[Federal Register: February 22, 2010 (Volume 75, Number =
34)]
[Notices] =20
[Page 7624-7625]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr22fe10-72] =20
[[Page 7624]]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[CACA 47740, LLCAD07000, L51030000.FX0000, LVRAB109AA01]
=20
Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact=20
Statement/Staff Assessment for the Stirling Energy Systems Solar Two=20
Project and Possible California Desert Conservation Area Plan Amendment
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act=20
(NEPA) of 1969, as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management=20
Act (FLPMA) of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)=20
and the California Energy Commission (CEC) have prepared a Draft=20
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), Draft California Desert=20
Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan Amendment, and Staff Assessment (SA) as a=20
joint environmental analysis document for the Stirling Energy Systems=20
(SES) Solar Two Project and by this notice are announcing the opening=20
of the comment period.
DATES: To ensure that comments will be considered, the BLM must receive=20
written comments on the Draft EIS/SA within 90 days following the date=20
the Environmental Protection Agency publishes its Notice of=20
Availability in the Federal Register. The BLM will announce future=20
meetings or hearings and any other public involvement activities at=20
least 15 days in advance through public notices, media releases, and/or=20
mailings.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the SES Solar Two Project=20
by any of the following methods:
Web site: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?=
from=3DleavingFR.html&log=3Dlinklog&to=3Dhttp://www.energy.ca.gov=
/sitingcases/solartwo/index.html.
E-mail: Cmeyer@energy.state.ca.us.
Fax: (818) 597-8001.
Mail or other delivery service: Christopher Meyer, Project=20
Manager, Siting, Transmission and Environmental Protection Division,=20
California Energy Commission, 1516 Ninth Street, MS-15, Sacramento,=20
California, 95814.
Copies of the SES Solar Two Draft EIS/SA are available from the CEC=20
at the above address and in the BLM El Centro Field Office, 1661 S. 4th=20
Street, El Centro, California, 92243.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information contact Jim=20
Stobaugh, BLM Project Manager, by telephone at (775) 861-6478; through=20
mail at Bureau of Land Management, P.O. Box 12000, Reno, Nevada 89520;=20
or by e-mail at Jim_Stobaugh@blm.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: SES has submitted an application to the BLM=20
for development of the proposed SES Solar Two Project, a concentrated=20
solar electrical generating facility capable of generating 750=20
megawatts of renewable power. The entire project encompasses=20
approximately 6,144 acres of BLM-managed lands. The project site is in=20
Imperial County, California, approximately four miles east of Ocotillo=20
and 14 miles west of El Centro. Generally, the site is bounded on the=20
north by the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System/San Diego & =
Arizona=20
Eastern Railway and on the south by Interstate 8. The eastern boundary=20
is approximately 1.5 miles west of Dunaway Road and the western=20
boundary is the westerly section line in Section 22 in Township 16=20
South, Range 12 East. An additional 110-acre construction area is=20
proposed east of Dunaway Road.
SES proposes to use SunCatcher technology on the site. A SunCatcher=20
is a 25-kilowatt solar dish designed to automatically track the sun and=20
collect and focus solar energy onto a power conversion unit (PCU),=20
which generates electricity. The system consists of a 38-foot high by=20
40-foot wide solar concentrator in a dish structure that supports an=20
array of curved glass mirror facets. These mirrors collect and=20
concentrate solar energy onto the solar receiver of the PCU.
The project also includes an electrical transmission line, water=20
supply pipeline, and an access road. A new 230-kilovolt (kV) substation=20
would be constructed in approximately the center of the project site=20
near a main services complex that is also part of the proposal. The=20
substation would be connected to the existing San Diego Gas and=20
Electric Imperial Valley Substation by about a 10.3-mile long, double-
circuit 230 kV transmission line. Approximately 7.6 miles of this new=20
line would be outside the project area but is included in the analysis.=20
The transmission line would require the use of approximately 92 acres.
The BLM's purpose and need for the Solar Two project is to respond=20
to SES' application under Title V of FLPMA (43 U.S.C. 1761) for a=20
right-of-way (ROW) grant to construct, operate, and decommission a=20
solar thermal facility on public lands in compliance with FLPMA, BLM=20
ROW regulations, and other applicable Federal laws. The BLM will decide=20
whether to approve, approve with modification, or deny a ROW grant to=20
SES for the proposed Solar Two project. The BLM will also consider=20
amending the CDCA Plan in this analysis. The CDCA Plan (1980, as=20
amended), while recognizing the potential compatibility of solar=20
generation facilities on public lands, requires that all sites=20
associated with power generation or transmission not identified in that=20
plan be considered through the plan amendment process. If the BLM=20
decides to grant a ROW, the BLM would also amend the CDCA Plan as=20
required.
In the draft EIS analysis, the BLM's proposed action is to=20
authorize the SES Solar Two project and approve a CDCA Plan amendment=20
in response to the application received from SES. In addition to the=20
proposed action, the BLM is analyzing the following action=20
alternatives:
Authorize the proposed action;
Authorize a smaller 300 MW alternative and amend the CDCA=20
Plan;
Authorize the project as described in the Drainage=20
Avoidance 1 alternative that may reduce impacts to primary=20
water drainages of the U.S. and amend the CDCA Plan; and
Authorize the project as described in the more restrictive=20
Drainage Avoidance 2 alternative that may substantially reduce=20
impacts in eastern and western high flow water drainages of the U.S.=20
and amend the CDCA Plan.
As required under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)=20
and NEPA, the EIS analyzes three no action alternatives:
Deny the application and not amend the CDCA Plan;
Deny the project but amend the CDCA Plan to allow other=20
solar energy power generation projects on the project site; and
Deny the project and amend the CDCA Plan to prohibit solar=20
energy power generation projects on the project site.
The BLM will take into consideration the provisions of the Energy=20
Policy Act of 2005 and Secretarial Orders 3283 Enhancing Renewable=20
Energy Development on the Public Lands and 3285 Renewable Energy=20
Development by the Department of the Interior in responding to the SES=20
application.
The BLM has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with=20
the CEC to conduct a joint environmental review of solar thermal=20
projects that are proposed on Federal land managed by the BLM with the=20
CEC as the lead agency preparing the environmental documents. The BLM=20
and CEC have agreed through the MOU to conduct joint environmental=20
review of the project in a single combined NEPA/CEQA process and=20
document. In
[[Page 7625]]
addition, the BLM and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) entered=20
into an MOU to formalize the Corps as a Federal cooperating agency in=20
developing the EIS. The BLM and CEC, in coordination with the Corps,=20
have prepared the Draft EIS/SA evaluating the potential impacts of the=20
proposed Solar Two Project on air quality, biological resources,=20
cultural resources, water resources, geological resources and hazards,=20
land use, noise, paleontological resources, public health,=20
socioeconomics, soils, traffic and transportation, visual resources,=20
and other resources. The Corps requirements under the Clean Water Act=20
(CWA), Section 404(b)(1) Guidelines are to identify and authorize only=20
the Least Environmentally Damaging Practicable Alternative which=20
maximizes avoidance and minimization of impacts to aquatic resources of=20
the U.S. The Corps and the applicant are working with the BLM and CEC=20
to identify the project proposal that would reasonably comply with the=20
Corps' requirements under the CWA and 404(b)(1) Guidelines. The=20
applicant has applied to the Department of Energy (DOE) for a loan=20
guarantee under Title XVII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, as amended=20
by Section 406 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009,=20
Public Law 111-5. Should the DOE decide to enter into negotiation of a=20
possible loan guarantee with the applicant, the DOE would become a=20
cooperating agency in developing the final EIS. A Notice of Intent to=20
Prepare an EIS/SA and Proposed Land Use Plan Amendment for the Proposed=20
SES Solar Two Project in Imperial County, California was published=20
October 17, 2008 (see 73 FR 61902). The BLM held two public scoping=20
meetings in El Centro, California, on November 24 and December 18,=20
2008. The formal scoping period ended January 2, 2009.
Please note that public comments will be available for public=20
review and disclosure at the above address during regular business=20
hours (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.), Monday through Friday, except holidays.
Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or=20
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be=20
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying=20
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can=20
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying=20
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be=20
able to do so.
Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6; 40 CFR 1506.10; and 43 CFR 1610.2.
Vickie Weed,
Field Manager, El Centro Field Office.
[FR Doc. 2010-3443 Filed 2-19-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-40-P