Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Rio Mesa Gen-Tie Project and Possible Land Use Plan Amendment, Riverside County, CA, 52352-52353 [2012-21272]
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 168 / Wednesday, August 29, 2012 / Notices
Deadline
Submit nominations on or before
October 1, 2012.
Address
Please submit nominations to Sue
Bement, Designated Federal Officer,
Bureau of Indian Education,
Albuquerque Service Center, Division of
Performance and Accountability, 1011
Indian School Road NW., Albuquerque,
NM 87104–1088, telephone 505–563–
5274 or fax to 505–563–5281.
Contact
For further information, contact Sue
Bement, Education Specialist,
Albuquerque Service Center, Division of
Performance and Accountability, at the
above listed address and telephone
number.
Dated: August 23, 2012.
Donald E. Laverdure,
Acting Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2012–21247 Filed 8–28–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–6W–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLCAD06000
L51010000.ER0000.LVRWB12B4840]
Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement for
the Rio Mesa Gen-Tie Project and
Possible Land Use Plan Amendment,
Riverside County, CA
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
AGENCY:
In compliance 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)
Palm Springs South Coast Field Office,
Palm Springs, California, intends to
prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) for the Rio Mesa GenTie Project. The proposed project would
require an amendment to the California
Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan
(1980 as amended), which would be
evaluated in this EIS. By this notice, the
BLM is announcing the beginning of the
scoping process to solicit public
comments and identify issues related to
the EIS/plan amendment (PA).
DATES: This notice initiates the public
scoping process for the EIS/PA.
Comments on issues related to the EIS/
PA may be submitted in writing until
September 28, 2012. The date(s) and
TKELLEY on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:37 Aug 28, 2012
Jkt 226001
location(s) of any scoping meetings will
be announced at least 15 days in
advance through local media,
newspapers and the BLM Web site at:
https://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/
palmsprings/Solar_Projects.html. In
order to be included in the analysis, all
comments must be received prior to the
close of the 30-day scoping period or 15
days after the last public meeting,
whichever is later. We will provide
additional opportunities for public
participation as appropriate.
ADDRESSES: You may submit scoping
comments for the proposed Rio Mesa
Gen-Tie Project by any of the following
methods:
• Web site: https://www.blm.gov/ca/st/
en.html;
• Email: CARioMesa@blm.gov;
• Fax: 951–697–5299; or
• Mail: Lynnette Elser, Planning and
Environmental Coordinator, BLM
California Desert District Office, 22835
Calle San Juan de Los Lagos, Moreno
Valley, CA 92553.
Documents pertinent to this proposal
may be examined at the BLM Palm
Springs South Coast Field Office, 1201
Bird Center Drive, Palm Springs, CA
92262 or at the BLM California Desert
District Office.
For further information and/or to have
your name added to our mailing list,
contact Lynnette Elser, Planning and
Environmental Coordinator; telephone
951–697–5233; address 22835 Calle San
Juan de Los Lagos, Moreno Valley, CA
92553; email lelser@blm.gov. Persons
who use a telecommunications device
for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at
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
applicant, Rio Mesa Solar Holdings,
LLC, has requested a right-of-way
(ROW) authorization to construct,
operate, maintain, and decommission an
approximately 8-mile generation
interconnection transmission (gen-tie)
line, an approximately 3-mile
emergency power line and an
approximately 1.6 miles of access roads
on BLM-managed land. Through an
application with the California Energy
Commission, the applicant proposes to
construct an approximately 3805-acre,
500-MW solar generation facility on
nearby private lands. The aboveidentified components proposed on
BLM-managed lands in Riverside
County approximately 13 miles
PO 00000
Frm 00044
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
southwest of Blythe, California, would
support this thermal power plant
project. The Project’s 230-kilovolt (kV)
gen-tie line is proposed to parallel the
existing Imperial Irrigation District F
Line from where it crosses the Rio Mesa
generation site north to the Southern
California Edison Colorado River
Substation where it could connect the
Project to the regional transmission grid.
Due to the number of transmission lines
in this location, the BLM will consider
whether the CDCA Plan should be
amended by designating this area as a
utility corridor. Additionally two
pathways for 33-kV lines providing
electrical service to the Project and two
pathways for roads providing access to
the Project are proposed on BLMadministered lands. If approved, project
construction would begin in 2013 and
would take approximately 24 months to
complete.
The purpose of the public scoping
process is to determine relevant issues
that will influence the scope of the
environmental analysis, including
alternatives, and guide the process for
developing the Draft EIS/PA. The BLM
has identified the following preliminary
issues: Air quality, biological resources,
recreation, cultural resources, water
resources, geological resources, special
management areas, land use, noise,
paleontological resources, public health,
socioeconomic, soils, and traffic and
transportation, visual resources. It
should be noted that the BLM has
determined that the proposed solar
facility on private property is a
connected action, and the BLM plans to
analyze the potential effects of the solar
facility in the EIS.
Pursuant to the BLM’s CDCA Plan,
sites associated with transmission above
161kV not identified in the CDCA Plan
will be considered through the plan
amendment process to determine the
suitability of the site for energy
transmission. Since a portion of the gentie route was not previously identified
as a designated utility corridor, its
authorization would require amendment
of the CDCA Plan. By this notice, the
BLM is complying with requirements in
43 CFR 1610.2(c) to notify the public of
potential amendments to CDCA Plan
predicated on the findings in the EIS. If
a land use plan amendment is
necessary, the BLM will integrate the
land use planning process with the
NEPA process for the Project. A
preliminary list of the potential
planning criteria that will be used to
help guide and define the scope of the
plan amendment process includes:
1. The plan amendments will be
completed in compliance with FLPMA,
NEPA, and all other relevant Federal
E:\FR\FM\29AUN1.SGM
29AUN1
TKELLEY on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 168 / Wednesday, August 29, 2012 / Notices
laws, executive orders, and BLM
policies;
2. Existing, valid plan decisions will
not be changed and any new plan
decisions will not conflict with existing
plan decisions; and
3. The plan amendment(s) will
recognize valid existing rights.
You may submit comments on issues
and planning criteria in writing to the
BLM at any public scoping meeting, or
you may submit them to the BLM using
one of the methods listed in the
ADDRESSES section above. To be most
helpful, you should submit comments
by the close of the 30-day scoping
period or within 15 days after the last
public meeting, whichever is later.
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.
The BLM will utilize and coordinate
the NEPA public participation
requirements to assist the agency in
satisfying the public involvement
requirements under Section 106 of the
National Historic Preservation Act
(NHPA) (16 U.S.C. 470(f)) as provided
for in 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3). Information
about historic and cultural resources
within the area potentially affected by
the proposed Rio Mesa Project and
potential CDCA Plan amendment will
assist the BLM in identifying and
evaluating impacts to such resources in
the context of both NEPA and Section
106 of the NHPA.
The BLM will consult with Indian
tribes on a government-to-government
basis in accordance with Executive
Order 13175 and other policies. Tribal
concerns, including impacts on Indian
trust assets, will be given due
consideration. Federal, State, and local
agencies, along with tribes and other
stakeholders that may be interested or
affected by the proposed action that the
BLM is evaluating, are invited to
participate in the scoping process and,
if eligible, may request or be requested
by the BLM to participate in the
development of the environmental
analysis as a cooperating agency.
The BLM will evaluate identified
issues to be addressed in the plan, and
will place them into one of three
categories:
1. Issues to be resolved in the plan
amendment;
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:37 Aug 28, 2012
Jkt 226001
2. Issues to be resolved through policy
or administrative action; or
3. Issues beyond the scope of this plan
amendment.
The BLM will provide an explanation
in the EIS as to why an issue was placed
in category two or three. The public is
also encouraged to identify any
management questions and concerns
that should be addressed in the plan
amendment. The BLM will work
collaboratively with interested parties to
identify the management decisions that
are best suited to local, regional, and
national needs and concerns.
The BLM will use an interdisciplinary
approach to develop the plan
amendment in order to consider the
variety of resource issues and concerns
identified. Specialists with expertise in
the following disciplines will be
involved in the planning process:
Rangeland management, minerals and
geology, outdoor recreation,
archaeology, paleontology, wildlife and
fisheries, lands and realty, hydrology,
soils, and sociology and economics.
Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 43 CFR
1610.2.
Thomas Pogacnik,
Deputy State Director, California.
[FR Doc. 2012–21272 Filed 8–28–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–40–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[WYW 163447]
Notice of Proposed Withdrawal and
Opportunity for Public Meeting;
Wyoming; Correction
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Correction.
AGENCY:
This action corrects the
acreage referenced in the SUMMARY and
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION sections of
a notice published in the Federal
Register on Friday, September 1, 2006
(71 FR 52144).
On page 52144, column 1, line 24 of
the notice, which reads ‘‘approximately
427 acres of public land,’’ is hereby
corrected to read, ‘‘approximately 504
acres of public land.’’
On page 52144, column 2, line 20 of
the notice, which reads ‘‘The area
described contains 427 acres,’’ is hereby
corrected to read, ‘‘The area described
contains 504 acres.’’
SUMMARY:
Donald A. Simpson,
State Director, Wyoming.
[FR Doc. 2012–21273 Filed 8–28–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
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Fmt 4703
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52353
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
[BOEM–2011–0082]
Right-of-Way Grant of Submerged
Lands on the Outer Continental Shelf
to Support Renewable Energy
Development
Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management (BOEM), Interior.
ACTION: Request for comment.
AGENCY:
BOEM Form 0009 would be
used to issue Outer Continental Shelf
(OCS) renewable energy right-of-way
(ROW) grants in order to streamline this
process and increase efficiency and
consistency for applicants. As defined
by BOEM regulations at 30 CFR Part
585, an ROW grant is an authorization
issued for use of a portion of the OCS
for the construction and use of a cable
or pipeline for the purpose of gathering,
transmitting, distributing, or otherwise
transporting electricity or other energy
product generated or produced from
renewable energy, but does not
constitute a project easement. The
ability of an ROW grantee to install such
a cable or pipeline and operate such
activities would be subject to the
applicable approvals specified in 30
CFR Part 585. BOEM has developed the
form included in this notice and invites
comments on the draft form. Following
the 30-day comment period, BOEM will
review all submitted comments, and
publish a final version of the form in the
Federal Register.
DATES: Submit written comments by
September 28, 2012.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Maureen A. Bornholdt, Program
Manager, Office of Renewable Energy
Programs at (703) 787–1300.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
by either of the following methods listed
below.
• Electronically: go to https://
www.regulations.gov. In the entry titled
‘‘Enter Keyword or ID,’’ enter docket
BOEM–2011–0082 then click ‘‘search.’’
Follow the instructions to submit public
comments and view supporting and
related materials. All comments will be
posted on www.regulations.gov.
• Mail or hand-carry comments to the
Department of the Interior; Bureau of
Ocean Energy Management; Attention:
Jennifer Golladay; 381 Elden Street, HM
1328; Herndon, Virginia 20170. Please
reference the docket number and title in
your comment and include your name
and return address.
Public Comment Procedures: Before
including your address, phone number,
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\29AUN1.SGM
29AUN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 168 (Wednesday, August 29, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52352-52353]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-21272]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLCAD06000 L51010000.ER0000.LVRWB12B4840]
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
the Rio Mesa Gen-Tie Project and Possible Land Use Plan Amendment,
Riverside County, CA
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In compliance 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) Palm
Springs South Coast Field Office, Palm Springs, California, intends to
prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Rio Mesa Gen-
Tie Project. The proposed project would require an amendment to the
California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan (1980 as amended),
which would be evaluated in this EIS. By this notice, the BLM is
announcing the beginning of the scoping process to solicit public
comments and identify issues related to the EIS/plan amendment (PA).
DATES: This notice initiates the public scoping process for the EIS/PA.
Comments on issues related to the EIS/PA may be submitted in writing
until September 28, 2012. The date(s) and location(s) of any scoping
meetings will be announced at least 15 days in advance through local
media, newspapers and the BLM Web site at: https://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/palmsprings/Solar_Projects.html. In order to be included in the
analysis, all comments must be received prior to the close of the 30-
day scoping period or 15 days after the last public meeting, whichever
is later. We will provide additional opportunities for public
participation as appropriate.
ADDRESSES: You may submit scoping comments for the proposed Rio Mesa
Gen-Tie Project by any of the following methods:
Web site: https://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en.html;
Email: CARioMesa@blm.gov;
Fax: 951-697-5299; or
Mail: Lynnette Elser, Planning and Environmental
Coordinator, BLM California Desert District Office, 22835 Calle San
Juan de Los Lagos, Moreno Valley, CA 92553.
Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined at the BLM
Palm Springs South Coast Field Office, 1201 Bird Center Drive, Palm
Springs, CA 92262 or at the BLM California Desert District Office.
For further information and/or to have your name added to our
mailing list, contact Lynnette Elser, Planning and Environmental
Coordinator; telephone 951-697-5233; address 22835 Calle San Juan de
Los Lagos, Moreno Valley, CA 92553; email lelser@blm.gov. Persons who
use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 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 applicant, Rio Mesa Solar Holdings, LLC,
has requested a right-of-way (ROW) authorization to construct, operate,
maintain, and decommission an approximately 8-mile generation
interconnection transmission (gen-tie) line, an approximately 3-mile
emergency power line and an approximately 1.6 miles of access roads on
BLM-managed land. Through an application with the California Energy
Commission, the applicant proposes to construct an approximately 3805-
acre, 500-MW solar generation facility on nearby private lands. The
above-identified components proposed on BLM-managed lands in Riverside
County approximately 13 miles southwest of Blythe, California, would
support this thermal power plant project. The Project's 230-kilovolt
(kV) gen-tie line is proposed to parallel the existing Imperial
Irrigation District F Line from where it crosses the Rio Mesa
generation site north to the Southern California Edison Colorado River
Substation where it could connect the Project to the regional
transmission grid. Due to the number of transmission lines in this
location, the BLM will consider whether the CDCA Plan should be amended
by designating this area as a utility corridor. Additionally two
pathways for 33-kV lines providing electrical service to the Project
and two pathways for roads providing access to the Project are proposed
on BLM-administered lands. If approved, project construction would
begin in 2013 and would take approximately 24 months to complete.
The purpose of the public scoping process is to determine relevant
issues that will influence the scope of the environmental analysis,
including alternatives, and guide the process for developing the Draft
EIS/PA. The BLM has identified the following preliminary issues: Air
quality, biological resources, recreation, cultural resources, water
resources, geological resources, special management areas, land use,
noise, paleontological resources, public health, socioeconomic, soils,
and traffic and transportation, visual resources. It should be noted
that the BLM has determined that the proposed solar facility on private
property is a connected action, and the BLM plans to analyze the
potential effects of the solar facility in the EIS.
Pursuant to the BLM's CDCA Plan, sites associated with transmission
above 161kV not identified in the CDCA Plan will be considered through
the plan amendment process to determine the suitability of the site for
energy transmission. Since a portion of the gen-tie route was not
previously identified as a designated utility corridor, its
authorization would require amendment of the CDCA Plan. By this notice,
the BLM is complying with requirements in 43 CFR 1610.2(c) to notify
the public of potential amendments to CDCA Plan predicated on the
findings in the EIS. If a land use plan amendment is necessary, the BLM
will integrate the land use planning process with the NEPA process for
the Project. A preliminary list of the potential planning criteria that
will be used to help guide and define the scope of the plan amendment
process includes:
1. The plan amendments will be completed in compliance with FLPMA,
NEPA, and all other relevant Federal
[[Page 52353]]
laws, executive orders, and BLM policies;
2. Existing, valid plan decisions will not be changed and any new
plan decisions will not conflict with existing plan decisions; and
3. The plan amendment(s) will recognize valid existing rights.
You may submit comments on issues and planning criteria in writing
to the BLM at any public scoping meeting, or you may submit them to the
BLM using one of the methods listed in the ADDRESSES section above. To
be most helpful, you should submit comments by the close of the 30-day
scoping period or within 15 days after the last public meeting,
whichever is later.
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.
The BLM will utilize and coordinate the NEPA public participation
requirements to assist the agency in satisfying the public involvement
requirements under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation
Act (NHPA) (16 U.S.C. 470(f)) as provided for in 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3).
Information about historic and cultural resources within the area
potentially affected by the proposed Rio Mesa Project and potential
CDCA Plan amendment will assist the BLM in identifying and evaluating
impacts to such resources in the context of both NEPA and Section 106
of the NHPA.
The BLM will consult with Indian tribes on a government-to-
government basis in accordance with Executive Order 13175 and other
policies. Tribal concerns, including impacts on Indian trust assets,
will be given due consideration. Federal, State, and local agencies,
along with tribes and other stakeholders that may be interested or
affected by the proposed action that the BLM is evaluating, are invited
to participate in the scoping process and, if eligible, may request or
be requested by the BLM to participate in the development of the
environmental analysis as a cooperating agency.
The BLM will evaluate identified issues to be addressed in the
plan, and will place them into one of three categories:
1. Issues to be resolved in the plan amendment;
2. Issues to be resolved through policy or administrative action;
or
3. Issues beyond the scope of this plan amendment.
The BLM will provide an explanation in the EIS as to why an issue
was placed in category two or three. The public is also encouraged to
identify any management questions and concerns that should be addressed
in the plan amendment. The BLM will work collaboratively with
interested parties to identify the management decisions that are best
suited to local, regional, and national needs and concerns.
The BLM will use an interdisciplinary approach to develop the plan
amendment in order to consider the variety of resource issues and
concerns identified. Specialists with expertise in the following
disciplines will be involved in the planning process: Rangeland
management, minerals and geology, outdoor recreation, archaeology,
paleontology, wildlife and fisheries, lands and realty, hydrology,
soils, and sociology and economics.
Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 43 CFR 1610.2.
Thomas Pogacnik,
Deputy State Director, California.
[FR Doc. 2012-21272 Filed 8-28-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-40-P
