[Federal Register: October 17, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 201)]
[Notices]
[Page 59814-59815]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr17oc03-70]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[WO-350-1430-PB]
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) To Evaluate Wind Energy Development on Western Public
Lands Administered by the Bureau of Land Management
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act
of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701), as amended; the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969 (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321), as amended; and the Council on
Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will prepare a Programmatic
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate issues associated with
wind energy development on western public lands (excluding Alaska)
administered by the BLM.
DATES: The BLM will accept written comments on the scope of the
Programmatic EIS postmarked by December 19, 2003, and electronic or
faxed comments received by December 19, 2003.
The BLM will hold public scoping meetings to obtain comments for
the Programmatic EIS at the locations and dates specified in the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by the following methods:
Written: BLM Wind Energy Programmatic EIS Scoping, Argonne National
Laboratory EAD/900, 9700 S. Cass Avenue, Argonne, IL 60439.
Web site: windeis.anl.gov
Fax: 1-866-542-5903
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: For general information, including
information on how to comment, you may contact Lee Otteni, Bureau of
Land Management, Farmington Field Office, 1235 La Plata Highway, Suite
A, Farmington, NM 87401, (505) 599-8911 or visit the Wind Energy
Development Programmatic EIS Web site at windeis.anl.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Meetings
The BLM will hold public scoping meetings to obtain comments for
the Programmatic EIS at the following locations on the dates specified
below:
Sacramento, California: Monday, November 3, 2003
Salt Lake City, Utah: Wednesday, November 5, 2003
Cheyenne, Wyoming: Wednesday, November 12, 2003
Las Vegas, Nevada: Tuesday, November 18, 2003
Boise, Idaho: Thursday, November 20, 2003
BLM will announce all public meetings through the local media,
newsletters, and the project Web site (windeis.anl.gov) at least 15
days prior to the meeting.
[[Page 59815]]
Comments
The public is encouraged to contact the BLM with information and
comments on specific issues it believes BLM should address in the
Programmatic EIS. The agency requests information and comments on
resources in the western United States that wind energy development may
impact. Comments may be in terms of broad areas or restricted to
specific areas of concern.
After gathering public comments on what issues BLM should address
in the Programmatic EIS, the BLM will identify and provide rationale on
those issues we will address in the EIS or those issues beyond the
scope of the EIS. In addition to the major issues, BLM will address a
number of management questions and concerns in the Programmatic EIS.
The public is encouraged to help identify these questions and concerns
during the public scoping period.
Scoping comments will be available for public review approximately
45 days following closure of the scoping period. Scoping comments will
be posted on the Internet (windeis.anl.gov). You may also view the
public scoping comments at the Argonne National Laboratory, 1200
Internationale Parkway, Woodridge, IL 60517, Monday through Friday, 9
a.m. to 11:30 a.m., except holidays. To ensure easy access to the
comments at Argonne's offices, we ask that you contact the Document
Retrieval Center at (630) 252-4587 prior to your visit. Visitors to
Argonne will be escorted at all times and will be issued a temporary
badge; specific arrangements must be made for visitors who are not U.S.
citizens.
Individual respondents may request confidentiality. If you wish BLM
to withhold your name or street address, except for the city or town,
from public view or from disclosure under the Freedom of Information
Act, you must state this prominently at the beginning of your written
comment. We will honor requests to the extent allowed by law. All
submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals
identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations
or businesses, will be available for public inspection in their
entirety.
Background Information
In response to recommendations contained in the President's
National Energy Policy that encourages the development of renewable
energy resources, the BLM is undertaking efforts to evaluate additional
wind energy development on public lands, including the establishment of
a national wind energy program and policy. The BLM currently
administers numerous wind energy right-of-way authorizations on lands
in several western states and has received a large number of new
project proposals. The BLM has issued interim wind energy development
policy (Instruction Memorandum No. 2003-020) that establishes
requirements for wind energy site monitoring and testing activities and
full commercial development activities. Under the interim policy
industry is required to conduct appropriate levels of environmental
review before BLM will issue a right-of-way authorization for either
monitoring and testing or full commercial development.
The BLM has determined that the establishment of a national wind
energy program and additional related policy would be a major federal
action as defined by the NEPA and, thus, the BLM will prepare a
Programmatic EIS. This NOI provides public notice of preparation of the
Programmatic EIS and announces the opportunity for the public to
provide comments relating to the preparation, scope, and content of the
Programmatic EIS.
The Programmatic EIS will address the possible amendment of
individual land use plans to address future development of wind energy
resources on BLM-administered lands. BLM will develop a reasonably
foreseeable development scenario to define the magnitude of future wind
energy development activities and to identify which land use plans
might be amended. Examples of possible amendments to land use plans
include the:
(1) Adoption of stipulations (e.g., wildlife management guidelines)
applicable to wind energy development projects, and
(2) Designation of lands for competitive leasing of wind energy
resources.
BLM will include in the scope of this analysis all BLM-administered
lands in the western United States, excluding Alaska. The Programmatic
EIS will also address the no-action alternative of not establishing
national wind energy policies or amending land use plans. Under the no-
action alternative, BLM will continue to allow wind energy development
in accordance with the requirements of the interim policy, Instruction
Memorandum No. 2003-020. BLM may develop other alternatives as a result
of scoping.
The BLM anticipates that the Wind Energy Development Programmatic
EIS and Record of Decision will be completed in approximately 24 months
and will include public and agency scoping; coordination and
consultation with Federal, State, and local agencies and tribal
governments; publication of a draft EIS; public review of the draft
EIS; and publication of a final EIS and Record of Decision. As
currently envisioned, the Programmatic EIS will pay special attention
to the resources listed below as we understand they are significant
issues associated with wind energy development:
Wildlife and wildlife habitat including avian impacts,
Proximity to military activities,
Visual environment, and
Proximity to wilderness or other special management areas.
The Programmatic EIS will also address the indirect and cumulative
impacts associated with wind energy development on a wide range of
other resource issues.
The Programmatic EIS will describe wind energy technologies,
activities undertaken for site monitoring and evaluation, activities
undertaken for full commercial development, and the distribution of
wind energy resources on a regional scale. The Programmatic EIS will
also describe the impact associated with current technologies,
monitoring, and mitigation measures and constraints relevant to wind
energy development. It will include a statement of the purpose and need
for the proposed action, including the effect of wind energy
development on the nation's energy supply, economy, and energy
security.
The BLM will work collaboratively with interested parties to
identify the management decisions that are best suited to local,
regional, and national needs and concerns. Early participation is
encouraged and will help determine the future management of the public
lands. In addition to the ongoing public participation process, we will
provide opportunities for formal participation through comment on the
alternatives and upon publication of the draft EIS.
Ray Brady,
Group Manager, Lands and Realty.
[FR Doc. 03-26123 Filed 10-16-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-84-P
Go to the Top