[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 183 (Friday, September 20, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57877-57878]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-22790]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLAZP02000.L51010000.FX0000.LVRWA12A3170; AZA35927]
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
the Proposed Maricopa Solar Park Project in Maricopa County, AZ
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act
of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Lower Sonoran
Field Office, Phoenix, Arizona, intends to prepare an environmental
impact statement (EIS) and by this notice is announcing the beginning
of
[[Page 57878]]
the scoping process to solicit public comments and identify issues.
DATES: This notice initiates the public scoping process for the EIS.
Comments on issues may be submitted in writing until October 21, 2013.
The date(s) and location(s) of 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/prog/energy/solar/maricopa-solar.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. The BLM will provide
additional opportunities for public participation upon publication of
the Draft EIS.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the Maricopa Solar Park
Project by any of the following methods:
Email: [email protected].
Fax: 623-580-5580.
Mail: Bureau of Land Management, Phoenix District Office,
Lower Sonoran Field Office, Attention: Joe Incardine/Maricopa Solar
Park Project, 21605 North 7th Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85027-2929.
Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined at the Lower
Sonoran Field Office.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joe Incardine, National Project
Manager, telephone 801-539-4118; address Bureau of Land Management,
Phoenix District Office, Lower Sonoran Field Office, 21605 North 7th
Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85027-2929; email [email protected]. Contact Mr.
Incardine if you wish to add your name to our mailing list.
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 applicant, Marisol Energy 2, LLC
(Marisol), has requested a right-of-way authorization to develop and
operate the Maricopa Solar Park Project, a photovoltaic (PV) solar
power plant with a planned generating capacity of up to 300 megawatts.
Marisol is a sister company of the Italian-based Siderurgica
Investimenti. Siderurgica Investimenti is the holding company of an
industrial group operating at an international level in the sectors of
steel and metal production, renewable energy, and natural gas.
The project would be located on approximately 1,730 acres of BLM-
managed land within the Phoenix District Office, Lower Sonoran Field
Office in Maricopa County, Arizona, approximately 30 miles southwest of
Phoenix. The proposed project would consist of one or more phases,
based upon potential power purchase agreement(s) with electrical
utility companies. The project proposes to use mono/polycrystalline or
``thin film'' PV modules, which would be mounted on horizontal single-
axis trackers or on fixed mounting systems. The type of PV modules and
mounting systems selected by Marisol would maximize efficiency and
energy production. The facility would have an onsite high-voltage
substation, with high-voltage power transformers stepping up energy to
345-kilovolts. Electrical energy from the onsite switchyard would be
delivered to the existing Pinal West Substation through one or two new
high-voltage transmission lines, each 2.3-miles long. The facility is
proposed to operate for a grant term of 30 years. Additional applicable
permits from Federal, State, and local agencies would be required.
As the project is located outside of a solar energy zone identified
in the Solar Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement Record of
Decision, a variance application was required. Marisol submitted its
variance application for consideration to the BLM Arizona State Office
and the BLM Washington Office. A public information meeting was held in
Maricopa, Arizona, on February 5, 2013. The BLM Washington Office
approved the Marisol variance application in June 2013.
The purpose of the public scoping process is to determine relevant
issues that will influence the environmental analysis, including
alternatives, and guide the process for developing the EIS. At present,
the BLM has identified the following preliminary issues: Impacts to
cultural resources, visual resources, grazing allotments, recreation,
and local wildlife corridors. The project site is adjacent to the
Sonoran Desert National Monument, a unit of the BLM National Landscape
Conservation System.
The BLM will use and coordinate the NEPA commenting process to help
with the public involvement process for Section 106 of the National
Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) (16 U.S.C. 470f) as provided for in 36
CFR 800.2(d)(3). The information about historic and cultural resources
within the area potentially affected by the proposed project will
assist the BLM in identifying and evaluating impacts to such resources
in the context of both NEPA and Section 106 of the NHPA.
The BLM will consult with Indian tribes on a government-to-
government basis in accordance with Executive Order 13175 and other
policies. Native American tribal consultation will be conducted in
accordance with policy, and tribal concerns will be given due
consideration, including impacts on Indian Trust assets. 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, 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 1501.7.
Raymond Suazo,
Arizona State Director.
[FR Doc. 2013-22790 Filed 9-19-13; 8:45 am]
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