Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and Resource Management Plan Amendment for the Verde Transmission Project in New Mexico, 69546-69547 [2016-24224]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
69546
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 194 / Thursday, October 6, 2016 / Notices
Free Grazing Permit, Form 5–5519—
Cash Penal Bond, Form 5–5520—Power
of Attorney, Form 5– 5521—Certificate
and Application for On-and-Off Grazing
Permit, Form 5522—Modification of
Grazing Permit, Form 5– 5523—
Assignment of Grazing Permit, Form 5–
5524—Application for Allocation of
Grazing Privileges, 5–5525 Authority to
Grant Grazing Privileges on Allotted
Lands, Form 5–5528—Livestock
Crossing Permit, and Form 5–5529—
Removable Range Improvement
Records. Response is required to obtain
or retain a benefit.
Type of Review: Revision of a
currently approved collection.
Respondents: Tribes, Tribal
organizations, individual Indians, and
non-Indian individuals and
associations.
Number of Respondents: 800.
Number of Responses: 7,810.
Frequency of Response: Annually.
Obligation to Respond: A response is
required to obtain or maintain a benefit.
Estimated Time per Response: Varies
from 20 minutes to one hour, with an
average of less than one hour per
response.
Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden:
2,701.
Estimated Total Annual Non-Hour
Dollar Cost: $0.
Elizabeth K. Appel,
Director, Office of Regulatory Affairs and
Collaborative Action—Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2016–24183 Filed 10–5–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4337–15–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLNM930000.L51010000.ER0000.
LVRWG16G1190.16X; NMNM114507]
Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement and
Resource Management Plan
Amendment for the Verde
Transmission Project in New Mexico
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
In compliance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended (NEPA), the Federal
Land Policy and Management Act of
1976, as amended, and the Bureau of
Land Management’s (BLM’s) land use
planning regulations, the BLM
announces its intent to prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
evaluating the proposed 33-mile, 345kilovolt (kV) Verde Transmission
Project and potential amendment to the
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:46 Oct 05, 2016
Jkt 241001
Taos Resource Management Plan (RMP)
pursuant to the BLM’s land use
planning regulations. The BLM is the
lead agency in the development of the
EIS and will work in cooperation with
the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USCOE),
and the National Park Service (NPS). By
this notice, the BLM is announcing the
beginning of the scoping process to
solicit public comments and identify
issues on the proposed transmission
line and a potential plan amendment.
DATES: Comments may be submitted in
writing until December 5, 2016. The
dates and locations of any scoping
meetings will be announced at least 15
days in advance through local news
media, newspapers, and the BLM Web
site at: https://www.blm.gov/nm/verde. In
order to be included in the analysis, all
comments must be received prior to the
close of the 60-day scoping period or 15
days after the last public meeting,
whichever is later. Additional
opportunities for public participation
will be provided as appropriate.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
or resource information by any of the
following methods:
• Web site: https://www.blm.gov/nm/
verde
• Email: BLM_NM_Verde@blm.gov.
• Fax: (505) 954–2136.
• Mail: Bureau of Land Management,
New Mexico State Office, Verde
Transmission Project, P.O. Box 27115,
Santa Fe, NM 87502–0115.
Documents pertinent to the right-ofway (ROW) application for the proposed
transmission line project may be
examined at: Bureau of Land
Management, New Mexico State Office,
Public Room, 301 Dinosaur Trail, Santa
Fe, NM 87508, and the BLM’s Taos
Field Office, 226 Cruz Alta Road, Taos,
NM 87571–5983.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
further information and/or to have your
name added to the project mailing list,
contact Adrian Garcia, BLM Project
Manager, Verde Transmission Project, at
the BLM New Mexico State Office, P.O.
Box 27115, Santa Fe, NM 87502–0115,
or by email at BLM_NM_Verde@blm.gov.
Persons who use a telecommunications
device for the deaf (TDD) may call the
Federal Relay Service at 1–800–877–
8339 to contact the above individual
during normal business hours. The
Service 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: Verde
Transmission, LLC (Applicant) has
submitted an application to the BLM for
PO 00000
Frm 00038
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
a right-of-way (ROW) to construct,
operate, maintain, and eventually
decommission a 345-kV overhead
transmission line that would connect
the existing Public Service Company of
New Mexico (PNM) Ojo Substation in
southern Rio Arriba County to the
existing Norton Substation in Santa Fe
County, New Mexico. The proposed line
would cross approximately 10 miles of
BLM land, 15 miles of tribal land, and
8 miles of private land. The permanent
ROW requested for the project would be
150 feet wide if approved. Since the
proposed transmission project would
not be consistent with the existing
visual resource management
classifications of the area, as part of its
review of the ROW application the BLM
is also evaluating potential amendments
to the visual resource classifications in
the Taos Resource Management Plan.
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 planning
process. Preliminary issues for analysis
in the forthcoming EIS and the potential
plan amendment have been identified
by BLM personnel. The issues specific
to the proposed transmission project
include potential impacts to cultural,
visual, and wildlife resources; the Old
Spanish Trail National Historic Trail
and the El Camino Real National
Historical Trail; livestock grazing;
opportunities for recreation; and
socioeconomic impacts. Issues specific
to the potential RMP amendment
include a possible change to the visual
resource management classification of
the project area, as prescribed by the
Taos RMP, which was originally
designed to limit visual intrusions that
create a contrast with the existing visual
quality of the area.
If the ROW application or plan
amendment is approved, the BLM
would identify, analyze, and require
mitigation, as appropriate, to address
the reasonably foreseeable impacts to
resources. Mitigation may include
avoidance, minimization, rectification,
reduction, or elimination over time, and
compensatory mitigation. These
potential measures may be considered at
multiple scales, including the
landscape-scale. 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
must submit comments by the close of
the 60-day scoping period or within 15
days after the last public meeting,
whichever is later.
E:\FR\FM\06OCN1.SGM
06OCN1
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 194 / Thursday, October 6, 2016 / Notices
The BLM will utilize and coordinate
the NEPA scoping process to help fulfill
the public involvement process under
the National Historic Preservation Act
(54 U.S.C. 306108) as provided in 36
CFR 800.2(d)(3). The information about
historic and cultural resources within
the area potentially affected by the
proposed action will assist the BLM in
identifying and evaluating impacts to
such resources.
The BLM will also consult with
Indian tribes on a government-togovernment basis in accordance with
Executive Order 13175 and other
policies. Tribal concerns, including
impacts on Indian trust assets and
potential impacts to cultural resources,
will be given due consideration.
Federal, State, and local agencies, along
with tribes and other stakeholders that
may be interested in or affected by the
proposed action, 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.
As part of the scoping process, the
BLM will evaluate the issues to be
addressed in the EIS and proposed plan
amendment. Those issues will be placed
into one of three categories:
1. Issues to be resolved in the EIS and
plan amendment;
2. Issues to be resolved through policy
or administrative action; or
3. Issues beyond the scope of this EIS
and plan amendment.
The BLM will provide an explanation
in the draft EIS/draft RMP amendment
as to why an issue was placed in
category two or three. The public is also
encouraged to help identify any
management questions and concerns
that should be addressed in the EIS and
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.
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 minutes and list of attendees
for each scoping meeting will be
available to the public and open for 30
days after the meeting to any participant
who wishes to clarify the views he or
she expressed.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:46 Oct 05, 2016
Jkt 241001
The BLM will use an interdisciplinary
approach to develop the EIS and RMP
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:
Cultural resources, outdoor recreation,
rangeland management, realty,
socioeconomics, visual resources, and
biology.
Authority: Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and
43 CFR 1610.2
Amy Lueders,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 2016–24224 Filed 10–5–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–FB–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLWO2200000.L10200000.PK0000.
00000000]
Renewal of Approved Information
Collection; OMB Control No. 1004–
0019
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: 30-Day notice and request for
comments.
AGENCY:
The Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) has submitted an
information collection request to the
Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) to continue the collection of
information regarding the construction
and maintenance of range improvement
projects. The respondents include
holders of BLM grazing permits or
grazing leases; affected individuals and
households; and affected tribal, state,
and county agencies. The Office of
Management and Budget (OMB)
previously approved this information
collection activity, and assigned it
control number 1004–0019.
DATES: The OMB is required to respond
to this information collection request
within 60 days but may respond after 30
days. For maximum consideration,
written comments should be received
on or before November 7, 2016.
ADDRESSES: Please submit comments
directly to the Desk Officer for the
Department of the Interior (OMB #1004–
0019), Office of Management and
Budget, Office of Information and
Regulatory Affairs, fax 202–395–5806,
or by electronic mail at OIRA_
submission@omb.eop.gov. Please
provide a copy of your comments to the
BLM. You may do so via mail, fax, or
electronic mail.
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00039
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
69547
Mail: U.S. Department of the Interior,
Bureau of Land Management, 1849 C
Street NW., Room 2134LM, Attention:
Jean Sonneman, Washington, DC 20240.
Fax: to Jean Sonneman at 202–245–
0050.
Electronic mail: jesonnem@blm.gov.
Please indicate ‘‘Attn: 1004–0019’’
regardless of the form of your
comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kimberly Hackett, at 202–912–7216.
Persons who use a telecommunication
device for the deaf may call the Federal
Information Relay Service at 1–800–
877–8339, to leave a message for Ms.
Hackett. You may also review the
information collection request online at
https://www.reginfo.gov/public/.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C.
3501–3521) and OMB regulations at 5
CFR part 1320 provide that an agency
may not conduct or sponsor a collection
of information unless it displays a
currently valid OMB control number.
Until OMB approves a collection of
information, you are not obligated to
respond. In order to obtain and renew
an OMB control number, Federal
agencies are required to seek public
comment on information collection and
recordkeeping activities (see 5 CFR
1320.8(d) and 1320.12(a)).
As required at 5 CFR 1320.8(d), the
BLM published a 60-day notice in the
Federal Register on March 30, 2016 (81
FR 17728), and the comment period
ended May 31, 2016. The BLM received
one comment. The comment was a
general invective about the Federal
government, the Department of the
Interior, and the BLM. It did not
address, and was not germane to, this
information collection. Therefore, we
have not changed the collection in
response to the comment. The BLM now
requests comments on the following
subjects:
1. Whether the collection of
information is necessary for the proper
functioning of the BLM, including
whether the information will have
practical utility;
2. The accuracy of the BLM’s estimate
of the burden of collecting the
information, including the validity of
the methodology and assumptions used;
3. The quality, utility and clarity of
the information to be collected; and
4. How to minimize the information
collection burden on those who are to
respond, including the use of
appropriate automated, electronic,
mechanical, or other forms of
information technology.
Please send comments as directed
under ADDRESSES and DATES. Please
E:\FR\FM\06OCN1.SGM
06OCN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 194 (Thursday, October 6, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69546-69547]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-24224]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLNM930000.L51010000.ER0000.LVRWG16G1190.16X; NMNM114507]
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and
Resource Management Plan Amendment for the Verde Transmission Project
in New Mexico
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended (NEPA), the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of
1976, as amended, and the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM's) land use
planning regulations, the BLM announces its intent to prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) evaluating the proposed 33-mile,
345-kilovolt (kV) Verde Transmission Project and potential amendment to
the Taos Resource Management Plan (RMP) pursuant to the BLM's land use
planning regulations. The BLM is the lead agency in the development of
the EIS and will work in cooperation with the Bureau of Indian Affairs
(BIA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USCOE), and the National Park
Service (NPS). By this notice, the BLM is announcing the beginning of
the scoping process to solicit public comments and identify issues on
the proposed transmission line and a potential plan amendment.
DATES: Comments may be submitted in writing until December 5, 2016. The
dates and locations of any scoping meetings will be announced at least
15 days in advance through local news media, newspapers, and the BLM
Web site at: https://www.blm.gov/nm/verde. In order to be included in
the analysis, all comments must be received prior to the close of the
60-day scoping period or 15 days after the last public meeting,
whichever is later. Additional opportunities for public participation
will be provided as appropriate.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments or resource information by any of
the following methods:
Web site: https://www.blm.gov/nm/verde
Email: BLM_NM_Verde@blm.gov.
Fax: (505) 954-2136.
Mail: Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico State Office,
Verde Transmission Project, P.O. Box 27115, Santa Fe, NM 87502-0115.
Documents pertinent to the right-of-way (ROW) application for the
proposed transmission line project may be examined at: Bureau of Land
Management, New Mexico State Office, Public Room, 301 Dinosaur Trail,
Santa Fe, NM 87508, and the BLM's Taos Field Office, 226 Cruz Alta
Road, Taos, NM 87571-5983.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information and/or to have
your name added to the project mailing list, contact Adrian Garcia, BLM
Project Manager, Verde Transmission Project, at the BLM New Mexico
State Office, P.O. Box 27115, Santa Fe, NM 87502-0115, or by email at
BLM_NM_Verde@blm.gov. Persons who use a telecommunications device for
the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339 to
contact the above individual during normal business hours. The Service
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: Verde Transmission, LLC (Applicant) has
submitted an application to the BLM for a right-of-way (ROW) to
construct, operate, maintain, and eventually decommission a 345-kV
overhead transmission line that would connect the existing Public
Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) Ojo Substation in southern Rio
Arriba County to the existing Norton Substation in Santa Fe County, New
Mexico. The proposed line would cross approximately 10 miles of BLM
land, 15 miles of tribal land, and 8 miles of private land. The
permanent ROW requested for the project would be 150 feet wide if
approved. Since the proposed transmission project would not be
consistent with the existing visual resource management classifications
of the area, as part of its review of the ROW application the BLM is
also evaluating potential amendments to the visual resource
classifications in the Taos Resource Management Plan.
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 planning process. Preliminary
issues for analysis in the forthcoming EIS and the potential plan
amendment have been identified by BLM personnel. The issues specific to
the proposed transmission project include potential impacts to
cultural, visual, and wildlife resources; the Old Spanish Trail
National Historic Trail and the El Camino Real National Historical
Trail; livestock grazing; opportunities for recreation; and
socioeconomic impacts. Issues specific to the potential RMP amendment
include a possible change to the visual resource management
classification of the project area, as prescribed by the Taos RMP,
which was originally designed to limit visual intrusions that create a
contrast with the existing visual quality of the area.
If the ROW application or plan amendment is approved, the BLM would
identify, analyze, and require mitigation, as appropriate, to address
the reasonably foreseeable impacts to resources. Mitigation may include
avoidance, minimization, rectification, reduction, or elimination over
time, and compensatory mitigation. These potential measures may be
considered at multiple scales, including the landscape-scale. 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 must submit comments by the close of the 60-day scoping
period or within 15 days after the last public meeting, whichever is
later.
[[Page 69547]]
The BLM will utilize and coordinate the NEPA scoping process to
help fulfill the public involvement process under the National Historic
Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. 306108) as provided in 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3).
The information about historic and cultural resources within the area
potentially affected by the proposed action will assist the BLM in
identifying and evaluating impacts to such resources.
The BLM will also 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 and
potential impacts to cultural resources, will be given due
consideration. Federal, State, and local agencies, along with tribes
and other stakeholders that may be interested in or affected by the
proposed action, 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.
As part of the scoping process, the BLM will evaluate the issues to
be addressed in the EIS and proposed plan amendment. Those issues will
be placed into one of three categories:
1. Issues to be resolved in the EIS and plan amendment;
2. Issues to be resolved through policy or administrative action;
or
3. Issues beyond the scope of this EIS and plan amendment.
The BLM will provide an explanation in the draft EIS/draft RMP
amendment as to why an issue was placed in category two or three. The
public is also encouraged to help identify any management questions and
concerns that should be addressed in the EIS and 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.
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 minutes and list of attendees for each scoping
meeting will be available to the public and open for 30 days after the
meeting to any participant who wishes to clarify the views he or she
expressed.
The BLM will use an interdisciplinary approach to develop the EIS
and RMP 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: Cultural
resources, outdoor recreation, rangeland management, realty,
socioeconomics, visual resources, and biology.
Authority: Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 43 CFR 1610.2
Amy Lueders,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 2016-24224 Filed 10-5-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-FB-P
