[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 127 (Friday, July 1, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38680-38681]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-16556]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLCAD070000, L91310000, EI0000]
Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact
Statement for the West Chocolate Mountains Renewable Energy Evaluation
Area, Imperial Valley, California, and the Draft California Desert
Conservation Plan Amendment
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability.
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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 Draft California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan
Amendment, and a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the
West Chocolate Mountains Renewable Energy Evaluation Area. By this
notice, the BLM is announcing the opening of the comment period.
DATES: To ensure that comments will be considered, the BLM must receive
written comments on the Draft CDCA Plan Amendment and Draft EIS within
90 days following the date the Environmental Protection Agency
publishes its Notice of Availability for the Draft EIS in the Federal
Register. The BLM will announce future meetings or hearings and any
other public involvement activities at least 15 days in advance through
public notices, media releases, and/or mailings.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the West Chocolate
Mountains Renewable Energy Evaluation Area by any of the following
methods:
E-mail: [email protected].
Fax: (951) 697-5299.
Mail: Bureau of Land Management, California Desert
District Office, 22835 Calle San Juan de Los Lagos, Moreno Valley,
California 92533-9046, Attn: Peter Godfrey.
Copies of the Draft EIS and Draft CDCA Plan Amendment for the West
Chocolate Mountains Renewable Energy Evaluation Area are available in
the
[[Page 38681]]
California Desert District Office at the above address; at the El
Centro Field Office at 1661 S. 4th Street, El Centro, California; and
the Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office at 1201 Bird Center Drive,
Palm Springs, California.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joseph Vieira, BLM Project Manager,
telephone (719) 852-6213; or e-mail [email protected]. Persons who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact the above
individual during normal business hours. The FIRS 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: The Draft EIS analyzes the potential
environmental impacts associated with amending the CDCA Plan to make
available approximately 20,762 acres of BLM-managed surface lands
(acquired lands included) for solar, wind and geothermal testing and
development in a renewable energy evaluation area located near Niland,
California. The Draft EIS also analyzes the potential environmental
impacts of approving a pending geothermal lease application within the
renewable energy evaluation area.
This CDCA Draft Plan Amendment/Draft EIS analyzes 6 alternatives,
including (1) No Action Alternative (the CDCA Plan would not be
amended, and existing plan decisions, stipulations, and allocations
would not change as a direct result of this planning process), (2) No
Development Alternative, (3) Renewable Energy Development Emphasis, (4)
Geothermal Development Only, (5) Solar Development Emphasis with
Moderate Geothermal Development and No Wind Development, and (6)
Geothermal Development Emphasis with Moderate Solar Development and No
Wind Development. If an alternative is selected that establishes the
evaluation area as available for solar energy development, it will be
identified as a solar energy zone.
The principal issues identified thus far include Native American
concerns; potential land use conflicts including recreation; cumulative
impacts considering existing, proposed, and potential geothermal
projects in the area; and potential impacts on cultural resources,
wildlife, visual resources, and surface and groundwater resources. The
Draft EIS also addresses geology, mining, geothermal resources,
vegetation, threatened or endangered species, air quality, noise,
transportation, human health and safety, and social and economic
issues, as well as other issues raised during the scoping process.
The Draft EIS identifies stipulations and mitigation measures that
could be applied to future energy projects. This document will not
authorize any specific energy developments at this time. Additional
project-specific environmental analyses would need to be conducted
before on-the-ground development activities could occur.
The BLM, in compliance with FLPMA, NEPA, and all other relevant
Federal laws, Executive orders, and management policies of the BLM,
used an interdisciplinary approach in developing the EIS, working
collaboratively in order to consider the variety of resource issues and
concerns identified.
Please note that public comments and information submitted
including names, street addresses, and e-mail addresses of persons who
submit comments will be available for public review and disclosure at
the above address during regular business hours (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.),
Monday through Friday, except holidays.
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 1506.6, 1506.10, and 43 CFR 1610.2.
Teresa Raml,
California Desert District Manager.
[FR Doc. 2011-16556 Filed 6-30-11; 8:45 am]
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