Notice of Availability for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Ten West Link 500-Kilovolt Transmission Line Project and Draft Amendments to the Yuma Field Office Resource Management Plan and the California Desert Conservation Area Plan; Maricopa and La Paz Counties, Arizona, and Riverside County, California, 44660-44661 [2018-18721]
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44660
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 170 / Friday, August 31, 2018 / Notices
• Bureau of Land Management, Utah
State Office, 440 West 200 South, Suite
500, Salt Lake City, Utah.
• Escalante Interagency Visitor
Center, 755 West Main, Escalante, Utah.
• Kanab Field Office, 669 South
Highway 89A, Kanab, Utah.
The modified Draft RMPs and EIS and
accompanying errata sheet are available
on the ePlanning website at: https://
goo.gl/EHvhbc.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matt
Betenson, Associate Monument
Manager, telephone (435) 644–1200;
address 669 S Hwy. 89A, Kanab, UT
84741; email BLM_UT_CCD_
monuments@blm.gov. Persons who use
a telecommunications device for the
deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay
Service (FRS) at 1–800–877–8339 to
contact the above individual during
normal business hours. The FRS is
available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,
to leave a message or question for the
above individual. You will receive a
reply during normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On
December 4, 2017, President Trump
signed Presidential Proclamation 9682
modifying the boundaries of the GSENM
as established by Proclamation 6920 to
exclude from designation and
reservation approximately 861,974 acres
of land. Lands that are excluded from
the Monument boundaries are now
referred to as the Kanab-Escalante
Planning Area and are managed in
accordance with the BLM’s multiple-use
mandate.
The Draft EIS noticed in the Federal
Register on August 17, 2018 (83 FR
41108), includes three alternatives that
identify Federal lands as available for
potential disposal under FLPMA. In
accordance with direction issued by the
Deputy Secretary of the Interior in an
August 17, 2018, Memorandum, the
BLM is modifying the Draft RMPs and
EIS so that the range of alternatives does
not identify any lands as available for
potential disposal under FLPMA. The
BLM has made a limited number of
corresponding changes to sections
included in the Draft RMPs and EIS,
including the Executive Summary,
Chapter 2 (Alternatives), Chapter 3
(Affected Environment and
Environmental Consequences),
Appendix A (Map 35), Appendix G
(Best Management Practices), Appendix
H (Stipulations and Exceptions,
Modifications and Waivers), and
Appendix K (Lands Identified for
Disposal). These modifications do not
substantially change the alternatives in
the Draft RMPs and EIS or the analysis
of effects on the human environment,
but they do remove the identification of
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18:42 Aug 30, 2018
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Federal lands as available for potential
disposal under FLPMA.
The modified Draft RMPs and EIS and
an accompanying errata sheet that
includes a summary of all of the
changes made will be distributed to
stakeholders and is available on the
BLM’s ePlanning website at: https://
goo.gl/EHvhbc.
The BLM is soliciting comments on
the entire modified Draft RMPs and EIS.
All comments received by the BLM
subsequent to the notice of availability
for the Draft RMPs and EIS on August
17, 2018, but prior to publication of this
notice, will be included in the project
record and considered by the agency in
preparation of the Final RMPs and EIS.
Please note that public comments and
information submitted, including
names, street addresses, and email
addresses of persons who submit
comments, will be available for public
review and disclosure at the addresses
provided in the ADDRESSES section of
this notice during regular business
hours (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.), Monday
through Friday, except holidays.
Before including your address, phone
number, email address, or other
personally identifiable information in
your comment, you should be aware
that your entire comment—including
your personally identifiable
information—may be made publicly
available at any time. While you may
request that the BLM withhold your
personally identifiable information from
public review, we cannot guarantee that
we will be able to do so.
Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10,
and 43 CFR 1610.2.
Edwin L. Roberson,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 2018–19000 Filed 8–30–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–DQ–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLAZ920000 18X L51010000.ER0000
LVRWA18A3240]
Notice of Availability for the Draft
Environmental Impact Statement for
the Proposed Ten West Link 500Kilovolt Transmission Line Project and
Draft Amendments to the Yuma Field
Office Resource Management Plan and
the California Desert Conservation
Area Plan; Maricopa and La Paz
Counties, Arizona, and Riverside
County, California
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
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In compliance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (NEPA), as amended, and the
Federal Land Policy and Management
Act of 1976 (FLPMA), as amended, the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM),
Arizona State Office, Phoenix, Arizona,
has prepared a Draft Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed
Ten West Link 500-kilovolt (kV)
Transmission Line Project (Project) and
Draft Resource Management Plan (RMP)
Amendments to the Yuma Field Office
RMP and the California Desert
Conservation Area Plan. By this notice,
the BLM is announcing the opening of
the public comment period on the Draft
EIS/Draft RMP Amendments.
DATES: To ensure that comments will be
considered, the BLM must receive
written comments on the Draft EIS and
Draft RMP Amendments within 90 days
following the date the Environmental
Protection Agency publishes its Notice
of Availability in the Federal Register.
The date(s) and location(s) of public
meetings will be announced at least 15
days in advance through local media,
newspapers, and the BLM website at:
https://www.blm.gov/az/st/en.html.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
related to the Project by any of the
following methods:
• Website: https://www.blm.gov/az/st/
en.html.
• Email: TenWestLink@blm.gov.
• Fax: 602–417–9452.
• Mail: BLM, Arizona State Office,
Attention: Lane Cowger/Ten West Link
Project, One North Central Avenue,
Suite 800, Phoenix, AZ 85004.
Copies of the Draft EIS/Draft RMP
Amendments are available at the BLM’s
eplanning website: https://go.usa.gov/
xU6Be. Hardcopies of the documents
can be reviewed at the BLM Arizona
State Office, at the address above, and
at the locations listed in the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Lane Cowger, Project Manager,
telephone: 602–417–9612; address:
BLM, Arizona State Office, One North
Central Avenue, Suite 800, Phoenix, AZ
85004; email: lcowger@blm.gov. Contact
Lane Cowger to add your name to our
mailing list. People who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf
(TDD) may call the Federal Relay
Service (FRS) at 800–877–8339 during
normal business hours to contact the
BLM Project Manager listed above. The
FRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days
a week, to leave a message or question
for the above individual. You will
receive a reply during normal business
hours.
SUMMARY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 170 / Friday, August 31, 2018 / Notices
DCR
Transmission, LLC, has filed a right-ofway (ROW) application with the BLM
pursuant to Title V of FLPMA,
proposing to construct, operate,
maintain, and decommission a singlecircuit alternating current 500-kV
overhead transmission line. The Project
would provide a connection between
the existing Delaney Substation in
Tonopah, Arizona, and the existing
Colorado River Substation in Blythe,
California. The project purpose is to
strengthen the electrical grid and
improve reliability.
DCR Transmission has filed an
application for a Certificate of Public
Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) with
the California Public Utilities
Commission (CPUC) to site the
transmission infrastructure in
California. The CPUC approval or denial
of the CPCN application is a
discretionary decision. Under California
law, the CPUC would be required to
comply with the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
before issuing the CPCN. The CPUC is
currently a cooperating agency in the
BLM’s NEPA analysis. Pursuant to the
California Code of Regulations Title 14
Section 15121, the CPUC will rely upon
this EIS to comply with CEQA.
An interdisciplinary approach was
used to develop the Draft EIS. The
issues addressed in the Draft EIS that
shaped the Project’s scope and
alternatives include, but are not limited
to: Air and climate, biological resources,
cultural resources, CEQA, health and
safety, noise, land use (including
farmlands and military operations),
recreation, socioeconomics and
environmental justice, special
designations, wilderness and wilderness
characteristics, trails, visual resources,
and transportation.
Based on feedback from cooperating
agencies, stakeholders, and public
scoping, the BLM developed and
analyzed a suite of alternatives, which
are detailed in the Draft EIS. The BLM
has identified Alternative 2: BLM Utility
Corridor Route, with minor route
modifications near the Town of
Quartzsite, Arizona, as the AgencyPreferred Alternative route for the
proposed transmission line. This route
is 124.9 miles long and primarily
located within existing BLM utility
corridors or parallel to existing
infrastructure. This route is responsive
to stakeholder input, by minimizing
impacts to the Yuma Proving Ground,
avoiding the Kofa National Wildlife
Refuge, Johnson Canyon, the Colorado
River Indian Tribes Reservation, the
Long Term Visitor Area (recreation
area), and the Ehrenberg Sandbowl area;
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SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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18:42 Aug 30, 2018
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avoiding residential and other
development south of the City of Blythe
and minimize use of private land in
California; avoiding an area of dense
cultural resources south of the City of
Blythe; and crossing a majority of Visual
Resource Management (VRM) Class III
land. This route also provides
interconnections for potential future
energy development opportunities in
Arizona.
The Agency-Preferred Alternative
would require an amendment to the
Yuma RMP to: (1) Designate
approximately 13.5 miles of 200-foot
wide ROW on public lands managed by
the BLM outside of designated utility
corridors; and (2) Change the existing
VRM Class designations from Class III to
Class IV within 0.3-mile either side of
centerline of 18.4 miles, for a total of
6,803.2 acres. The Agency-Preferred
Alternative would also require an
amendment to the California Desert
Conservation Area Plan to authorize
construction within 0.25-mile of
occurrences of Harwood’s eriastrum, a
BLM special status plant species.
Hardcopies of the documents can be
reviewed at the Arizona State Office (see
ADDRESSES) and at the following
locations:
BLM, Palm Springs South Coast Field
Office
potentially affected by the Project will
assist the BLM in identifying and
evaluating impacts to such resources in
the context of both the NEPA and
Section 106 of the NHPA.
The BLM will continue consultation
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.
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: 40 CFR 1506.6(b) and 43 CFR
1610.2.
Raymond Suazo,
Arizona State Director.
[FR Doc. 2018–18721 Filed 8–30–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–32–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
1201 Bird Center Drive, Palm Springs,
CA 92262
National Park Service
BLM, Yuma Field Office
[NPS–WASO–NRNHL–DTS#–26302;
PPWOCRADI0, PCU00RP14.R50000]
7341 East 30th Street, Yuma, AZ 85365
Parker Public Library
1001 South Navajo Avenue, Parker, AZ
85344
National Register of Historic Places;
Notification of Pending Nominations
and Related Actions
National Park Service, Interior.
Notice.
AGENCY:
Palm Springs Public Library
ACTION:
300 South Sunrise Way, Palm Springs,
CA 92262
SUMMARY:
Palo Verde Valley District Library
125 West Chanslor Way, Blythe, CA
92225
Quartzsite Public Library
465 North Plymouth, Quartzsite, AZ
85346
Buckeye Public Library—Downtown
310 North 6th Street, Buckeye, AZ
85326
The BLM will use the NEPA public
participation requirements to assist the
agency in satisfying the publicinvolvement requirements under
Section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act (NHPA) (54 U.S.C.
306108) pursuant to 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3).
The information about historic and
cultural resources within the area
PO 00000
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44661
The National Park Service is
soliciting comments on the significance
of properties nominated before August
18, 2018, for listing or related actions in
the National Register of Historic Places.
DATES: Comments should be submitted
by September 17, 2018.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent via
U.S. Postal Service and all other carriers
to the National Register of Historic
Places, National Park Service, 1849 C St.
NW, MS 7228, Washington, DC 20240.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
properties listed in this notice are being
considered for listing or related actions
in the National Register of Historic
Places. Nominations for their
consideration were received by the
National Park Service before August 18,
2018. Pursuant to Section 60.13 of 36
CFR part 60, written comments are
being accepted concerning the
E:\FR\FM\31AUN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 170 (Friday, August 31, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44660-44661]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-18721]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLAZ920000 18X L51010000.ER0000 LVRWA18A3240]
Notice of Availability for the Draft Environmental Impact
Statement for the Proposed Ten West Link 500-Kilovolt Transmission Line
Project and Draft Amendments to the Yuma Field Office Resource
Management Plan and the California Desert Conservation Area Plan;
Maricopa and La Paz Counties, Arizona, and Riverside County, California
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (NEPA), as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act
of 1976 (FLPMA), as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM),
Arizona State Office, Phoenix, Arizona, has prepared a Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Ten West Link
500-kilovolt (kV) Transmission Line Project (Project) and Draft
Resource Management Plan (RMP) Amendments to the Yuma Field Office RMP
and the California Desert Conservation Area Plan. By this notice, the
BLM is announcing the opening of the public comment period on the Draft
EIS/Draft RMP Amendments.
DATES: To ensure that comments will be considered, the BLM must receive
written comments on the Draft EIS and Draft RMP Amendments within 90
days following the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes
its Notice of Availability in the Federal Register. The date(s) and
location(s) of public meetings will be announced at least 15 days in
advance through local media, newspapers, and the BLM website at: https://www.blm.gov/az/st/en.html.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the Project by any of the
following methods:
Website: https://www.blm.gov/az/st/en.html.
Email: [email protected].
Fax: 602-417-9452.
Mail: BLM, Arizona State Office, Attention: Lane Cowger/
Ten West Link Project, One North Central Avenue, Suite 800, Phoenix, AZ
85004.
Copies of the Draft EIS/Draft RMP Amendments are available at the
BLM's eplanning website: https://go.usa.gov/xU6Be. Hardcopies of the
documents can be reviewed at the BLM Arizona State Office, at the
address above, and at the locations listed in the SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION section.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lane Cowger, Project Manager,
telephone: 602-417-9612; address: BLM, Arizona State Office, One North
Central Avenue, Suite 800, Phoenix, AZ 85004; email: [email protected].
Contact Lane Cowger to add your name to our mailing list. People who
use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Relay Service (FRS) at 800-877-8339 during normal business hours to
contact the BLM Project Manager listed above. The FRS is available 24
hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question for the
above individual. You will receive a reply during normal business
hours.
[[Page 44661]]
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: DCR Transmission, LLC, has filed a right-of-
way (ROW) application with the BLM pursuant to Title V of FLPMA,
proposing to construct, operate, maintain, and decommission a single-
circuit alternating current 500-kV overhead transmission line. The
Project would provide a connection between the existing Delaney
Substation in Tonopah, Arizona, and the existing Colorado River
Substation in Blythe, California. The project purpose is to strengthen
the electrical grid and improve reliability.
DCR Transmission has filed an application for a Certificate of
Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) with the California Public
Utilities Commission (CPUC) to site the transmission infrastructure in
California. The CPUC approval or denial of the CPCN application is a
discretionary decision. Under California law, the CPUC would be
required to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
before issuing the CPCN. The CPUC is currently a cooperating agency in
the BLM's NEPA analysis. Pursuant to the California Code of Regulations
Title 14 Section 15121, the CPUC will rely upon this EIS to comply with
CEQA.
An interdisciplinary approach was used to develop the Draft EIS.
The issues addressed in the Draft EIS that shaped the Project's scope
and alternatives include, but are not limited to: Air and climate,
biological resources, cultural resources, CEQA, health and safety,
noise, land use (including farmlands and military operations),
recreation, socioeconomics and environmental justice, special
designations, wilderness and wilderness characteristics, trails, visual
resources, and transportation.
Based on feedback from cooperating agencies, stakeholders, and
public scoping, the BLM developed and analyzed a suite of alternatives,
which are detailed in the Draft EIS. The BLM has identified Alternative
2: BLM Utility Corridor Route, with minor route modifications near the
Town of Quartzsite, Arizona, as the Agency-Preferred Alternative route
for the proposed transmission line. This route is 124.9 miles long and
primarily located within existing BLM utility corridors or parallel to
existing infrastructure. This route is responsive to stakeholder input,
by minimizing impacts to the Yuma Proving Ground, avoiding the Kofa
National Wildlife Refuge, Johnson Canyon, the Colorado River Indian
Tribes Reservation, the Long Term Visitor Area (recreation area), and
the Ehrenberg Sandbowl area; avoiding residential and other development
south of the City of Blythe and minimize use of private land in
California; avoiding an area of dense cultural resources south of the
City of Blythe; and crossing a majority of Visual Resource Management
(VRM) Class III land. This route also provides interconnections for
potential future energy development opportunities in Arizona.
The Agency-Preferred Alternative would require an amendment to the
Yuma RMP to: (1) Designate approximately 13.5 miles of 200-foot wide
ROW on public lands managed by the BLM outside of designated utility
corridors; and (2) Change the existing VRM Class designations from
Class III to Class IV within 0.3-mile either side of centerline of 18.4
miles, for a total of 6,803.2 acres. The Agency-Preferred Alternative
would also require an amendment to the California Desert Conservation
Area Plan to authorize construction within 0.25-mile of occurrences of
Harwood's eriastrum, a BLM special status plant species.
Hardcopies of the documents can be reviewed at the Arizona State
Office (see ADDRESSES) and at the following locations:
BLM, Palm Springs South Coast Field Office
1201 Bird Center Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262
BLM, Yuma Field Office
7341 East 30th Street, Yuma, AZ 85365
Parker Public Library
1001 South Navajo Avenue, Parker, AZ 85344
Palm Springs Public Library
300 South Sunrise Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262
Palo Verde Valley District Library
125 West Chanslor Way, Blythe, CA 92225
Quartzsite Public Library
465 North Plymouth, Quartzsite, AZ 85346
Buckeye Public Library--Downtown
310 North 6th Street, Buckeye, AZ 85326
The BLM will use 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) (54
U.S.C. 306108) pursuant to 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3).
The information about historic and cultural resources within the
area potentially affected by the Project will assist the BLM in
identifying and evaluating impacts to such resources in the context of
both the NEPA and Section 106 of the NHPA.
The BLM will continue consultation 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.
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: 40 CFR 1506.6(b) and 43 CFR 1610.2.
Raymond Suazo,
Arizona State Director.
[FR Doc. 2018-18721 Filed 8-30-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-32-P
