[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 35 (Friday, February 21, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Page 9922]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-03678]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[CACA-048669, LLCAD09000, L51010000.LVRWB09B2380.ER0000]
Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the
Stateline Solar Farm Project and California Desert Conservation Area
Plan Amendment, San Bernardino County, California
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability
of the Record of Decision (ROD)/Approved Amendment to the California
Desert Conservation Area Plan (CDCA Plan) for the Stateline Solar Farm
Project (SSFP). The Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Land and
Minerals Management, approved the ROD on February 14, 2014, which
constitutes the final decision of the Department.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the ROD/Approved Amendment to the CDCA Plan are
available upon request from the BLM Field Manager, Needles Field
Office, 1303 S. Highway 95, Needles, CA 92363, and at the California
Desert District Office, 22835 Calle San Juan de Los Lagos, Moreno
Valley, CA 92553, or via the Internet at the following Web site: http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/needles/stateline_solar_farm.html.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeffery Childers, BLM Project Manager,
telephone, 951-697-5308; mail, BLM California Desert District Office,
22835 Calle San Juan de Los Lagos, Moreno Valley, CA 92553-9046; or
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 Mr. Childers during normal business hours. The FIRS is
available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question
for Mr. Childers. You will receive a reply during normal business
hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The applicant, First Solar Development, LLC,
filed an application for a right-of-way (ROW) grant authorization to
construct, operate, maintain and decommission the 300-Megawatt (MW)
photovoltaic Stateline Solar Farm Project (SSFP). The proposed project
includes access roads, photovoltaic arrays, an electrical substation,
meteorological station, monitoring and maintenance facility, water
wells, and a 2.3 mile generation tie-line on up to 2,143 acres. The
project location is in San Bernardino County approximately 2 miles
south of the Nevada-California border and 0.5 miles west of Interstate
15.
The Agency-Selected Alternative consists of a 300-MW solar PV
facility encompassing 1,685 acres on a single, contiguous footprint,
which was described in the Final EIS as the Revised Alternative 3:
1,685 Acre Alternative.
The project site is located in the California Desert District
within the planning boundary of the CDCA Plan, which is the applicable
resource management plan for the project site and surrounding areas.
The CDCA Plan, while recognizing the potential compatibility of solar
energy generation facilities with other uses on public lands, requires
that all sites associated with power generation or transmission not
already identified in the Plan be considered through the BLM's land use
plan amendment process. As a result, prior to approval of a ROW grant
for the SSFP, the BLM must amend the CDCA Plan to allow the solar
energy generating project on that site. The approved Amendment to the
CDCA Plan specifically revises the CDCA Plan to allow for the
development of the SSFP and ancillary facilities on land managed by the
BLM.
A Notice of Availability of the proposed plan amendment/final EIS
for the SSFP was published in the Federal Register on November 15, 2013
(78 FR 68860). Publication of the Notice of Availability for the plan
amendment/final EIS initiated a 30-day protest period for the proposed
amendment to the CDCA Plan. At the close of the 30-day period, seven
timely and complete written protests were received and thereafter
resolved. Their resolution is summarized in the Director's Protest
Summary Report attached to the ROD. While the Director's resolution of
protests did not identify any issues to be remanded, the BLM made minor
corrections and clarifying statements as a result of protests.
Simultaneously with the protest period, the Governor of California
conducted a 30-day consistency review of the proposed plan amendment to
identify any inconsistencies with State or local plan, policies or
programs; no inconsistencies were identified.
Because this decision is approved by the Secretary of the Interior,
it is not subject to administrative appeal (43 CFR 4.410(a)(3)).
Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6.
Neil Kornze,
Principal Deputy Director.
[FR Doc. 2014-03678 Filed 2-20-14; 8:45 am]
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