Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement and Proposed Land Use Plan Amendment for the Borderlands Wind Project in Catron County, New Mexico, 20297-20298 [2020-07533]
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 70 / Friday, April 10, 2020 / Notices
includes approximately 3.1 million
acres of public land managed by the
BLM Uncompahgre Field Office, U.S.
Forest Service (portions of the Grand
Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison
National Forest), National Park Service
(Black Canyon of the Gunnison National
Park and portions of Curecanti National
Recreation Area), U.S. Bureau of
Reclamation, State of Colorado
(including Ridgway, Crawford, and
Paonia State Parks), and local and
private lands. The ROD/Approved RMP
makes decisions for the approximately
675,800 acres of BLM surface lands and
approximately 971,220 acres of Federal
mineral estate, including split estate,
within the Planning Area. Two BLM
National Conservation Areas are
managed under separate RMPs. The
alternative selected as the Approved
RMP is a slightly modified version of
Alternative E, as described in the
Proposed RMP. It provides for a
balanced combination of goals,
objectives, allowable uses and
management actions. The Approved
RMP identifies comprehensive longrange decisions for the management and
use of resources on BLM-administered
public lands, focusing on the principles
of multiple use and sustained yield set
forth in the Federal Land Policy and
Management Act of 1976.
Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6.
Jamie E. Connell,
Colorado State Director.
[FR Doc. 2020–07316 Filed 4–9–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–JB–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLNMA00000 L51010000.ER0000
LVRWG19G1360 19XL5017AP; NMNM
136976]
Notice of Availability of the Final
Environmental Impact Statement and
Proposed Land Use Plan Amendment
for the Borderlands Wind Project in
Catron County, New Mexico
Bureau of Land Management,
Department of the Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended (NEPA), and the
Federal Land Policy and Management
Act of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has
prepared a Final Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) for the proposed
Borderlands Wind Project (Project) and
proposed Socorro Field Office Resource
lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:00 Apr 09, 2020
Jkt 250001
Management Plan Amendment (RMPA)
for the BLM Socorro Field Office, and
by this Notice is announcing its
availability.
DATES: This Notice initiates the 30-day
protest period for a proposed plan
amendment. Protests may be submitted
in writing until May 11, 2020.
ADDRESSES: All protests must be
submitted in writing and mailed to one
of the following addresses:
Mail: Director (210), Attn: Protest
Coordinator, P.O. Box 261117,
Lakewood, CO 80226; or Overnight
Delivery: Director (210), Attn: Protest
Coordinator, 2850 Youngfield Street,
Lakewood, CO 80215.
You may submit protests
electronically through the BLM
ePlanning project website: https://
eplanning.blm.gov/epl-front-office/
eplanning/planAndProjectSite.do
?methodName=renderDefault
PlanOrProjectSite&projectId=116245&
dctmId=0b0003e88126486a and at 43
CFR 1610.5–2. Protests submitted
electronically by any means other than
the ePlanning project website protest
section will be invalid unless a protest
is also submitted in hard copy. Protests
submitted by fax will also be invalid
unless also submitted either through
ePlanning project website protest
section or in hard copy. The Final EIS
is available on line on the ePlanning
website at: https://eplanning.blm.gov/
epl-front-office/eplanning/
planAndProjectSite.do?methodName=
renderDefaultPlanOrProject
Site&projectId=116245&dctmId=0b0003
e88126486a. Hard copies are available
for viewing at the BLM Socorro field
office and the BLM New Mexico State
Office in Santa Fe.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Virginia Alguire, BLM Socorro Field
Office, 901 S Hwy 85, Socorro, New
Mexico 87801; phone 575–838–1290, or
email to valguire@blm.gov. Persons who
use a telecommunications device for the
deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Information Relay Service (FRS) at 1–
800–877–8339 to contact Ms. Alguire
during normal business hours. The FRS
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: Pursuant
to BLM’s planning regulations at 43 CFR
1610.5–2, any person who participated
in the planning process for this
Proposed RMP and Integrated RMP and
has an interest which is or may be
adversely affected by the planning
decisions may protest approval of the
planning decisions contained therein.
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
20297
The regulations specify the required
elements of your protest. Take care to
document all relevant facts. As much as
possible, reference or cite the planning
documents or available planning
records (e.g. meeting minutes or
summaries, correspondence, etc.).
Instructions for filing a protest with
the Director of the BLM regarding the
Final EIS/RMPA may be found online at
https://www.blm.gov/programs/
planning-and-nepa/publicparticipation/filing-a-plan-protest and
at 43 CFR 1610.5–2. All protests must be
in writing and mailed to the appropriate
address, as set forth in the ADDRESSES
section.
Borderlands Wind, LLC, submitted an
application to the BLM requesting
authorization to construct, operate,
maintain, and terminate an up-to-100
megawatt commercial wind energy
generation facility, the Borderlands
Wind Project (NMNM136976), in Catron
County, New Mexico, within a
boundary that encompasses land
managed by the BLM, the New Mexico
State Land Office, and private
landowners. The project would be
located south of U.S. Route 60 in Catron
County near Quemado, New Mexico,
and the Arizona–New Mexico border.
Authorization of this proposal requires
amendments to the 2010 Socorro Field
Office RMP to modify the visual
resource management class in the
project area and to modify a right-ofway avoidance area.
The Final EIS analyzed the direct,
indirect, and cumulative environmental
impacts of the Proposed Action,
Alternative 1 (optimize the proposed
wind facility components in order to
minimize potential environmental
impacts), Alternative 2 (change in the
turbine generation types), and the No
Action Alternative. Alternatives 1 and 2
would be constructed, operated, and
maintained with the same project area.
The Proposed Action and Alternative 1
would construct 40 turbines. However,
because of the difference in the types of
turbines, Alternative 2, the BLM
Preferred Alternative, would only
construct 34 turbines instead of 40
turbines within the same area as
Alternative 1. The No Action
Alternative would be a continuation of
existing conditions.
A Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS
for the proposed Borderlands Wind
Project was published in the Federal
Register on November 9, 2018 (83 FR
56097). The public scoping period
closed on December 10, 2018. The BLM
held one public scoping meeting on
November 14, 2018. The BLM received
51 public scoping comment submission
during the 45-day scoping period. The
E:\FR\FM\10APN1.SGM
10APN1
lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with NOTICES
20298
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 70 / Friday, April 10, 2020 / Notices
scoping comments focused on wildlife;
visual and cultural resources; light
pollution, human health, local
economic benefits; and property values.
A Notice of Availability to publish the
Draft EIS and RMP Amendment for the
proposed Borderlands Wind Project was
published in the Federal Register on
August 9, 2019 (84 FR 39366). The BLM
held one public comment meeting. The
public comment period closed
November 7, 2019. The BLM received
39 letters/comment forms/emails and
247 individual comments during the 90day public comment period. The
comments focused on effects to
sensitive wildlife species specifically
avian and bats, change to visual
resource management class as a result of
the impacts to visual resources and
change to the existing rural landscape
character; groundwater level changes
during construction, lack of benefit to
the local area, and decreased property
value concerns. Comments on the Draft
EIS and RMP Amendment were
considered and incorporated as
appropriate into the Final EIS and
Proposed RMP Amendment. Public
comments did not result in the addition
of substantive revisions to the Draft EIS
and RMP Amendment that were
published in August 2019. Responses to
all comments are in Appendix H of the
Final EIS.
The BLM has used and coordinated
the NEPA scoping and comment process
to help fulfill the public involvement
requirements under the National
Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) (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 project has assisted the BLM
in identifying and evaluating impacts to
such resources in the context of both
NEPA and the NHPA.
The BLM has consulted, and will
continue to consult, with Indian tribes
on a government-to-government basis in
accordance with Executive Order 13175
and other policies. Tribal concerns,
including impacts to Indian trust assets
and potential impacts to cultural
resources have been analyzed in the
Final EIS.
Before including your address, phone
number, email address, or other
personal identifying information in your
protest, be advised that your entire
protest—including your personal
information—may be made publicly
available at any time. While you can ask
us in your protest to withhold from
public review your personal identifying
information, we cannot guarantee that
we will be able to do so.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:00 Apr 09, 2020
Jkt 250001
The BLM Director will make every
attempt to promptly render a decision
on each protest. The decision will be in
writing and will be sent to the
protesting party by certified mail, return
receipt requested. The decision of the
BLM Director shall be the final decision
of the Department of the Interior on
each protest. Responses to protest issues
will be compiled and formalized in a
Director’s Protest Resolution Report
made available following issuance of the
decisions.
Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR
1506.10.
Timothy R. Spisak,
BLM New Mexico State Director.
[FR Doc. 2020–07533 Filed 4–9–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS–SERO–CAHA; PPWONRADE2,
PMP00EI05.YP0000]
Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement for a
Sediment Management Framework,
Cape Hatteras National Seashore
Recreational Area, Dare and Hyde
Counties, North Carolina
National Park Service, Interior.
Notice of intent.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The National Park Service
(NPS) is preparing an Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) in accordance
with the National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA) for a Sediment Management
Framework (framework) at the Cape
Hatteras National Seashore (the
Seashore). The framework will include
certain sediment management activities
implemented by the Seashore and by
local jurisdictions, state agencies, and
other federal agencies.
DATES: This notice initiates the public
scoping process. The public scoping
comment period will conclude 30 days
following the date this Notice of Intent
published in the Federal Register. All
comments must be postmarked or
transmitted by this date. Public open
houses will be announced in local
media and at https://
parkplanning.nps.gov/CAHASediment.
ADDRESSES: Information will be
available for public review online at
https://parkplanning.nps.gov/
CAHASediment and in the Office of the
Superintendent, 1401 National Park
Drive, Manteo, North Carolina, 27954
(252–473–2111, telephone).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Sabrina Henry, Environmental
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00060
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Protection Specialist- Compliance, 1401
National Park Drive, Manteo, North
Carolina, 27954 (252–423–1541,
telephone).
Pursuant
to the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969, 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)
(NEPA), the NPS is preparing an EIS for
sediment management, including the
method, locations, and frequency for
sediment management actions that be
may be permitted through a special use
permit, at the Seashore, for the next two
decades. The NPS invited the following
agencies to participate as cooperating
agencies in this NEPA process: Bureau
of Ocean Energy Management, US Fish
and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the US
Army Corp of Engineers Wilmington
District (Regulatory and Planning
Divisions), US Coast Guard, North
Carolina Department of Transportation
(NCDOT) (Ferry and Highway
Divisions), North Carolina Wildlife
Resources Commission, Dare County,
and Hyde County.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Authorized in 1937 along the Outer
Banks of North Carolina, Cape Hatteras
is the nation’s first national seashore.
Consisting of more than 30,000 acres
distributed along approximately 67
miles of shoreline, the Seashore is part
of a dynamic barrier island system. Nine
villages, including Nags Head,
Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Avon, Buxton,
Frisco, Hatteras, and Ocracoke, are
located adjacent to or within the
Seashore. Pea Island National Wildlife
Refuge, which is jointly managed by the
USFWS, is also located within the
administrative boundary of the
Seashore, south of Oregon Inlet.
Natural accretion and erosion
processes have been impacted at the
Seashore for decades due to
anthropogenic activities (e.g., dune
building, dune planting, inlet dredging
and maintenance of dunes) and other
changes (e.g., sea-level rise). Sediment
management efforts have been used at
the Seashore to control erosion and
stabilize sand dunes. From the 1930s
through the 1960s, active dune building,
and revegetation efforts occurred along
the Seashore. Since the 1970s, localized
beach nourishment has been the
primary method of combating shoreline
erosion, but has been restricted to
Ocracoke Island, the Buxton/Cape
Hatteras area, and Rodanthe. In some
places, segments of beach are relatively
stable, and natural processes maintain
high dunes. In other places, erosion
results in ocean encroachment on the
dunes and results in the ocean washing
over onto North Carolina Highway 12
E:\FR\FM\10APN1.SGM
10APN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 70 (Friday, April 10, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20297-20298]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-07533]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLNMA00000 L51010000.ER0000 LVRWG19G1360 19XL5017AP; NMNM 136976]
Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact
Statement and Proposed Land Use Plan Amendment for the Borderlands Wind
Project in Catron County, New Mexico
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act
of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has
prepared a Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed
Borderlands Wind Project (Project) and proposed Socorro Field Office
Resource Management Plan Amendment (RMPA) for the BLM Socorro Field
Office, and by this Notice is announcing its availability.
DATES: This Notice initiates the 30-day protest period for a proposed
plan amendment. Protests may be submitted in writing until May 11,
2020.
ADDRESSES: All protests must be submitted in writing and mailed to one
of the following addresses:
Mail: Director (210), Attn: Protest Coordinator, P.O. Box 261117,
Lakewood, CO 80226; or Overnight Delivery: Director (210), Attn:
Protest Coordinator, 2850 Youngfield Street, Lakewood, CO 80215.
You may submit protests electronically through the BLM ePlanning
project website: https://eplanning.blm.gov/epl-front-office/eplanning/planAndProjectSite.do?methodName=renderDefaultPlanOrProjectSite&projectId=116245&dctmId=0b0003e88126486a and at 43 CFR 1610.5-2. Protests
submitted electronically by any means other than the ePlanning project
website protest section will be invalid unless a protest is also
submitted in hard copy. Protests submitted by fax will also be invalid
unless also submitted either through ePlanning project website protest
section or in hard copy. The Final EIS is available on line on the
ePlanning website at: https://eplanning.blm.gov/epl-front-office/eplanning/planAndProjectSite.do?methodName=renderDefaultPlanOrProjectSite&projectId=116245&dctmId=0b0003e88126486a. Hard copies are available for viewing
at the BLM Socorro field office and the BLM New Mexico State Office in
Santa Fe.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Virginia Alguire, BLM Socorro Field
Office, 901 S Hwy 85, Socorro, New Mexico 87801; phone 575-838-1290, or
email to [email protected]. Persons who use a telecommunications device
for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FRS)
at 1-800-877-8339 to contact Ms. Alguire during normal business hours.
The FRS 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: Pursuant to BLM's planning regulations at 43
CFR 1610.5-2, any person who participated in the planning process for
this Proposed RMP and Integrated RMP and has an interest which is or
may be adversely affected by the planning decisions may protest
approval of the planning decisions contained therein.
The regulations specify the required elements of your protest. Take
care to document all relevant facts. As much as possible, reference or
cite the planning documents or available planning records (e.g. meeting
minutes or summaries, correspondence, etc.).
Instructions for filing a protest with the Director of the BLM
regarding the Final EIS/RMPA may be found online at https://www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/public-participation/filing-a-plan-protest and at 43 CFR 1610.5-2. All protests must be in writing
and mailed to the appropriate address, as set forth in the ADDRESSES
section.
Borderlands Wind, LLC, submitted an application to the BLM
requesting authorization to construct, operate, maintain, and terminate
an up-to-100 megawatt commercial wind energy generation facility, the
Borderlands Wind Project (NMNM136976), in Catron County, New Mexico,
within a boundary that encompasses land managed by the BLM, the New
Mexico State Land Office, and private landowners. The project would be
located south of U.S. Route 60 in Catron County near Quemado, New
Mexico, and the Arizona-New Mexico border. Authorization of this
proposal requires amendments to the 2010 Socorro Field Office RMP to
modify the visual resource management class in the project area and to
modify a right-of-way avoidance area.
The Final EIS analyzed the direct, indirect, and cumulative
environmental impacts of the Proposed Action, Alternative 1 (optimize
the proposed wind facility components in order to minimize potential
environmental impacts), Alternative 2 (change in the turbine generation
types), and the No Action Alternative. Alternatives 1 and 2 would be
constructed, operated, and maintained with the same project area. The
Proposed Action and Alternative 1 would construct 40 turbines. However,
because of the difference in the types of turbines, Alternative 2, the
BLM Preferred Alternative, would only construct 34 turbines instead of
40 turbines within the same area as Alternative 1. The No Action
Alternative would be a continuation of existing conditions.
A Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS for the proposed Borderlands
Wind Project was published in the Federal Register on November 9, 2018
(83 FR 56097). The public scoping period closed on December 10, 2018.
The BLM held one public scoping meeting on November 14, 2018. The BLM
received 51 public scoping comment submission during the 45-day scoping
period. The
[[Page 20298]]
scoping comments focused on wildlife; visual and cultural resources;
light pollution, human health, local economic benefits; and property
values.
A Notice of Availability to publish the Draft EIS and RMP Amendment
for the proposed Borderlands Wind Project was published in the Federal
Register on August 9, 2019 (84 FR 39366). The BLM held one public
comment meeting. The public comment period closed November 7, 2019. The
BLM received 39 letters/comment forms/emails and 247 individual
comments during the 90-day public comment period. The comments focused
on effects to sensitive wildlife species specifically avian and bats,
change to visual resource management class as a result of the impacts
to visual resources and change to the existing rural landscape
character; groundwater level changes during construction, lack of
benefit to the local area, and decreased property value concerns.
Comments on the Draft EIS and RMP Amendment were considered and
incorporated as appropriate into the Final EIS and Proposed RMP
Amendment. Public comments did not result in the addition of
substantive revisions to the Draft EIS and RMP Amendment that were
published in August 2019. Responses to all comments are in Appendix H
of the Final EIS.
The BLM has used and coordinated the NEPA scoping and comment
process to help fulfill the public involvement requirements under the
National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) (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
project has assisted the BLM in identifying and evaluating impacts to
such resources in the context of both NEPA and the NHPA.
The BLM has consulted, and will continue to consult, with Indian
tribes on a government-to-government basis in accordance with Executive
Order 13175 and other policies. Tribal concerns, including impacts to
Indian trust assets and potential impacts to cultural resources have
been analyzed in the Final EIS.
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or
other personal identifying information in your protest, be advised that
your entire protest--including your personal information--may be made
publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your protest to
withhold from public review your personal identifying information, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
The BLM Director will make every attempt to promptly render a
decision on each protest. The decision will be in writing and will be
sent to the protesting party by certified mail, return receipt
requested. The decision of the BLM Director shall be the final decision
of the Department of the Interior on each protest. Responses to protest
issues will be compiled and formalized in a Director's Protest
Resolution Report made available following issuance of the decisions.
Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10.
Timothy R. Spisak,
BLM New Mexico State Director.
[FR Doc. 2020-07533 Filed 4-9-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P