspection at the
BLM Rawlins Field Office, 1300 North
Third Street, Rawlins, Wyoming; the
BLM Rock Springs Field Office, 280
Highway 191 North, Rock Springs,
Wyoming; and the BLM Wyoming State
Office, 5353 Yellowstone Road,
Cheyenne, Wyoming. The Proposed
RMP Amendment/Final EIS is also
available on the Internet at
srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
ADDRESSES:
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www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/info/NEPA/
documents/rfo/Chokecherry.html.
All protests must be in writing and
mailed to one of the following
addresses:
Regular Mail: BLM Director (210),
Attention: Brenda Williams, P.O. Box
71383, Washington, DC 20024–1383.
Overnight Mail: BLM Director (210),
Attention: Brenda Williams, 20 M
Street SE., Room 2134LM,
Washington, DC 20003.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Pamela Murdock, Project Manager,
telephone 307–775–6259; address 5353
Yellowstone Road, Cheyenne, WY
82007; email pmurdock@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 BLM
proposes to amend the 2008 Rawlins
RMP for visual resources management
(VRM) class designations (Final EIS
Volume I). The Power Company of
Wyoming, LLC (PCW) proposes to
construct and operate a wind energy
project south of Rawlins in Carbon
County, Wyoming (Final EIS Volume II.
The proposed project consists of two
areas located approximately 9 miles
apart within the Wind Site Testing and
Monitoring Application Area—the
Chokecherry site and the Sierra Madre
site—totaling 227,638 acres of Federal,
private and State lands. Only a portion
of the total land area would be used for,
or disturbed by, the project. The project
proposal includes up to 1,000 wind
turbine generators (WTG) and associated
infrastructure, each turbine capable of
producing 1.5 to 3 megawatts (MW)
with a total nameplate capacity of 1,500
to 3,000 MW of electrical power.
On July 22, 2011 (76 FR 44039), the
BLM segregated approximately 107,175
acres of public lands within the
proposed project area. Through this
notice, additional public lands within
the CCSM project area would be
segregated under the authority
contained in 43 CFR 2091.3–1(e) and 43
CFR 2804.25(e) for a period of 2 years,
in order to process the ROW application
filed on the described lands; this 2-year
segregation period will commence on
July 3, 2012. It has been determined that
this segregation is necessary for the
orderly administration of the public
lands.
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39503
The temporary segregation period will
terminate and the lands will
automatically re-open to appropriation
under the public land laws, including
the mining laws, if one of the following
events occurs: (1) Upon the BLM’s
decision regarding whether to issue a
ROW authorization for the wind energy
generation proposal; (2) Upon
publication in the Federal Register of a
notice of termination of the segregation;
or (3) Without further administrative
action at the end of the segregation
provided for in the Federal Register
notice initiating the segregation,
whichever occurs first. Any segregation
made under this authority would be
effective only for a period of up to 2
years, without the possibility of
extension.
In accordance with 43 CFR 2091.3–
1(e) and 2804.25(e), the following
described public lands within the
proposed project area are hereby
segregated for a period of up to 2 years,
subject to valid existing rights, from all
forms of appropriation under the public
land laws, including location and entry
under the United States mining laws,
but not from leasing under the mineral
leasing laws or disposal under the
mineral material laws:
Sixth Principal Meridian, Wyoming
T. 18 N., R. 85 W.,
Sec. 8.
T. 18 N., R. 86 W.,
Sec. 32, N1⁄2;
Sec. 35, N1⁄2.
T. 21 N., R. 87 W.,
Sec. 32;
Sec. 34.
The areas described aggregate 2,560 acres,
according to the official plats of the surveys
of the said lands, on file with the BLM.
The BLM Rawlins Field Office has
been designated as the lead Federal
agency for the Proposed RMP
Amendment/Final EIS. Cooperating
agencies include the U.S. Forest Service,
the State of Wyoming, the SaratogaEncampment-Rawlins Conservation
District, the Little Snake River
Conservation District, the Medicine Bow
Conservation District, Carbon County,
and the City of Rawlins.
The Draft RMP Amendment/Draft EIS
was made available on July 22, 2011, for
a 90-day public review and comment
period. The Draft RMP Amendment/
Draft EIS described and analyzed four
VRM planning alternatives for the
management of the public lands
administered by the BLM Rawlins Field
Office within the planning area, which
includes and extends 30 miles beyond
the CCSM project boundary, comprising
approximately 3.6 million acres in
Carbon County, south-central Wyoming.
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srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
39504
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 128 / Tuesday, July 3, 2012 / Notices
Within this area, the BLM administers
approximately 1.3 million acres of
public land surface and Federal mineral
estate and an additional 100,000 acres of
mineral estate under State and privately
owned surface. The BLM decisions
would apply only to public lands and to
BLM-administered Federal mineral
estate. Comments on the Draft RMP
Amendment/Draft EIS received from the
public and from internal BLM review
were considered and incorporated as
appropriate into the proposed plan
amendment. Public comments resulted
in the addition of clarifying text, but did
not significantly change the proposed
land use planning decisions.
Volume I of the Proposed RMP
Amendment/Final EIS analyzes in detail
four RMP Amendment alternatives:
Alternative 1 (No Action Alternative):
Continue existing management
direction;
Alternative 2: Provide for
development and use opportunities
while minimizing adverse impacts to
visual resources;
Alternative 3: Provide for compatible
development and use while maintaining
focus on greater conservation of visual
resources; and
Alternative 4 (BLM Preferred
Alternative): Provide for development
opportunities while protecting visual
resources.
Volume II of the Proposed RMP
Amendment/Final EIS analyzes the
direct, indirect and cumulative
environmental impacts of constructing
and operating the CCSM wind
generation facility (proposed action) and
whether the application area is suitable
for development of the proposed project
or for an alternative development
strategy. The impact analysis is based
on resource-specific assumptions,
estimated project disturbance, and
appropriate project-specific stipulations.
Alternatives to the proposed action were
developed in response to issues and
concerns raised during the NEPA
scoping and comment periods. All
alternatives conform to the preferred
planning alternative identified in
Volume I of the Proposed RMP
Amendment/Final EIS. The BLM will
identify requirements for future wind
development in the area and decide
whether the area identified in PCW’s
proposal would be acceptable for
development of a wind farm.
Alternative 1 (No Action Alternative):
Determine that the proposed project
area is unsuitable for wind
development, deny PCW’s request to
develop wind energy on public lands,
and deny any request to provide access
to private lands for wind development
within the application area.
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Alternative 1R (BLM Preferred
Alternative with modifications):
Determine that the application area is
suitable for wind development and can
accommodate up to 1,000 WTGs. This
alternative, a revision of PCW’s original
proposed action, was submitted by the
applicant in response to issues raised
during scoping and developed in
consideration of a comprehensive
review of information pertaining to
wildlife issues in the project area. This
alternative would require amending the
VRM decisions in the 2008 Rawlins
RMP.
Alternative 2: Determine that the
application area to the north of T. 18 N.
is suitable for wind development and
can accommodate up to 1,000 WTGs.
This alternative would keep
development primarily within the
checkerboard land ownership pattern
and was developed in response to
concerns regarding visual impacts to
areas with high recreational values.
More restrictive Greater Sage-grouse
stipulations would apply to public
lands in this alternative compared to the
other alternatives. This alternative
would require amending the VRM
decisions in the 2008 Rawlins RMP.
Alternative 3: Determine that the
Chokecherry portion and the area from
the eastern half of T. 18 N., R. 88. W.
to the east of the Sierra Madre portion
of PCW’s application area is suitable for
wind development and can
accommodate up to 1,000 WTGs. All
lands would be excluded to the south of
T. 18. N. and the western half of T. 18.
N., R. 88 W. This alternative was
developed in response to concerns
regarding existing VRM Class II areas as
well as areas with wildlife concerns.
This alternative would require
amending the VRM decisions in the
2008 Rawlins RMP.
Alternative 4: No placement of WTGs
on public lands within either the
Chokecherry or Sierra Madre sites.
Instead, the BLM would provide ROW
grants to allow PCW to develop wind
energy facilities on privately held lands.
The BLM would apply required
restrictions and timing stipulations to
public lands for requested access points.
This alternative was developed in
response to overall concerns regarding
developing a wind farm on public lands
and the associated impacts. This
alternative would not require amending
the VRM decisions in the 2008 Rawlins
RMP.
Volume II considered 12 additional
alternatives but eliminated them from
detailed study since they did not meet
the purpose and need of the proposed
action, or because they were
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incorporated into the alternatives
analyzed in detail.
A recent inventory of wilderness
characteristics determined that lands
with wilderness characteristics are not
present.
If the analysis results in the decision
to approve wind energy development,
PCW may submit up to four plans of
development (POD) for separate aspects
of the project including: Turbine siting
in the Chokecherry development area,
turbine siting in the Sierra Madre
development area, haul-road
development throughout the project
area, and transmission lines. The sitespecific PODs would be tiered to the
analysis and decisions in the EIS and
Record of Decision for the CCSM wind
farm project. Site-specific impacts
associated with the location of
individual project components not
analyzed in the EIS would be evaluated
in subsequent NEPA analyses based on
site-specific proposals within the
boundary of the alternative selected in
the ROD. ROW grants for these PODs, if
issued, will include site-specific terms
and conditions analyzed either in the
POD NEPA documents or in the CCSM
project EIS.
Instructions for filing a protest with
the Director of the BLM regarding the
Proposed RMP Amendment/Final EIS
may be found in the ‘‘Dear Reader’’
Letter of the Proposed RMP
Amendment/Final EIS and at 43 CFR
1610.5–2. Email and faxed protests will
not be accepted as valid protests unless
the protesting party also provides the
original letter by either regular or
overnight mail postmarked by the close
of the protest period. Under these
conditions, the BLM will consider the
email or faxed protest as an advance
copy and it will receive full
consideration. If you wish to provide
the BLM with such advance
notification, please direct faxed protests
to the attention of the BLM protest
coordinator at 202–245–0028 or emails
to Brenda_Hudgens-Williams@blm.gov.
All protests, including the follow-up
letter to emails or faxes, must be in
writing and mailed to the appropriate
address, as set forth in the ADDRESSES
section above.
Before including your phone number,
email address, or other personal
identifying information in your protest,
you should be aware that your entire
protest—including your personal
identifying information—may be made
publicly available at any time. While
you may ask us in your protest to
withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 128 / Tuesday, July 3, 2012 / Notices
Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR
1506.10, 43 CFR 1610.2; 43 CFR 1610.5.
University professional staff in
consultation with representatives of
Cherokee Nation, Oklahoma; Chickasaw
Nation, Oklahoma; Eastern Band of
Cherokee Indians of North Carolina;
Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Oklahoma;
Poarch Band of Creek Indians of
Alabama; and the United Keetoowah
Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma.
Donald A. Simpson,
State Director, Wyoming.
[FR Doc. 2012–16160 Filed 7–2–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–VC–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS–WASO–NAGPRA–10417; 2200–1100–
665]
Notice of Inventory Completion:
Wesleyan University, Middleton, CT
National Park Service, Interior.
Notice.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The Wesleyan University,
Middleton, CT, has completed an
inventory of human remains, in
consultation with the appropriate
Indian tribes, and has determined that
there is a cultural affiliation between the
human remains and present-day Indian
tribes. Representatives of any Indian
tribe that believes itself to be culturally
affiliated with the human remains may
contact Wesleyan University,
Middleton, CT. Repatriation of the
human remains to the Indian tribes
stated below may occur if no additional
claimants come forward.
DATES: Representatives of any Indian
tribe that believes it has a cultural
affiliation with the human remains
should contact Wesleyan University,
Middleton, CT, at the address below by
August 2, 2012.
˜
ADDRESSES: Dr. Sonia Manjon, Chief
Diversity Officer, Wesleyan University,
237 High Street, Middletown, CT 06457,
telephone (860) 685–3927.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is
here given in accordance with the
Native American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), 25 U.S.C.
3003, of the completion of an inventory
of human remains in the possession of
Wesleyan University, Middleton, CT.
The human remains were removed from
Hamilton County, TN.
This notice is published as part of the
National Park Service’s administrative
responsibilities under NAGPRA, 25
U.S.C. 3003(d)(3). The determinations in
this notice are the sole responsibility of
the museum, institution, or Federal
agency that has control of the Native
American human remains. The National
Park Service is not responsible for the
determinations in this notice.
srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
Consultation
A detailed assessment of the human
remains was made by the Wesleyan
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History and Description of the Remains
In the late 1800s, human remains
representing, at minimum, three
individuals were removed from
Hamilton County, TN, during
exploration of a mound on William’s
Island (site 40Ha60) by George D.
Barnes, an amateur collector from
Dayton, TN, with the permission of the
landowner. This is part of a larger
collection purchased from Barnes by
A.R. Crittenden of Middletown, CT, in
1896 and deposited in the Wesleyan
University Museum until the purchase
price ($1000) could be raised by the
Wesleyan University Museum. The
collection was officially purchased by
the Wesleyan University Museum in
1899. No known individuals were
identified. No associated funerary
objects are present. The majority of the
material culture from William’s Island
site has been provisionally assigned to
the mid/late Mississippian period (late
prehistoric/early historic). The human
remains are Native American based on
the site context.
In the late 1800s, human remains
representing, at minimum, two
individuals were removed from a
mound 12 miles north of Chattanooga,
TN, on the Yarnell (or Garnell) farm by
George D. Barnes, an amateur collector
from Dayton, TN. This is part of a larger
collection purchased from Barnes by A.
R. Crittenden of Middletown, CT, in
1896 and deposited in the Wesleyan
University Museum until the purchase
price ($1000) could be raised by the
Wesleyan University Museum. The
collection was officially purchased by
the Wesleyan University Museum in
1899. No known individuals were
identified. No associated funerary
objects are present. The mound is
believed to be date to the Mississippian
period. The human remains are Native
American based on the mound context.
In the late 1800s, human remains
representing, at minimum, five
individuals were removed from
‘‘vicinity of Chattanooga,’’ in Hamilton
County, TN, by George D. Barnes, an
amateur collector from Dayton, TN. This
is part of a larger collection purchased
from Barnes by A. R. Crittenden of
Middletown, CT, in 1896 and deposited
in the Wesleyan University Museum
until the purchase price ($1000) could
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Fmt 4703
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39505
be raised by the Wesleyan University
Museum. The collection was officially
purchased by the Wesleyan University
Museum in 1899. No known individuals
were identified. No associated funerary
objects are present. The human remains
are Native American based on the
collecting practices of Mr. Barnes.
Archeological evidence, oral tradition,
and geographical location supports a
cultural affiliation determination to all
three Federally recognized Cherokee
tribes (Cherokee Nation, Oklahoma;
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians of
North Carolina; and the United
Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in
Oklahoma), which were one group until
their forced relocation known as The
Trail of Tears, which resulted from the
Indian Relocation Act of 1830. Oral
tradition supports archeological
research that suggests a much longer
Cherokee occupation of the region
associated with the upper Tennessee,
Little Tennessee, and Hiwassee rivers.
According to one source, ‘‘[d]ue to
similar culturally conservative traits,
such as commonality in burial practices,
house patterns, and community
organization, a temporal progression is
suggested from Dallas to Mouse Creek to
Overhill Cherokee based on shifts in
ceramic styles, settlement
characteristics, and sociopolitical
organizations’’ (Schroedl, 1986). The
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
support this conclusion, and their oral
tradition reinforces this determination.
Based on the Indian Claims Commission
decision, Hamilton County, TN, is the
aboriginal territory of the Eastern Band
of Cherokee Indians. Based on Indian
Land Cessions 1784–1894, Hamilton
County, TN, is the aboriginal territory of
all three Federally recognized Cherokee
tribes.
Determinations Made by Wesleyan
University
Officials of Wesleyan University have
determined that:
• Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the
human remains described in this notice
represent the physical remains of ten
individuals of Native American
ancestry.
• Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(2), there
is a relationship of shared group
identity that can be reasonably traced
between the Native American human
remains is to the Cherokee Nation,
Oklahoma; Eastern Band of Cherokee
Indians of North Carolina; and the
United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee
Indians in Oklahoma.
Additional Requestors and Disposition
Representatives of any Indian tribe
that believes itself to be culturally
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 128 (Tuesday, July 3, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39503-39505]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-16160]
[[Page 39503]]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLWYL03000 L51010000.FX0000 LVRWK09K1030; WYW-167155]
Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact
Statement, Proposed Rawlins Resource Management Plan Amendment, and
Segregation of Public Lands for the Chokecherry and Sierra Madre Wind
Farm Project
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
Proposed Rawlins Resource Management Plan (RMP) Amendment (Volume I)
and Chokecherry and Sierra Madre (CCSM) Wind Energy Project (Volume II)
Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), and by this notice is
announcing its availability. This notice will also segregate 2,560
acres of public lands located within the CCSM right-of-way (ROW)
application area from appropriation under the public land laws
including the 1872 Mining Law, but not the Mineral Leasing or Mineral
Material Acts, for a period of 2 years from the date of publication of
this notice.
DATES: BLM planning regulations state that any person who meets the
conditions as described in the regulations may protest the BLM's
Proposed RMP Amendment/Final EIS. A person who meets the conditions and
files a protest must file the protest within 30 days of the date that
the Environmental Protection Agency publishes its notice in the Federal
Register.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the Proposed RMP Amendment/Final EIS have been
sent to affected Federal, State, and local government agencies and to
other stakeholders. Copies of the Proposed RMP Amendment/Final EIS are
available for public inspection at the BLM Rawlins Field Office, 1300
North Third Street, Rawlins, Wyoming; the BLM Rock Springs Field
Office, 280 Highway 191 North, Rock Springs, Wyoming; and the BLM
Wyoming State Office, 5353 Yellowstone Road, Cheyenne, Wyoming. The
Proposed RMP Amendment/Final EIS is also available on the Internet at
www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/info/NEPA/documents/rfo/Chokecherry.html.
All protests must be in writing and mailed to one of the following
addresses:
Regular Mail: BLM Director (210), Attention: Brenda Williams, P.O. Box
71383, Washington, DC 20024-1383.
Overnight Mail: BLM Director (210), Attention: Brenda Williams, 20 M
Street SE., Room 2134LM, Washington, DC 20003.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Pamela Murdock, Project Manager,
telephone 307-775-6259; address 5353 Yellowstone Road, Cheyenne, WY
82007; email pmurdock@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 BLM proposes to amend the 2008 Rawlins
RMP for visual resources management (VRM) class designations (Final EIS
Volume I). The Power Company of Wyoming, LLC (PCW) proposes to
construct and operate a wind energy project south of Rawlins in Carbon
County, Wyoming (Final EIS Volume II. The proposed project consists of
two areas located approximately 9 miles apart within the Wind Site
Testing and Monitoring Application Area--the Chokecherry site and the
Sierra Madre site--totaling 227,638 acres of Federal, private and State
lands. Only a portion of the total land area would be used for, or
disturbed by, the project. The project proposal includes up to 1,000
wind turbine generators (WTG) and associated infrastructure, each
turbine capable of producing 1.5 to 3 megawatts (MW) with a total
nameplate capacity of 1,500 to 3,000 MW of electrical power.
On July 22, 2011 (76 FR 44039), the BLM segregated approximately
107,175 acres of public lands within the proposed project area. Through
this notice, additional public lands within the CCSM project area would
be segregated under the authority contained in 43 CFR 2091.3-1(e) and
43 CFR 2804.25(e) for a period of 2 years, in order to process the ROW
application filed on the described lands; this 2-year segregation
period will commence on July 3, 2012. It has been determined that this
segregation is necessary for the orderly administration of the public
lands.
The temporary segregation period will terminate and the lands will
automatically re-open to appropriation under the public land laws,
including the mining laws, if one of the following events occurs: (1)
Upon the BLM's decision regarding whether to issue a ROW authorization
for the wind energy generation proposal; (2) Upon publication in the
Federal Register of a notice of termination of the segregation; or (3)
Without further administrative action at the end of the segregation
provided for in the Federal Register notice initiating the segregation,
whichever occurs first. Any segregation made under this authority would
be effective only for a period of up to 2 years, without the
possibility of extension.
In accordance with 43 CFR 2091.3-1(e) and 2804.25(e), the following
described public lands within the proposed project area are hereby
segregated for a period of up to 2 years, subject to valid existing
rights, from all forms of appropriation under the public land laws,
including location and entry under the United States mining laws, but
not from leasing under the mineral leasing laws or disposal under the
mineral material laws:
Sixth Principal Meridian, Wyoming
T. 18 N., R. 85 W.,
Sec. 8.
T. 18 N., R. 86 W.,
Sec. 32, N\1/2\;
Sec. 35, N\1/2\.
T. 21 N., R. 87 W.,
Sec. 32;
Sec. 34.
The areas described aggregate 2,560 acres, according to the
official plats of the surveys of the said lands, on file with the
BLM.
The BLM Rawlins Field Office has been designated as the lead
Federal agency for the Proposed RMP Amendment/Final EIS. Cooperating
agencies include the U.S. Forest Service, the State of Wyoming, the
Saratoga-Encampment-Rawlins Conservation District, the Little Snake
River Conservation District, the Medicine Bow Conservation District,
Carbon County, and the City of Rawlins.
The Draft RMP Amendment/Draft EIS was made available on July 22,
2011, for a 90-day public review and comment period. The Draft RMP
Amendment/Draft EIS described and analyzed four VRM planning
alternatives for the management of the public lands administered by the
BLM Rawlins Field Office within the planning area, which includes and
extends 30 miles beyond the CCSM project boundary, comprising
approximately 3.6 million acres in Carbon County, south-central
Wyoming.
[[Page 39504]]
Within this area, the BLM administers approximately 1.3 million acres
of public land surface and Federal mineral estate and an additional
100,000 acres of mineral estate under State and privately owned
surface. The BLM decisions would apply only to public lands and to BLM-
administered Federal mineral estate. Comments on the Draft RMP
Amendment/Draft EIS received from the public and from internal BLM
review were considered and incorporated as appropriate into the
proposed plan amendment. Public comments resulted in the addition of
clarifying text, but did not significantly change the proposed land use
planning decisions.
Volume I of the Proposed RMP Amendment/Final EIS analyzes in detail
four RMP Amendment alternatives:
Alternative 1 (No Action Alternative): Continue existing management
direction;
Alternative 2: Provide for development and use opportunities while
minimizing adverse impacts to visual resources;
Alternative 3: Provide for compatible development and use while
maintaining focus on greater conservation of visual resources; and
Alternative 4 (BLM Preferred Alternative): Provide for development
opportunities while protecting visual resources.
Volume II of the Proposed RMP Amendment/Final EIS analyzes the
direct, indirect and cumulative environmental impacts of constructing
and operating the CCSM wind generation facility (proposed action) and
whether the application area is suitable for development of the
proposed project or for an alternative development strategy. The impact
analysis is based on resource-specific assumptions, estimated project
disturbance, and appropriate project-specific stipulations.
Alternatives to the proposed action were developed in response to
issues and concerns raised during the NEPA scoping and comment periods.
All alternatives conform to the preferred planning alternative
identified in Volume I of the Proposed RMP Amendment/Final EIS. The BLM
will identify requirements for future wind development in the area and
decide whether the area identified in PCW's proposal would be
acceptable for development of a wind farm.
Alternative 1 (No Action Alternative): Determine that the proposed
project area is unsuitable for wind development, deny PCW's request to
develop wind energy on public lands, and deny any request to provide
access to private lands for wind development within the application
area.
Alternative 1R (BLM Preferred Alternative with modifications):
Determine that the application area is suitable for wind development
and can accommodate up to 1,000 WTGs. This alternative, a revision of
PCW's original proposed action, was submitted by the applicant in
response to issues raised during scoping and developed in consideration
of a comprehensive review of information pertaining to wildlife issues
in the project area. This alternative would require amending the VRM
decisions in the 2008 Rawlins RMP.
Alternative 2: Determine that the application area to the north of
T. 18 N. is suitable for wind development and can accommodate up to
1,000 WTGs. This alternative would keep development primarily within
the checkerboard land ownership pattern and was developed in response
to concerns regarding visual impacts to areas with high recreational
values. More restrictive Greater Sage-grouse stipulations would apply
to public lands in this alternative compared to the other alternatives.
This alternative would require amending the VRM decisions in the 2008
Rawlins RMP.
Alternative 3: Determine that the Chokecherry portion and the area
from the eastern half of T. 18 N., R. 88. W. to the east of the Sierra
Madre portion of PCW's application area is suitable for wind
development and can accommodate up to 1,000 WTGs. All lands would be
excluded to the south of T. 18. N. and the western half of T. 18. N.,
R. 88 W. This alternative was developed in response to concerns
regarding existing VRM Class II areas as well as areas with wildlife
concerns. This alternative would require amending the VRM decisions in
the 2008 Rawlins RMP.
Alternative 4: No placement of WTGs on public lands within either
the Chokecherry or Sierra Madre sites. Instead, the BLM would provide
ROW grants to allow PCW to develop wind energy facilities on privately
held lands. The BLM would apply required restrictions and timing
stipulations to public lands for requested access points. This
alternative was developed in response to overall concerns regarding
developing a wind farm on public lands and the associated impacts. This
alternative would not require amending the VRM decisions in the 2008
Rawlins RMP.
Volume II considered 12 additional alternatives but eliminated them
from detailed study since they did not meet the purpose and need of the
proposed action, or because they were incorporated into the
alternatives analyzed in detail.
A recent inventory of wilderness characteristics determined that
lands with wilderness characteristics are not present.
If the analysis results in the decision to approve wind energy
development, PCW may submit up to four plans of development (POD) for
separate aspects of the project including: Turbine siting in the
Chokecherry development area, turbine siting in the Sierra Madre
development area, haul-road development throughout the project area,
and transmission lines. The site-specific PODs would be tiered to the
analysis and decisions in the EIS and Record of Decision for the CCSM
wind farm project. Site-specific impacts associated with the location
of individual project components not analyzed in the EIS would be
evaluated in subsequent NEPA analyses based on site-specific proposals
within the boundary of the alternative selected in the ROD. ROW grants
for these PODs, if issued, will include site-specific terms and
conditions analyzed either in the POD NEPA documents or in the CCSM
project EIS.
Instructions for filing a protest with the Director of the BLM
regarding the Proposed RMP Amendment/Final EIS may be found in the
``Dear Reader'' Letter of the Proposed RMP Amendment/Final EIS and at
43 CFR 1610.5-2. Email and faxed protests will not be accepted as valid
protests unless the protesting party also provides the original letter
by either regular or overnight mail postmarked by the close of the
protest period. Under these conditions, the BLM will consider the email
or faxed protest as an advance copy and it will receive full
consideration. If you wish to provide the BLM with such advance
notification, please direct faxed protests to the attention of the BLM
protest coordinator at 202-245-0028 or emails to Brenda_Hudgens-Williams@blm.gov.
All protests, including the follow-up letter to emails or faxes,
must be in writing and mailed to the appropriate address, as set forth
in the ADDRESSES section above.
Before including your phone number, email address, or other
personal identifying information in your protest, you should be aware
that your entire protest--including your personal identifying
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you may
ask us in your protest to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be
able to do so.
[[Page 39505]]
Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10, 43 CFR 1610.2; 43 CFR
1610.5.
Donald A. Simpson,
State Director, Wyoming.
[FR Doc. 2012-16160 Filed 7-2-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-VC-P
