[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 8 (Wednesday, January 13, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1807-1809]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-404]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
the Restoration Design Energy Project and Possible Land Use Plan
Amendment
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Intent.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) of 1969, as amended, and the
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Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended, the Bureau
of Land Management (BLM) Arizona State Office intends to prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to support possible amendments to
several BLM-Arizona Resource Management Plans (RMP) to identify sites
and/or areas managed by the BLM that may be suitable for the
development of renewable energy and to establish appropriate design
criteria for such projects. By this notice, BLM-Arizona State Office is
announcing the beginning of the scoping process to solicit public
comments and identify issues.
DATES: This notice initiates the public scoping process for the EIS and
possible plan amendments. Comments on issues may be submitted in
writing until March 1, 2010. The dates and locations of any scoping
meetings will be announced at least 15 days in advance through local
media, newspapers and the BLM Web site at: http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en.html. In order to be included in the Draft EIS, all comments must be
received prior to the close of the scoping period or 15 days after the
last public meeting, whichever is later. We will provide additional
opportunities for public participation upon publication of the Draft
EIS.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on issues and planning criteria
related to the Restoration Design Energy Project by any of the
following methods:
Web site: http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/prog/energy/arra_solar.htm;
E-mail: Include your name, any organization you represent,
and return address in the e-mail message to: az_arra_rdep@blm.gov;
Fax: Attn: Teri Raml, (602) 417-9454; and
Mail or other delivery service: Please be sure to include
your name, any organization you represent, and a return address to:
Restoration Design Energy Project, Attention: Teri Raml, BLM-Arizona
State Office, One North Central Avenue, Suite 800, Phoenix, Arizona
85004-4427.
Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined at the BLM-
Arizona State Office, One North Central Avenue, Suite 800, Phoenix,
Arizona 85004.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information and/or to have
your name added to our mailing list, contact Teri Raml, Project
Manager, telephone (602) 417-9388; address One North Central Avenue,
Suite 800, Phoenix, Arizona 85004; or by e-mail teri_raml@blm.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of the Restoration Design Energy
Project is to foster environmentally responsible production of
renewable energy by amending plans, as necessary, to identify sites or
areas that are already disturbed or that may be in need of some level
of remediation or restoration, and which may be suitable for siting of
renewable energy projects, as well as allocate such sites or areas for
this purpose. Possible plan amendments may also include decisions about
acquisition, disposal, or retention of sites or areas. The BLM will
establish management direction for lands acquired for the purposes of
this Project or will extend the applicable land use plan decisions to
these lands, provided there are no unresolved management issues
associated with the newly acquired lands. The environmental analysis
will address, at each site or area, both existing remediation needs and
any potential for renewable energy generation, and may also identify
project design criteria to address environmental issues particular to
the site or area identified. Implementation of the Project will help
meet community energy needs, create economic opportunities, and provide
good value to the taxpayer for the use of public lands. To accomplish
this, some or all of the BLM's RMPs throughout Arizona may need to be
amended. Plans that may be amended include the following: the Yuma
Field Office RMP--2010; the Agua Fria and Bradshaw-Harquahala RMP--
2010; the Arizona Strip Field Office RMP--2008; the Lake Havasu Field
Office RMP--2007; the Kingman Resource Area RMP--1995; the Safford
District RMP--1991; the Phoenix RMP--1988; the Lower Gila South RMP--
1988 as amended 2005; and the Lower Gila North Management Framework
Plan--1983 as amended 2005.
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Title II, Sec. 211) establishes a
goal that at least 10,000 megawatts of renewable energy production
capacity be approved on public lands by 2015. Additionally, Secretarial
Order 3285 directs agencies within the Department of the Interior to
encourage the development of environmentally responsible renewable
energy generation. The Project is consistent with the Congressional
direction, Department of the Interior policies, and is unique in that
it offers an alternative process for site selection that includes the
identification of lands in need of remediation that have renewable
energy generation potential. At the initiation of the Project, the BLM-
Arizona State Office requested individual field offices and members of
the public to identify previously utilized sites that might be suitable
for development of renewable energy for consideration for inclusion in
the Project. Examples of submitted sites include gravel pits, mine
sites, landfills, isolated parcels that have been disturbed, and
abandoned unauthorized airstrips. Sites and/or areas proposed for the
Project will be analyzed according to the BLM's planning regulations at
43 CFR part 1600, and proposed planning amendments will analyzed in the
EIS. This analysis will take into consideration: (1) 42 proposed sites
covering approximately 26,000 acres; (2) knowledge of existing and
proposed energy transmission options; (3) concentrations of existing
and proposed energy generation; (4) technical factors; and (5)
environmental factors. The sites submitted so far include BLM-
administered, State, municipal, and private lands. While the BLM
planning process will primarily address management of those lands and
interests in lands administered by the BLM, the analysis in the EIS may
be broader in scope. Additional restoration design concepts, which may
be incorporated into the possible design criteria applicable to
particular sites or areas, are expected to be developed through
scoping. Suitable sites for application of this approach to reuse of
land may also continue to be identified over time, and may be
considered in this or subsequent planning initiatives, depending on
when they are identified.
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 process for developing the EIS.
At present, the BLM has identified the following preliminary issues:
(1) Site or area suitability for renewable energy generation and scale
of possible generation; (2) site or area proximity to the existing
electrical transmission grid and the feasibility of integrating new
electric generation projects with the grid; (3) site or area proximity
to population and electric use (load) centers; (4) determining the
appropriate renewable energy generation technologies for implementation
on a site-by-site and/or area-by-area basis; and (5) the possible need
for environmental remediation of project sites or areas based on
previous uses and levels of disturbance and possible contamination of
the sites or areas, as well as how addressing the possible need for
remediation may be incorporated into design criteria that may be
applicable to projects proposed for a particular site or area.
The EIS will use existing data for the analysis to support the
planning decisions (e.g., allocation, disposal, or
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retention decisions) that may be made as a result of this initiative.
When individual project proposals for renewable development are
received, any site-specific analysis could be tiered to the EIS for
this Project to avoid unnecessary duplication of analysis.
Authorization of the project may require amendment of some or all
of the BLM RMPs throughout Arizona, as listed above. By this notice,
the BLM is complying with requirements in 43 CFR 1610.2(c) to notify
the public of potential amendments to land use plans, predicated on the
findings of the EIS. If land use plan amendments are necessary, the BLM
will integrate the land use planning process with the NEPA process for
this project.
The BLM will utilize and coordinate the NEPA commenting process to
satisfy the public involvement process for Section 106 of the National
Historic Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470f) as provided for in 36 CFR
800.2(d)(3). Native American Tribal consultations will be conducted and
Tribal concerns, including impacts on Indian trust assets, will be
given due consideration. Federal, State, and local agencies, along with
other stakeholders that may be interested or affected by the BLM's
decision on this project are invited to participate in the scoping
process and, if eligible, may request or be requested by the BLM to
participate as a cooperating agency. Before including your address,
phone number, e-mail 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 1501.7 and 43 CFR 1610.2.
Helen Hankins,
BLM Associate State Director.
[FR Doc. 2010-404 Filed 1-12-10; 8:45 am]
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