From: Subject: FR Doc 07-2921 Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2007 22:40:18 -0700 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/13jun20071800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/07-2921.htm X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.3138 FR Doc 07-2921 
[Federal Register: June 13, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 113)]
[Notices]              =20
[Page 32679-32680]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr13jn07-107]                        =20

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[WO-300-9131-PP]

=20
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact=20
Statement for Leasing of Geothermal Resources

AGENCIES: Bureau of Land Management, Interior; and U.S. Forest Service,=20
Agriculture.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact=20
Statement for Leasing of Geothermal Resources.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of=20
1969 (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and=20
the United States Forest Service (USFS) will prepare a joint=20
Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) to analyze the=20
leasing of BLM- and USFS-administered lands with moderate to high=20
potential for geothermal resources in eleven western states and Alaska.

DATES: This notice initiates the public scoping process for the PEIS.=20
The BLM and the USFS will accept written comments on the scope of the=20
PEIS postmarked by August 13, 2007, and electronic or faxed comments=20
received by August 13, 2007. Public scoping meetings to obtain comments=20
for the PEIS will be held in Anchorage, Alaska; Boise, Idaho; Denver,=20
Colorado; Missoula, Montana; Phoenix, Arizona; Portland, Oregon; Reno,=20
Nevada; Sacramento, California; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Santa Fe, New=20
Mexico. Times and locations of the scoping meetings will be announced=20
at least 15 days prior to the meetings in the local news media and on=20
the project Web site: ht=
tp://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=3DleavingFR.html&a=
mp;log=3Dlinklog&to=3Dhttp://www.blm.gov/Geothermal_EIS. Public=20

scoping will be open until August 13, 2007.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
     E-mail: geothermal_EIS@blm.gov.
     Fax: 1-866-625-0707.
     U.S. Mail: Geothermal Programmatic EIS, c/o EMPS Inc., 182=20
Howard Street, Suite 110, San Francisco, CA 94105.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information, including=20
information on how to comment, you may contact Jack G. Peterson, Bureau=20
of Land Management at 208-373-4048, Jack_G_Peterson@blm.gov, or =
Tracy=20
Parker, Forest Service at 703-605-4796, tparker03@fs.fed.us or visit=20
the Programmatic EIS Web site at ht=
tp://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=3DleavingFR.html&a=
mp;log=3Dlinklog&to=3Dhttp://www.blm.gov/Geothermal_EIS.


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BLM and the USFS will prepare a joint=20
PEIS for geothermal leasing on BLM- and USFS-administered lands in the=20
western United States (including Alaska) with moderate to high=20
potential for geothermal resources. The U.S. Department of Energy plans=20
to participate as a cooperating agency in view of its special=20
expertise, and may adopt the PEIS to help it more efficiently meet its=20
NEPA review obligations. The analysis area includes BLM- and USFS-
administered lands in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho,=20
Nevada, New Mexico, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.=20
This PEIS will not include congressionally withdrawn lands, Wilderness=20
Areas, Wild and Scenic Rivers, or lands not administered by the BLM or=20
the USFS. For more information related to areas in these states with=20
potential for geothermal resources see the public Web site: ht=
tp://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=3DleavingFR.html&a=
mp;log=3Dlinklog&to=3Dhttp://www.blm.gov/Geothermal_EIS.
 This Web site will include links to many=20

source documents including United States Geological Survey Circular 790=20
and the Western Governor's Association Geothermal Task Force Report.=20
Source information will continue to be updated and expanded as a result=20
of this scoping process. The PEIS will be prepared in accordance with=20
applicable Council on Environmental Quality regulations at 40 CFR 1500-
1508, and applicable BLM and USFS regulations.

[[Page 32680]]

    Geothermal resources are indirectly used to generate electric power=20
and directly used for many things such as heating buildings and=20
aquaculture. Energy markets are driving increased demand for renewable=20
geothermal energy. Advances in the engineering, technology and=20
economics of geothermal exploration and improvements in the design and=20
development of energy generation facilities have resulted in increased=20
interest in areas with geothermal potential. Several recent Federal and=20
state actions also are driving the increase in renewable energy=20
activity, including geothermal energy leasing, exploration and=20
development activity. These actions include the President's National=20
Energy Policy; the Western Governors' Association Geothermal Task Force=20
Report; and the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
    The goal of the PEIS is to examine the potential impacts of=20
geothermal leasing on certain lands administered by the BLM and the=20
USFS. Completion of the PEIS will improve the efficiency and=20
effectiveness of the geothermal leasing and application process on=20
Federal lands. The analysis in the PEIS will serve the following two=20
purposes.
    (1) Analyze the impacts of leasing in areas that are determined=20
through scoping to have reasonable near-term exploration/development=20
potential for geothermal resources, including areas for which leasing=20
applications have not yet been filed. The PEIS will thereby assist the=20
BLM in determining how best to amend, as appropriate, its land use=20
plans for these areas, by identifying the potential for geothermal=20
development in the areas and determining the areas where geothermal=20
development will be considered as an allowable use. The PEIS will=20
similarly address USFS-managed lands that have potential for geothermal=20
resources and provide the basis for future geothermal leasing=20
availability analysis and decisions.
    (2) Enable the BLM to reduce the backlog of lease applications that=20
were pending on BLM- and USFS-administered lands as of January 1, 2005=20
by at least 90 percent as required by section 225(b)(3) of the Energy=20
Policy Act of 2005. This Act gives the BLM until August 8, 2010, to=20
achieve this goal. As of January 1, 2005, there were nearly 100=20
applications for geothermal leases pending on BLM and USFS lands. The=20
PEIS will include the necessary site specific analysis to facilitate=20
processing of these pending lease applications by deciding whether=20
geothermal leasing is appropriate and under what stipulations they may=20
be leased.
    Comments are being solicited so as to determine: (1) The scope of=20
this analysis, (2) significant issues or concerns related to the=20
proposed actions, and (3) alternatives to the proposed actions.
    The BLM will provide further information at the scoping meetings=20
regarding the locations of, and the planning areas and forests that may=20
be affected by, the actively pending applications. The purpose of the=20
public scoping process is to identify issues that should be addressed=20
in the environmental analysis and the scope of the alternatives. You=20
may submit comments in writing at any public scoping meeting, or you=20
may submit them using one of the methods listed in the ADDRESSES=20
section above. Before including your address, phone number, e-mail=20
address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you=20
should be aware that your entire comment--including your personal=20
identifying information--may be made publicly available at any time.=20
While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal=20
identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we=20
will be able to do so.

Douglas Burger,
Acting Assistant Director, Minerals, Realty and Resource Protection,=20
Bureau of Land Management.
Frederick Norbury,
Associate Deputy Chief for National Forest System, U.S. Forest Service.
[FR Doc. 07-2921 Filed 6-12-07; 8:45 am]

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