Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed South Coast Resource Management Plan Amendment; for the Proposed Upper Santa Ana River Habitat Conservation Plan and Land Exchange, 11463-11466 [2015-04341]
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 41 / Tuesday, March 3, 2015 / Notices
Program. The site contains a detailed
list of frequently asked questions,
outreach materials, instructions for
completing the deed, cooperative
agreement guidance and instructional
documents, and Program presentations,
among other items.
The Program seeks comment on what,
if any, additional information on the
Program’s Web site would be helpful in
assisting individual landowners to reach
informed decisions about the
disposition of their fractional interests.
The Program also seeks comments on
what additional steps can be taken to
ensure landowners have sufficient
information and answers to their
questions.
3. Public Domain or ‘‘OffReservation’’ Lands. Under the
Settlement, fractional interests acquired
by the Program are to be immediately
held in trust or restricted status for the
recognized tribe that exercises
jurisdiction over the land. When
identifying the locations with fractional
interests that may be consolidated, the
Program excludes land area names that
include the term ‘‘public domain’’ or
‘‘off reservation’’ because use of these
terms indicate that there may be no
recognized tribe that exercises
jurisdiction over the land. The Program
has encouraged feedback, however, on
the list of locations in its 2012 and 2013
implementation plans. Since then, the
Program has received feedback from
several tribes suggesting that certain
land areas should be included.
The Program is now seeking general
feedback on whether the Program
should incorporate public domain or off
reservation land areas into the Program,
and if so, what criteria should be
applied.
4. Purchase Estimates. Consultations
between Departmental, Program, and
tribal leaders led to the policy decision
to express purchase ceiling amounts
within the Initial Implementation Plan
(2012 Plan) and Updated
Implementation Plan (2013 Plan). The
underlying concept behind such
purchase estimates is to approximate
the potential portion of the
Consolidation Fund available to pay
owners who choose to sell fractional
interests at a given location, based on a
formula that considers a location’s
proportional share of fractionation
across Indian Country.
The Program’s November 2014 Status
Report expounds on the purchase
estimate approach. Among other things,
it noted that the Program was
implementing several steps to ‘‘make
sure the Consolidation Fund is used
before November 2022,’’ including the
creation of opportunities for willing
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sellers, leveraging efficient mass
appraisal results, making a single wave
of offers, and continually learning from
experience and data. Moreover, the
Status Report described a number of
factors the Program will consider to
determine how to best expend funds,
such as:
a. Level of interested or documented
willing sellers;
b. availability of valuation relatedinformation;
c. tribal readiness or interest;
d. severity of fractionation;
e. cost and time efficiency;
f. promotion of tribal sovereignty and
self-determination;
g. economic and/or cultural value for
the community, as evidenced by wellarticulated tribal priorities; and
h. loss of historical reservation land as
a result of allotment.
Such steps are intended to help the
Program address instances where sales
fall below estimates to ensure full use of
the Consolidation Fund by November
2022. The Program seeks comment on
these steps, including the most
equitable, efficient, and cost effective
way to utilize/repurpose purchase
estimate amounts remaining following
active implementation at each
individual location.
5. Purchase Offer Package. The
Program strives to make the offer
package documents as clear and user
friendly as possible. Following the
initial purchase offers to landowners,
the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) made
several changes to the Deed paperwork
to reduce common errors by landowners
and notaries and increase processing
speed. The Program also clarified the
Cover Letter and Instructions to address
frequent questions and recurring errors.
The Program seeks comment on what,
if any, additional changes would assist
in making offer package documents as
clear and user friendly as possible.
6. Reimbursement for Post-Settlement
Purchases of Fractional Interests. The
Buy-Back Program has received
inquiries regarding, and requests from
tribes for, reimbursement from the Land
Consolidation Fund for tribal purchases
of fractional interests.
The Program seeks comment on what
criteria it should apply in making
reimbursement decisions.
7. Structural Improvements. While the
Program will not acquire structural
improvements, which are non-trust
property, the Program continues to work
with its tribal and Federal partners to
determine the feasibility of making
offers on tracts with structures.
The Program seeks comment on a
recommended policy regarding
acquiring interests in tracts with
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11463
structural improvements, including
instances in which the Program might
choose to acquire interests.
8. Whereabouts Unknown.
Whereabouts unknown (WAU) is the
term used to describe Individual Indian
Money (IIM) account holders without
current address information on file with
the Office of the Special Trustee for
American Indians (OST). The
Settlement provides for an outreach
effort to locate landowners whose
whereabouts are unknown as of the date
of final approval of the Settlement. If
those owners are not located after the
Department undertakes the outreach
effort and the passage of five years, the
landowners shall be deemed to have
consented to the conveyance of their
fractional interest [Cobell Settlement
Agreement at F (6); Claims Resolution
Act of 2010 101(e) (5)]. Since the
Program’s inception, the focus has been
locating WAU through outreach efforts
so the individuals can receive and
consider an offer.
The Program has not exercised WAU
purchases thus far and is seeking input
from tribes and individuals on whether
and how it should implement the
provision.
IV. Additional Resources
The Land Buy-Back Program for
Tribal Nations 2014 Status Report and
additional information about the BuyBack Program is available at: https://
www.doi.gov/buybackprogram. In
addition, landowners can contact their
local Fiduciary Trust Officer or call
Interior’s Trust Beneficiary Call Center
at (888) 678–6836.
Dated: February 23, 2015.
Michael L. Connor,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015–04304 Filed 3–2–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–R8–ES–2015–N254; FXES11120000–
156–FF08E00000]
Supplemental Draft Environmental
Impact Statement for the Proposed
South Coast Resource Management
Plan Amendment; for the Proposed
Upper Santa Ana River Habitat
Conservation Plan and Land Exchange
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior; Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
AGENCY:
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11464
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 41 / Tuesday, March 3, 2015 / Notices
Notice of intent and notice of
public meeting; request for comments.
ACTION:
We, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (Service) and Bureau of
Land Management (BLM), intend to
prepare a Supplemental Draft
Environmental Impact Statement
(SDEIS) under the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of
1969, as amended, for the proposed
Upper Santa Ana River Wash Habitat
Conservation Plan (HCP), and a related
land exchange. The SDEIS will be a
joint Environmental Impact Statement/
Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR),
for which the Service, the BLM, and the
San Bernardino Valley Water
Conservation District (District) intend to
gather information necessary for
preparation. The proposed HCP has
been drafted to meet the requirements of
the Federal Endangered Species Act
(ESA) of 1973, as amended, and the
State of California’s Endangered Species
Act and Natural Communities
Conservation Planning Act. The BLM, in
compliance with the Federal Land
Policy and Management Act, as
amended, will consider this NEPA
process and the resulting HCP
documents in its analysis toward
possible amendment of the BLM South
Coast Resource Management Plan
(SCRMP) to support the land exchange.
DATES: Please send written comments
on or before May 4, 2015.
We will hold two public scoping
meetings on March 18, 2015, from 2 to
4 p.m. and 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the San
Bernardino Valley Water Conservation
District office located at 1630 West
Redlands Avenue, Redlands, CA 92373.
In addition to this notice, we will
announce the public scoping meetings
in local news media and on the Internet
at the BLM Web site (https://
www.ca.blm.gov/palmsprings) and the
Service Web site (https://www.fws.gov/
carlsbad) at least 15 days prior to the
event. For more information, see Public
Comments and Reasonable
Accommodation in the SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION.
SUMMARY:
Comments or requests for
more information specific to the
proposed land exchange and
amendment to the SCRMP should be
sent via any one of the following
methods:
U.S. Mail: Brandon Anderson, Santa
Ana River Wash Project, Bureau of Land
Management, 1201 Bird Center Drive,
Palm Springs, CA 92262.
Email: bganderson@blm.gov. Subject
line should include ‘‘Scoping
Comments for the Upper Santa Ana
River Wash Project.’’
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ADDRESSES:
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Comments or requests for more
information specific to the issuance of
an incidental take permit and the HCP
should be sent to the following:
U.S. Mail: Kennon Corey, Santa Ana
River Wash Project, Palm Springs Fish
and Wildlife Service Office, 777 E.
Tahquitz Canyon Way, Suite 208, Palm
Springs, CA 92262.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
further information and/or to have your
name added to our mailing list, contact
Brandon Anderson, Santa Ana River
Wash Project, Bureau of Land
Management, Palm Springs South Coast
Field Office, by telephone at 760–833–
7117, or by email at bganderson@
blm.gov, or Kennon Corey, Santa Ana
River Wash Project, by mail at Palm
Springs Fish and Wildlife Office, 777
East Tahquitz Canyon Way, Suite 208,
Palm Springs, CA 92262 or by email at
fw8cfwocomments@fws.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
In 1993, representatives of numerous
agencies, including water, mining, flood
control, wildlife, and municipal
interests, formed a Wash Committee to
address mining issues that were local to
the upper Santa Ana River wash area.
The role of the Committee was
subsequently expanded, and it began
meeting in 1997 to determine how this
area might accommodate the ongoing
and contemplated future activities of the
participating entities. To achieve this
goal, the Wash Committee worked with
the California Department of Fish and
Wildlife (CDFW) and the Service to
develop a Habitat Conservation Plan
(HCP), which would establish a
structure to integrate ongoing operations
and planned projects with biological
resource conservation within the Plan
area. The District prepared a draft HCP
on behalf of the Wash Committee in
November 2008 and subsequently
revised it in January 2010. The District
and the Wash Committee subsequently
worked with the Service and CDFW to
revise the HCP, which now provides
additional conservation. The District
and the Wash Committee have also been
working with the BLM to facilitate a
land exchange to accommodate the HCP
conservation strategy.
The Supplemental Draft EIR/EIS
(SDEIS) will provide an updated
analysis to the 2009 Draft EIS issued by
the BLM in April 2009 for the Proposed
Santa Ana River Wash Land Use Plan
Amendment and Land Exchange and
the Final EIR issued by the District for
the HCP. The SDEIS will consider the
environmental effects associated with
the proposed land exchange, the
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proposed amendment to the SCRMP,
and the proposed HCP, as well as those
of several alternatives.
The SDEIS will evaluate the direct,
indirect, and cumulative impacts of
several alternatives related to the
proposed land exchange and to the
proposed issuance of Endangered
Species Act permits to permit
applicants in San Bernardino County,
California. The permit applicants intend
to apply for a 30-year permit from the
Service that would authorize the
incidental take of species resulting from
implementation or approval of covered
activities, including aggregate mining,
the construction of ground water
recharge basins, road improvements,
trail construction, and other kinds of
projects.
Pursuant to 43 CFR 1610.2(c), notice
is hereby given that the BLM is
considering a proposal to amend the
1994 SCRMP and exchange lands with
the District. Additionally, the Service is
considering the issuance of an
incidental take permit consistent with
the Upper Santa Ana River Wash HCP.
The SDEIS will describe and analyze
alternatives to the proposed land use
plan amendment, and HCP. The lands
proposed for exchange in the 2009 Draft
EIS have been revised to incorporate the
activities and conservation strategy to be
carried out consistent with the terms of
the HCP and the refinement of exchange
parcels to allow water conservation,
mining, flood control, and other public
actions within the study area while
protecting and consolidating the natural
resources, especially the threatened and
endangered species in the area. This
analysis will also review reasonably
foreseeable activities currently
undergoing initial feasibility review for
an additional flood control activity,
potentially resulting in a new Area of
Critical Environmental Concern
designation. Covered activities will also
be reviewed for potential impacts to
land designated as an Area of Critical
Environmental Concern and Research
Natural Area for protection of two
plants federally listed as endangered,
Eriastrum densifolium subsp.
sanctorum (Santa Ana River woollystar) and Dodecahema leptoceras
(slender-horned spineflower); as well as
the federally endangered San
Bernardino kangaroo rat (Dipodomys
merriami parvus); the federally
threatened coastal California
gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica
californica); and the cactus wren
(Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus). In
order to respond to comments received
on the 2009 Draft EIS, extensive
biological fieldwork was conducted to
identify the areas in which the species
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are found in both a quantitative and
qualitative manner. The Supplemental
EIS will address the Federal actions in
approving and implementing the
project, including the proposed land
exchange between the BLM and the
District, the proposed amendment to the
SCRMP by the BLM to accommodate the
land exchange and the overall Wash
Plan, and the proposed issuance of an
incidental take permit consistent with
the HCP. The BLM and the Service will
be co-lead Agencies for the
Supplemental EIS. The District will be
the Lead Agency for the Supplemental
EIR, under the California Environmental
Quality Act.
The Service and BLM are publishing
this notice to announce the initiation of
a public scoping period, during which
we invite other agencies (local, State,
and Federal), Tribes, nongovernmental
organizations, and the public to submit
written comments providing suggestions
and information on the scope of issues
and alternatives to be addressed in the
SDEIS. Concurrently with this notice,
the District has publicly released a
California Environmental Quality Act
Notice of Preparation for its EIR via
State and local media.
Project Area
The project area lies within San
Bernardino County, California,
primarily in the cities of Highland and
Redlands, as well as within the
unincorporated County area. The project
area encompasses approximately 4,467
acres within the area bounded by
Greenspot Road to the north and east,
Alabama Street to the west, and the
Santa Ana River Wash to the south.
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Potential Applicants
The Upper Santa Ana River Wash
Plan is being prepared through a
collaboration of Federal, State, and local
agencies as the basis for the BLM to
amend the SCRMP and exchange lands
for the HCP, for the HCP approval and
potential issuance of incidental take
permits for the implementation of the
Upper Santa Ana River Wash Plan by
the District, City of Highland, City of
Redlands, San Bernardino County, San
Bernardino Valley Municipal Water
District, and others. The incidental take
permits would be issued pursuant to
section 10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA and
section 2081 (CESA) of the California
Fish and Game Code. Only the
applicants listed in the applications and
HCP could receive incidental take
permits for the covered activities and
the covered species.
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Covered Activities
The HCP is intended to cover two
types of activities in the Upper Santa
Ana River Wash Plan project area:
(1) Activities related to the operations
and maintenance of existing facilities or
land uses already in operation in the
Wash, covering an area totaling 166.9
acres; and
(2) Expansion or enhancement of
facilities planned for the Wash area,
totaling 634.1 acres.
It should be noted that activities
related to all utilities belonging to
Southern California Edison within the
project footprint, and the EBX Foothill
Pipeline, also located within the project
footprint, are excluded from the covered
activities described in the HCP.
All listed project activities can be
subdivided into the following
categories:
(1) Flood Control—activities related to
the operation and maintenance of
existing flood control facilities;
(2) Mining—activities that support
continued aggregate mining activities in
the Wash;
(3) Trails—the development of trails
and open space opportunities; activities
that support the restoration and
maintenance of habitat values in the
Wash;
(4) Transportation—activities related
to the construction and maintenance of
planned transportation facilities;
(5) Water Conservation—activities
related to water management for
conservation purposes, as well as
habitat restoration activities, and the
continued operations and maintenance
of certain miscellaneous activities
present on the site such as citrus
production; and
(6) Wells—activities related to the
recharge or extraction of potable water
from groundwater basins as part of the
regional water supply.
Covered Species
Covered Species are those species
addressed in the proposed Upper Santa
Ana River Wash Plan for which
conservation actions will be
implemented and for which the
applicants will seek incidental take
authorizations for a period of up to 30
years. Proposed Covered Species are
expected to include threatened and
endangered species listed under the
ESA, species listed under CESA, and
unlisted species of Federal and State
conservation concern.
Under the ESA, there is no take of
federally listed plant species, and
authorization under an ESA section 10
permit is not required. Section 9 of ESA
does, however, prohibit certain actions
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11465
related to plants including the removal
of federally listed plants from areas
under Federal jurisdiction and the
removal or destruction of endangered
plants in knowing violation of State law.
In addition, section 7(a)(2) of the ESA
prohibits Federal agencies from
jeopardizing the continued existence of
any listed plant or animal species, or
destroying or adversely modifying the
critical habitat of such species. The
species that may be affected by the
proposed actions include two plants
federally listed as endangered,
Eriastrum densiflorum subsp.
sanctorum and Dodecahema leptoceras,
the federally endangered San
Bernardino kangaroo rat and federally
threatened coastal California
gnatcatcher, and the cactus wren (not
currently listed under the ESA).
The species noted above will be
evaluated for inclusion in the Upper
Santa Ana River Wash Plan as proposed
Covered Species. However, the list of
Covered Species may change as the
planning process progresses; species
may be added or removed as more is
learned about the nature of Covered
Activities and their impact on native
species within the Plan area.
Environmental Impact Statement
Before deciding whether to issue the
requested Federal incidental take
permit, the land exchange and the
SCRMP, the Service and BLM will
prepare a SDEIS, and a final EIS as part
of the joint EIS/EIR, in order to analyze
the environmental impacts associated
with potential adoption and
implementation of the proposed Upper
Santa Ana River Wash Plan as a HCP,
land exchange, and SCRMP amendment.
In the EIS component of the joint EIS/
EIR, the Service and BLM intend to
consider the following alternatives:
(1) The proposed action, which
includes the Service issuance of
incidental take Permit consistent with
the proposed Upper Santa Ana River
Wash Plan HCP under section
10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA to the applicants,
and BLM’s approval of a land exchange
and SCRMP amendment;
(2) No action (no Federal ESA permit
issuance, no land exchange, and no
SCRMP amendment); and
(3) A reasonable range of alternatives
that address different scenarios of
development and species conservation
on both Federal and non-Federal land.
The SDEIS will include a detailed
analysis of the impacts of the proposed
action and alternatives. The range of
alternatives to be considered and
analyzed will represent varying levels of
conservation and impacts, and may
include variations in the scope of
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Covered Activities; variations in the
locations, amount, and type of
conservation and land exchange;
variations in permit duration; or a
combination of these elements. The
BLM may address other considerations
in the SDEIS. In compliance with NEPA,
the Service and BLM will be responsible
for the scope and preparation of the EIS
component of the joint EIS/EIR.
The SDEIS will identify and analyze
potentially significant direct, indirect,
and cumulative impacts of the Service’s
authorization of incidental take (permit
issuance) and the implementation of the
proposed Upper Santa Ana River Wash
Plan on biological resources, land uses,
utilities, air quality, water resources
(including surface and groundwater
supply and water quality), cultural
resources, socioeconomics and
environmental justice, outdoor
recreation, visual resources, induced
growth, climate change and greenhouse
gases, and other environmental issues
that could occur with implementation of
the proposed action and alternatives.
The Service and the BLM will use all
practicable means, consistent with
NEPA and other essential
considerations of national policy, to
avoid or minimize significant effects of
their actions upon the quality of the
human environment.
The CDFW has requested and agreed
to be a State cooperating agency. The
Service, BLM, and CDFW agree that
establishing a cooperating agency
relationship will create a more
streamlined and coordinated approach
in developing this joint EIS/EIR.
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Reasonable Accommodation
The Service and BLM are committed
to providing access to these scoping
meetings for all participants. Please
direct all requests for sign language
interpreting services, closed captioning,
or other accommodation needs to
Kennon Corey at 760–322–2070
(telephone), ken_corey@fws.gov (email),
or 800–877–8339 (TTY), as soon as
possible. To allow sufficient time to
process requests, please call no later
than 1 week before the public meeting.
Information regarding this proposed
action is available in alternative formats
upon request.
Public Comments
We invite other government agencies,
Native American Tribes, the scientific
community, industry, nongovernmental
organizations, and all other interested
parties to participate in this scoping
process and provide comments and
information. Comments on issues and
potential impacts, or suggestions for
additional or different alternatives, may
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be submitted in writing at any public
scoping meeting or through one of the
methods listed in the ADDRESSES section
of this notice.
Before including your address, phone
number, email address, or other
personal identifying information in your
comment, you should be aware that
your entire comment—including your
personal identifying information—may
be made publicly available at any time.
While you can ask us in your comment
to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
Authority
We provide this notice under section
10 of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.)
and by NEPA regulations (40 CFR
1501.7, 1506.6, and 1508.22).
Dated: February 23, 2015.
Alexandra Pitts,
Deputy Regional Director, Pacific Southwest
Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
Sacramento, California.
Dated: February 23, 2015.
Tom Pogacnik,
Deputy State Director, Natural Resources,
California State Office, Bureau of Land
Management, Sacramento, California.
[FR Doc. 2015–04341 Filed 3–2–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
Bureau of Indian Affairs
[145D0102DR DS5A300000
DR.5A311.IA000514]
Availability of Funds for Climate
Change Adaptation and Coastal
Management to Federally Recognized
Indian Tribes
Bureau of Indian Affairs,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The Bureau of Indian Affairs
(BIA) has funding available for support
of tribal climate change adaptation and
ocean and coastal management
planning. Any federally recognized tribe
(or tribal organization whose
application is supported by a tribal
resolution) may submit an application
for these funds. The BIA is mailing
application packets to each tribal leader.
Funds will be awarded under the Indian
Self-Determination and Education
Assistance Act (ISDEAA).
DATES: Applications must be submitted
by April 24, 2015.
ADDRESSES: An application packet has
been mailed to tribal leaders. Submit
SUMMARY:
Frm 00080
Fmt 4703
If
you do not receive an application packet
or if you would like additional
information on how to apply, please
contact Helen Riggs, BIA Office of Trust
Services, at helen.riggs@bia.gov or (202)
208–5770.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BIA
has up to $8 million in funding
available for federally recognized tribes
for climate change adaptation and for
ocean and coastal management
planning. Because limited funding is
available, no more than $250,000 is
available for any one proposal. The
funds are awarded pursuant to ISDEAA,
25 U.S.C. 450 et seq., and are subject to
25 CFR part 900 (for self-determination
contracts) or 25 CFR part 1000 (for selfgovernance funding agreements). Tribes
that seek for BIA to perform a project via
direct service should contact their BIA
Regional Director for additional
information. Applicants may request
funding for the following:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Climate Adaptation Planning
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
PO 00000
your ISDEAA contract proposal in
accordance with the directions in the
application packet to climate.funding@
bia.gov or Ms. Helen Riggs, Deputy
Bureau Director, Office of Trust
Services, Bureau of Indian Affairs, 1849
C St. NW., MS–4620, Washington, DC
20240.
Sfmt 4703
• Category 1. Trainings & Workshops.
Design and host tribal training(s) or
workshop(s) to support tribal leaders,
climate change coordinators, planners,
and program managers to build skills
and gather information needed to
coordinate the tribal adaptation
planning process.
• Category 2. Climate Adaptation
Planning. Develop tribal government
climate adaptation plans, vulnerability
assessments, or data analysis.
• Category 3. Travel. Provide travel
support for tribal leaders and staff to
attend training(s) or workshop(s) or to
participate in cooperative climate
change adaptation efforts (including
Landscape Conservation Cooperatives,
Climate Science Centers, and other
adaptation management forums).
Ocean and Coastal Management
Planning
• Category 4. Ocean and Coastal
Management Planning. Develop ocean
and coastal management planning; build
tribal capacity; implement a pilot
project for restoration and resilience of
coastal resources; perform inventories or
vulnerability assessments; identify
monitoring protocols and critical
indicator species; marine spatial
planning; coast climate adaptation
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 41 (Tuesday, March 3, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11463-11466]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-04341]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R8-ES-2015-N254; FXES11120000-156-FF08E00000]
Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the
Proposed South Coast Resource Management Plan Amendment; for the
Proposed Upper Santa Ana River Habitat Conservation Plan and Land
Exchange
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior; Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
[[Page 11464]]
ACTION: Notice of intent and notice of public meeting; request for
comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) and Bureau of
Land Management (BLM), intend to prepare a Supplemental Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) under the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, for the proposed Upper Santa Ana
River Wash Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP), and a related land
exchange. The SDEIS will be a joint Environmental Impact Statement/
Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR), for which the Service, the BLM,
and the San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District (District)
intend to gather information necessary for preparation. The proposed
HCP has been drafted to meet the requirements of the Federal Endangered
Species Act (ESA) of 1973, as amended, and the State of California's
Endangered Species Act and Natural Communities Conservation Planning
Act. The BLM, in compliance with the Federal Land Policy and Management
Act, as amended, will consider this NEPA process and the resulting HCP
documents in its analysis toward possible amendment of the BLM South
Coast Resource Management Plan (SCRMP) to support the land exchange.
DATES: Please send written comments on or before May 4, 2015.
We will hold two public scoping meetings on March 18, 2015, from 2
to 4 p.m. and 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the San Bernardino Valley Water
Conservation District office located at 1630 West Redlands Avenue,
Redlands, CA 92373. In addition to this notice, we will announce the
public scoping meetings in local news media and on the Internet at the
BLM Web site (https://www.ca.blm.gov/palmsprings) and the Service Web
site (https://www.fws.gov/carlsbad) at least 15 days prior to the event.
For more information, see Public Comments and Reasonable Accommodation
in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
ADDRESSES: Comments or requests for more information specific to the
proposed land exchange and amendment to the SCRMP should be sent via
any one of the following methods:
U.S. Mail: Brandon Anderson, Santa Ana River Wash Project, Bureau
of Land Management, 1201 Bird Center Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262.
Email: bganderson@blm.gov. Subject line should include ``Scoping
Comments for the Upper Santa Ana River Wash Project.''
Comments or requests for more information specific to the issuance
of an incidental take permit and the HCP should be sent to the
following:
U.S. Mail: Kennon Corey, Santa Ana River Wash Project, Palm Springs
Fish and Wildlife Service Office, 777 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Suite
208, Palm Springs, CA 92262.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information and/or to have
your name added to our mailing list, contact Brandon Anderson, Santa
Ana River Wash Project, Bureau of Land Management, Palm Springs South
Coast Field Office, by telephone at 760-833-7117, or by email at
bganderson@blm.gov, or Kennon Corey, Santa Ana River Wash Project, by
mail at Palm Springs Fish and Wildlife Office, 777 East Tahquitz Canyon
Way, Suite 208, Palm Springs, CA 92262 or by email at
fw8cfwocomments@fws.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
In 1993, representatives of numerous agencies, including water,
mining, flood control, wildlife, and municipal interests, formed a Wash
Committee to address mining issues that were local to the upper Santa
Ana River wash area. The role of the Committee was subsequently
expanded, and it began meeting in 1997 to determine how this area might
accommodate the ongoing and contemplated future activities of the
participating entities. To achieve this goal, the Wash Committee worked
with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and the
Service to develop a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP), which would
establish a structure to integrate ongoing operations and planned
projects with biological resource conservation within the Plan area.
The District prepared a draft HCP on behalf of the Wash Committee in
November 2008 and subsequently revised it in January 2010. The District
and the Wash Committee subsequently worked with the Service and CDFW to
revise the HCP, which now provides additional conservation. The
District and the Wash Committee have also been working with the BLM to
facilitate a land exchange to accommodate the HCP conservation
strategy.
The Supplemental Draft EIR/EIS (SDEIS) will provide an updated
analysis to the 2009 Draft EIS issued by the BLM in April 2009 for the
Proposed Santa Ana River Wash Land Use Plan Amendment and Land Exchange
and the Final EIR issued by the District for the HCP. The SDEIS will
consider the environmental effects associated with the proposed land
exchange, the proposed amendment to the SCRMP, and the proposed HCP, as
well as those of several alternatives.
The SDEIS will evaluate the direct, indirect, and cumulative
impacts of several alternatives related to the proposed land exchange
and to the proposed issuance of Endangered Species Act permits to
permit applicants in San Bernardino County, California. The permit
applicants intend to apply for a 30-year permit from the Service that
would authorize the incidental take of species resulting from
implementation or approval of covered activities, including aggregate
mining, the construction of ground water recharge basins, road
improvements, trail construction, and other kinds of projects.
Pursuant to 43 CFR 1610.2(c), notice is hereby given that the BLM
is considering a proposal to amend the 1994 SCRMP and exchange lands
with the District. Additionally, the Service is considering the
issuance of an incidental take permit consistent with the Upper Santa
Ana River Wash HCP. The SDEIS will describe and analyze alternatives to
the proposed land use plan amendment, and HCP. The lands proposed for
exchange in the 2009 Draft EIS have been revised to incorporate the
activities and conservation strategy to be carried out consistent with
the terms of the HCP and the refinement of exchange parcels to allow
water conservation, mining, flood control, and other public actions
within the study area while protecting and consolidating the natural
resources, especially the threatened and endangered species in the
area. This analysis will also review reasonably foreseeable activities
currently undergoing initial feasibility review for an additional flood
control activity, potentially resulting in a new Area of Critical
Environmental Concern designation. Covered activities will also be
reviewed for potential impacts to land designated as an Area of
Critical Environmental Concern and Research Natural Area for protection
of two plants federally listed as endangered, Eriastrum densifolium
subsp. sanctorum (Santa Ana River woolly-star) and Dodecahema
leptoceras (slender-horned spineflower); as well as the federally
endangered San Bernardino kangaroo rat (Dipodomys merriami parvus); the
federally threatened coastal California gnatcatcher (Polioptila
californica californica); and the cactus wren (Campylorhynchus
brunneicapillus). In order to respond to comments received on the 2009
Draft EIS, extensive biological fieldwork was conducted to identify the
areas in which the species
[[Page 11465]]
are found in both a quantitative and qualitative manner. The
Supplemental EIS will address the Federal actions in approving and
implementing the project, including the proposed land exchange between
the BLM and the District, the proposed amendment to the SCRMP by the
BLM to accommodate the land exchange and the overall Wash Plan, and the
proposed issuance of an incidental take permit consistent with the HCP.
The BLM and the Service will be co-lead Agencies for the Supplemental
EIS. The District will be the Lead Agency for the Supplemental EIR,
under the California Environmental Quality Act.
The Service and BLM are publishing this notice to announce the
initiation of a public scoping period, during which we invite other
agencies (local, State, and Federal), Tribes, nongovernmental
organizations, and the public to submit written comments providing
suggestions and information on the scope of issues and alternatives to
be addressed in the SDEIS. Concurrently with this notice, the District
has publicly released a California Environmental Quality Act Notice of
Preparation for its EIR via State and local media.
Project Area
The project area lies within San Bernardino County, California,
primarily in the cities of Highland and Redlands, as well as within the
unincorporated County area. The project area encompasses approximately
4,467 acres within the area bounded by Greenspot Road to the north and
east, Alabama Street to the west, and the Santa Ana River Wash to the
south.
Potential Applicants
The Upper Santa Ana River Wash Plan is being prepared through a
collaboration of Federal, State, and local agencies as the basis for
the BLM to amend the SCRMP and exchange lands for the HCP, for the HCP
approval and potential issuance of incidental take permits for the
implementation of the Upper Santa Ana River Wash Plan by the District,
City of Highland, City of Redlands, San Bernardino County, San
Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District, and others. The incidental
take permits would be issued pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA
and section 2081 (CESA) of the California Fish and Game Code. Only the
applicants listed in the applications and HCP could receive incidental
take permits for the covered activities and the covered species.
Covered Activities
The HCP is intended to cover two types of activities in the Upper
Santa Ana River Wash Plan project area:
(1) Activities related to the operations and maintenance of
existing facilities or land uses already in operation in the Wash,
covering an area totaling 166.9 acres; and
(2) Expansion or enhancement of facilities planned for the Wash
area, totaling 634.1 acres.
It should be noted that activities related to all utilities
belonging to Southern California Edison within the project footprint,
and the EBX Foothill Pipeline, also located within the project
footprint, are excluded from the covered activities described in the
HCP.
All listed project activities can be subdivided into the following
categories:
(1) Flood Control--activities related to the operation and
maintenance of existing flood control facilities;
(2) Mining--activities that support continued aggregate mining
activities in the Wash;
(3) Trails--the development of trails and open space opportunities;
activities that support the restoration and maintenance of habitat
values in the Wash;
(4) Transportation--activities related to the construction and
maintenance of planned transportation facilities;
(5) Water Conservation--activities related to water management for
conservation purposes, as well as habitat restoration activities, and
the continued operations and maintenance of certain miscellaneous
activities present on the site such as citrus production; and
(6) Wells--activities related to the recharge or extraction of
potable water from groundwater basins as part of the regional water
supply.
Covered Species
Covered Species are those species addressed in the proposed Upper
Santa Ana River Wash Plan for which conservation actions will be
implemented and for which the applicants will seek incidental take
authorizations for a period of up to 30 years. Proposed Covered Species
are expected to include threatened and endangered species listed under
the ESA, species listed under CESA, and unlisted species of Federal and
State conservation concern.
Under the ESA, there is no take of federally listed plant species,
and authorization under an ESA section 10 permit is not required.
Section 9 of ESA does, however, prohibit certain actions related to
plants including the removal of federally listed plants from areas
under Federal jurisdiction and the removal or destruction of endangered
plants in knowing violation of State law. In addition, section 7(a)(2)
of the ESA prohibits Federal agencies from jeopardizing the continued
existence of any listed plant or animal species, or destroying or
adversely modifying the critical habitat of such species. The species
that may be affected by the proposed actions include two plants
federally listed as endangered, Eriastrum densiflorum subsp. sanctorum
and Dodecahema leptoceras, the federally endangered San Bernardino
kangaroo rat and federally threatened coastal California gnatcatcher,
and the cactus wren (not currently listed under the ESA).
The species noted above will be evaluated for inclusion in the
Upper Santa Ana River Wash Plan as proposed Covered Species. However,
the list of Covered Species may change as the planning process
progresses; species may be added or removed as more is learned about
the nature of Covered Activities and their impact on native species
within the Plan area.
Environmental Impact Statement
Before deciding whether to issue the requested Federal incidental
take permit, the land exchange and the SCRMP, the Service and BLM will
prepare a SDEIS, and a final EIS as part of the joint EIS/EIR, in order
to analyze the environmental impacts associated with potential adoption
and implementation of the proposed Upper Santa Ana River Wash Plan as a
HCP, land exchange, and SCRMP amendment. In the EIS component of the
joint EIS/EIR, the Service and BLM intend to consider the following
alternatives:
(1) The proposed action, which includes the Service issuance of
incidental take Permit consistent with the proposed Upper Santa Ana
River Wash Plan HCP under section 10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA to the
applicants, and BLM's approval of a land exchange and SCRMP amendment;
(2) No action (no Federal ESA permit issuance, no land exchange,
and no SCRMP amendment); and
(3) A reasonable range of alternatives that address different
scenarios of development and species conservation on both Federal and
non-Federal land. The SDEIS will include a detailed analysis of the
impacts of the proposed action and alternatives. The range of
alternatives to be considered and analyzed will represent varying
levels of conservation and impacts, and may include variations in the
scope of
[[Page 11466]]
Covered Activities; variations in the locations, amount, and type of
conservation and land exchange; variations in permit duration; or a
combination of these elements. The BLM may address other considerations
in the SDEIS. In compliance with NEPA, the Service and BLM will be
responsible for the scope and preparation of the EIS component of the
joint EIS/EIR.
The SDEIS will identify and analyze potentially significant direct,
indirect, and cumulative impacts of the Service's authorization of
incidental take (permit issuance) and the implementation of the
proposed Upper Santa Ana River Wash Plan on biological resources, land
uses, utilities, air quality, water resources (including surface and
groundwater supply and water quality), cultural resources,
socioeconomics and environmental justice, outdoor recreation, visual
resources, induced growth, climate change and greenhouse gases, and
other environmental issues that could occur with implementation of the
proposed action and alternatives. The Service and the BLM will use all
practicable means, consistent with NEPA and other essential
considerations of national policy, to avoid or minimize significant
effects of their actions upon the quality of the human environment.
The CDFW has requested and agreed to be a State cooperating agency.
The Service, BLM, and CDFW agree that establishing a cooperating agency
relationship will create a more streamlined and coordinated approach in
developing this joint EIS/EIR.
Reasonable Accommodation
The Service and BLM are committed to providing access to these
scoping meetings for all participants. Please direct all requests for
sign language interpreting services, closed captioning, or other
accommodation needs to Kennon Corey at 760-322-2070 (telephone),
ken_corey@fws.gov (email), or 800-877-8339 (TTY), as soon as possible.
To allow sufficient time to process requests, please call no later than
1 week before the public meeting. Information regarding this proposed
action is available in alternative formats upon request.
Public Comments
We invite other government agencies, Native American Tribes, the
scientific community, industry, nongovernmental organizations, and all
other interested parties to participate in this scoping process and
provide comments and information. Comments on issues and potential
impacts, or suggestions for additional or different alternatives, may
be submitted in writing at any public scoping meeting or through one of
the methods listed in the ADDRESSES section of this notice.
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be
able to do so.
Authority
We provide this notice under section 10 of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531
et seq.) and by NEPA regulations (40 CFR 1501.7, 1506.6, and 1508.22).
Dated: February 23, 2015.
Alexandra Pitts,
Deputy Regional Director, Pacific Southwest Region, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, Sacramento, California.
Dated: February 23, 2015.
Tom Pogacnik,
Deputy State Director, Natural Resources, California State Office,
Bureau of Land Management, Sacramento, California.
[FR Doc. 2015-04341 Filed 3-2-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P
