Land Management Bureau February 16, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Truckhaven Geothermal Leasing Area and by this notice is announcing the opening of the comment period. The main issues addressed in the Draft EIS are geothermal resource leasing, recreation, and special status species. The area is within the California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) and the preferred alternative is in conformance with the land use plan for the area. There are no species listed for protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) that occur in the area; however, the listed desert pupfish occurs within two miles of the area and potential impacts to that species are addressed in the Draft EIS. BLM will consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service on the desert pupfish. The most common public use of the area currently is motorized recreation. Impacts to recreation are addressed in the Draft EIS. Mitigation measures to reduce or eliminate conflicts with these uses have been developed in coordination with the California Department of Parks and Recreation, a cooperating agency on the project. These measures will apply to both action alternatives.