[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 230 (Friday, November 29, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71640-71641]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-28506]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLCAD08000, L51010000.FX0000.LVRWB09B3130]
Notice of Availability of the Draft Joint Environmental Impact
Statement and Environmental Impact Report and California Desert
Conservation Area Plan Amendment for the Proposed Soda Mountain Solar
Project, San Bernardino County, CA
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, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of
1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a
Draft Joint Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Environmental
Impact Report (EIR) and California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan
Amendment for the Soda Mountain Solar Project (Project), San Bernardino
County, California, and by this notice 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 EIS/EIR and Draft CDCA Plan Amendment
within 90 days following the date the Environmental Protection Agency
publishes its Notice of Availability 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 Soda Mountain Solar
Project Draft EIS/EIR and Draft CDCA Plan Amendment by any of the
following methods:
Web site: http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/cdd.html.
Email: [email protected].
Fax: 951-697-5299, Attn: Jose M. Najar.
Mail: California Desert District Office, Attn: Jose M.
Najar, 22835 Calle San Juan de los Lagos, Moreno Valley, CA 92553.
Copies of the Soda Mountain Solar Project Draft Joint EIS/EIR and
CDCA Plan Amendment are available in the California Desert District
Office at the above address and at the Barstow Field Office, 2601
Barstow Road, Barstow, CA 92311.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jose M. Najar, Project Manager,
telephone 951-697-5387; address 22835 Calle San Juan de Los Lagos,
Moreno Valley, CA 92553; email [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 BLM has received a right-of-way (ROW)
application from Soda Mountain Solar, LLC, to construct, operate,
maintain, and decommission a solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant
facility proposed on 4,179 acres with solar fields occupying
approximately 2,557 acres of BLM-administered public lands in San
Bernardino County, California. The Project would utilize solar panels
and would be built in several phases. The Project would connect to the
existing Los Angeles Department of Water and Power 500kV transmission
line to the west of the project using a transmission interconnect from
the proposed substation. The Project would not require any expansion of
the existing transmission line or any upgrades.
The Project would be adjacent to Interstate 15 (I-15), South of
Blue Bell Mine Road, about 6 miles southwest of Baker, California, and
12 miles northeast of Barstow, California.
The proposed project site is located near the National Park
Service's Mojave National Preserve, Soda Mountain and Cady Mountains
Wilderness Study Areas, and the Rasor Off Highway Vehicle and Afton
Canyon Special Recreation Management Areas within the BLM's CDCA. A
portion of the Blue Bell Mine Road lies north adjacent to the project
site at its closest point, and runs approximately east to west.
All proposed project components would be located on BLM-
administered lands subject to a ROW grant. The proposed Project
components would include solar array fields; access roads; collector
lines; a substation with switchyard and interconnection; ancillary
buildings; six groundwater production, test, and observation water
wells; water tanks; a water treatment and storage facility; brine
ponds; warehouses; fencing; berms; other infrastructure; and laydown
areas. The existing roads would provide access to the proposed project
site. New minor internal roads would be constructed among collector
lines, substation, arrays and sub arrays, and other ancillary
facilities. The interconnection to the proposed substation and
collector lines from the arrays would be via underground trench,
including underground trenching of I-15. Once approved and operational,
the proposed Project is expected to have up to 358 megawatts of
generating capacity. In connection with its decision on the proposed
Soda Mountain Solar project, the BLM will also include consideration of
potential amendments to the CDCA land use plan, as analyzed in the
Draft EIS/EIR alternatives. The CDCA plan, while recognizing the
potential compatibility of solar energy facilities on public lands,
requires that all sites associated with power generation or
transmission not identified in the Plan be considered through the land
use plan amendment process. The BLM is deciding whether to amend the
CDCA Plan to identify the Soda Mountain Solar project site as available
or unavailable for solar development.
The Draft EIS/EIR describes the following six alternatives:
Alternative A: The Proposed Action--358 MW on 2,557 acres; Alternative
B: 264 MW project on 2,127 acres; Alternative C: 298 MW project on
2,354 acres; Alternative D: 250 MW project on 2,134 acres; Alternative
E: No action alternative/no project approval--no issuance of a ROW
Grant, no county approval of a groundwater well permit, no Land Use
Plan (LUP) amendment; Alternative F: BLM approves project with no
county approval of a groundwater well permit; and, Alternative G:
Planning decision identifying the area as unsuitable for solar, with no
BLM ROW--LUP Plan Amendment (PA), no issuance of a ROW Grant, and no
county approval of a groundwater well permit. All of the action
alternatives, except Alternative E, would include an amendment to the
CDCA Plan. Alternative A is the preferred alternative in the Draft EIS.
[[Page 71641]]
The issues analyzed in the Draft EIS include the physical,
biological, cultural, socioeconomic, and other resources that have the
potential to be affected by the proposed project and alternatives. In
addition, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is analyzing impacts on
air quality, greenhouse gas emissions and climate change; geology and
soils; hazards and hazardous materials; fire and fuels; water
resources, hydrology and water quality; land use, lands and realty;
noise; recreation; traffic; visual resources; paleontological
resources; public health and safety; lands with wilderness
characteristics; socioeconomics and environmental justice; special
designations; transportation and public access; cumulative effects, pre
and post construction and operations; and areas with high potential for
renewable energy development.
The BLM will host one or more public meetings, to be announced
separately, which will be held to allow oral or written comments to be
presented to the lead agencies. Please see BLM's Web page at http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/barstow/renewableenergy/soda_mountain.html for
information about the location, date, and time of any such meeting.
All substantive issues raised during the comment period will be
considered, and modifications may be made to develop the Final PA/EIS/
EIR based on these comments. Please note that public comments and
information submitted including names, street addresses, and email
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, 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 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10, 43 CFR 1610.2.
Thomas Pogacnik,
Deputy State Director, Natural Resources, BLM California.
[FR Doc. 2013-28506 Filed 11-27-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-40-P