[Federal Register: April 2, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 63)]
[Notices] =20
[Page 16827-16828]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr02ap10-99] =20
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[CACA 48254, LLCAD08000L5101 FX0000LVRWB09B2410]
=20
Notice of Availability of the Draft Granite Mountain Wind, LLC=20
Wind Energy Generation Project Environmental Impact Statement/
Environmental Impact Report, California, and the Draft California=20
Desert Conservation Area Plan Amendment
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of=20
1969, as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of=20
1976 (FLPMA), as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), in=20
cooperation with the County of San Bernardino, has prepared a Draft=20
California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan Amendment and a Draft=20
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)/Environmental Impact Report (EIR)=20
for the proposed Granite Mountain Wind Energy Generation Project and by=20
this notice is announcing the opening of the comment period.
DATES: To ensure that comments will be considered, the BLM must receive=20
written comments on the CDCA Plan Amendment and Draft EIS/EIR within 90=20
days following the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes=20
its Notice of Availability in the Federal Register. The BLM will=20
announce future meetings or hearings and any other public involvement=20
activities at least 15 days in advance through public notices, media=20
releases, or mailings.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the proposed Granite=20
Mountain Wind Energy Generation Project by any of the following=20
methods:
Web site: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=3Dleavin=
gFR.html&log=3Dlinklog&to=3Dhttp://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/barsto=
w.html.
E-mail: GraniteWindProject@blm.gov=
.
Fax: (760) 252-6099.
Mail: Edythe Seehafer, BLM Barstow Field Office, 2601=20
Barstow Road, Barstow, California 92311.
Copies of the Draft CDCA Plan Amendment and Draft EIS/EIR for the=20
proposed Granite Mountain Wind Energy Generation Project are available=20
in the Barstow Field Office at the above address; copies are also=20
available at the following Web site: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=3Dleavin=
gFR.html&log=3Dlinklog&to=3Dhttp://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/barsto=
w.html; the BLM California State Office, 2800 Cottage Way,=20
Sacramento, California 95825; County of San Bernardino Land Use=20
Services Department, 385 N. Arrowhead Avenue, San Bernardino,=20
California 92415 and County of San Bernardino Land Use Services=20
Department, 15456 West Sage Street, Victorville, California 92392.=20
Electronic (CD-ROM) or paper copies may also be obtained by contacting=20
Edythe Seehafer at (760) 252-6021 or by e-mailing your request to=20
GraniteWindProject@blm.gov=
and including your name and mailing address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Edythe Seehafer, telephone (760) 252-
6021; address BLM Barstow Field Office, 2601 Barstow Road, California=20
92311; e-mail GraniteWindProject@blm.gov=
.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Granite Wind LLC has applied to the BLM=20
under Title V of the FLPMA (43 U.S.C. 1761) for authorization of a=20
right-of-way (ROW) on BLM managed lands to construct, operate, and=20
decommission a wind energy facility and associated infrastructure in=20
compliance with FLPMA, BLM ROW regulations, and other applicable=20
Federal laws. The BLM will decide whether to approve, approve with=20
modification, or deny issuance of a ROW authorization to Granite Wind=20
LLC for the proposed Granite Mountain Wind Energy Project. Pursuant to=20
the BLM's CDCA Plan (1980, as amended), sites associated with power=20
generation or transmission not identified in the CDCA Plan will be=20
considered through the plan amendment process; the BLM will also decide=20
whether the project site itself is suitable or unsuitable for wind=20
energy generation.
The Project is proposed on approximately 2,086 acres of public=20
lands administered by the BLM's Barstow Field Office and 670 acres of=20
private lands under the jurisdiction of the County of San Bernardino.=20
Total disturbance for the project and ancillary facilities would be=20
approximately 200 acres, of which approximately 90 acres would be long-
term disturbance (for the life of operations). The Project would=20
include the installation of up to twenty-eight 2.3-megawatt (MW)=20
Siemens wind turbines (or a similar model of wind turbine with a 2.1 to=20
3 MW capacity). At full capacity, the proposed project is anticipated=20
to produce approximately 185,000 MW-hours per year.
Alternatives include:
A no action (no project) alternative with a plan amendment=20
making the project area unavailable to wind energy projects;
A no action (no project) alternative with a plan amendment=20
making the project area available to other wind energy projects;
The proposed action, including a plan amendment making the=20
project area available for wind energy generation and providing for a=20
portion of a new 230-kilovolt (kV) transmission line to occur outside=20
of a utility corridor;
A modified proposed action to access the site from the=20
east instead of the west to minimize visual impacts from the project=20
and to mitigate biological impacts to Bendire's Thrasher, a BLM=20
sensitive bird species; and
A modified proposed action that would interconnect to the=20
transmission grid at an alternative location further east that would=20
minimize impacts to an active golden eagle nest.
The proposed towers would be up to 262 feet tall. The turbine=20
blades would extend an additional 166 feet for a total height of up to=20
428 feet above the ground. Twenty of the wind turbines would be located=20
on Federal lands administered by the BLM, and eight would be on=20
adjacent private land within unincorporated San Bernardino County. The=20
proposed project would require the construction of a new access road;=20
an on-site electrical switchyard; an overhead transmission line; a=20
small operations and maintenance building; a temporary construction=20
office; temporary facilities including a cement mixing facility,=20
asphalt batch plant, and construction staging areas; and an electrical=20
substation for interconnection to the Southern California Edison 230 kV=20
transmission system. Each wind turbine would have a pad-mounted=20
transformer located beside the wind turbine tower, a maintenance road,=20
and underground electrical and communication lines. Two permanent=20
meteorological towers would be installed to measure wind speed and=20
direction across the site and control the turbines. The proposed=20
project is expected to have an operating lifetime of 25-30 years.
A Notice of Intent for this project was published in the Federal=20
Register on December 6, 2007 (72 FR 68894). This was followed by a 30-
day public scoping period, which was extended upon the request of San=20
Bernardino County. This extension ended on May 5,
[[Page 16828]]
2008. Public workshops and scoping meetings were held in Apple Valley,=20
California in March and April 2008. Predominant issues identified=20
during scoping included visual, biological, noise, recreation,=20
transportation, economic, and cumulative impacts.
The issues and concerns identified during scoping are addressed in=20
the Draft EIS/EIR. Please note that public comments and information=20
submitted including names, street addresses, and e-mail addresses of=20
persons who submit comments will be available for public review and=20
disclosure at the above address during regular business hours (8 a.m.=20
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, 1506.10 and 43 CFR 1610.2.
Thomas Pogacnik,
Deputy State Director.
[FR Doc. 2010-7474 Filed 4-1-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-40-P