[Federal Register: April 7, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 66)]
[Notices] =20
[Page 17762-17763]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr07ap10-77] =20
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[CACA 49016, LLCAD05000, L51010000.FX0000. LVRWB092990]
=20
Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact=20
Statement/Staff Assessment for the Solar Millennium's Ridgecrest Solar=20
Power Project and Possible California Desert Conservation Area Plan=20
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 (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act=20
of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and=20
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 Ridgecrest Solar Power=20
Project (RSPP), Kern County, California, and by this notice are=20
announcing the opening 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 of this document 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, and/or mailings.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the RSPP by any of the=20
following methods:
Web site: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/c=
gi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=3DleavingFR.html&log=3Dlinklog&to=3Dhttp:=
//www.energy.ca.gov/sitingcases/solar_millennium_ridgecrest/index.html.
E-mail: esolorio@energy.state.ca.us and carspp@ca.blm.gov.
Fax: (916) 651-0966
Mail: Eric Solorio, Project Manager, Siting, Transmission,=20
and Environmental Protection Division, California Energy Commission,=20
1516 Ninth Street, MS-15, Sacramento, California 95814.
Copies of the Solar Millennium's RSPP Draft EIS/SA are available=20
from the CEC and the BLM at the above addresses and in the BLM=20
Ridgecrest Field Office, 300 South Richmond Road, Ridgecrest,=20
California 92555, or the California Desert District Office, 22835 Calle=20
San Juan de los Lagos, Moreno Valley, California 92553.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Janet Eubanks, BLM Project Manager,=20
telephone: (951) 697-5376, address: Bureau of Land Management, 22835=20
Calle San Juan de los Lagos, Moreno Valley, California 92553; or e-mail=20
carspp@ca.blm.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Solar Millennium has submitted to the BLM an=20
amended application to develop a dry-cooled, utility-scale solar=20
thermal electric power generating facility. The project will have a=20
nominal output of 250 megawatts, consisting of a single power plant=20
utilizing two solar fields.
The project would be located in northeastern Kern County,=20
California, about five miles southwest of Ridgecrest, California. The=20
proposed project right-of-way (ROW) would encompass approximately 3,995=20
acres of public lands administered by the BLM. The total disturbance=20
area would encompass approximately 1,944 acres. The dry-cooled project=20
would use solar parabolic trough technology to generate electricity.=20
The project also includes the relocation of two Southern California=20
Edison electrical transmission lines, construction of a new 5-mile long=20
water supply pipeline, and an access road.
The BLM's purpose and need for the RSPP is to respond to Solar=20
Millennium's application under Title V of FLPMA (43 U.S.C. 1761) for a=20
ROW grant to construct, operate, and decommission a solar thermal=20
facility on public lands in compliance with FLPMA, the BLM ROW=20
regulations, and other applicable Federal laws and regulations. The BLM=20
will decide whether to approve, approve with modification, or deny=20
issuance of a ROW grant to Solar Millennium for the proposed RSPP. The=20
BLM will also amend the CDCA Plan in this NEPA analysis by designating=20
the project area as either available or unavailable to solar energy=20
projects. The CDCA Plan (1980, as amended), while recognizing the=20
potential placement of solar generation facilities on public lands,=20
requires that all sites proposed for power generation or transmission=20
not identified in the plan be considered through the plan amendment=20
process.
In response to the application received from Solar Millennium, the=20
BLM's proposed action is to authorize the RSPP and amend the CDCA Plan=20
to designate the project area as available for solar energy projects.=20
The project area would avoid El Paso Wash. In addition to the proposed=20
action, the BLM is analyzing the following action alternatives: An=20
alternative that limits the project to the Northern Unit to avoid=20
Mohave Ground Squirrel designated critical habitat; an alternative that=20
limits the project to the Southern Unit to avoid high population=20
densities of desert tortoise and other resources; and the original=20
proposed project alternative. All action alternatives would amend the=20
CDCA Plan to make the area available to solar energy development.
In addition to the above, as required under NEPA, the Draft EIS=20
analyzes a no action alternative that would not require a CDCA Plan=20
amendment. The Draft EIS also analyzes two additional no action=20
alternatives that reject the project, but amend the CDCA Plan to=20
either: (1) Designate the project area as available to future solar=20
energy power generation projects; or (2) designate the project area as=20
unavailable to future solar energy power generation projects. The BLM=20
will take into consideration the provisions of the Energy Policy Act of=20
2005 and Secretarial Orders 3283 Enhancing Renewable Energy Development=20
on the Public Lands and 3285 Renewable Energy Development by the=20
Department of the Interior in responding to the Solar Millennium=20
application.
[[Page 17763]]
The BLM will use the NEPA commenting process to satisfy the public=20
involvement process of Section 106 of the National Historic=20
Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470f) as provided for in 36 CFR=20
800.2(d)(3). Native American Tribal consultations are being conducted=20
in accordance with policy, and Tribal concerns will be given due=20
consideration, including impacts on Indian trust assets.
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. The BLM=20
and CEC have agreed through the MOU to conduct a joint environmental=20
review of the project in a single combined NEPA/California=20
Environmental Quality Act process and document. The BLM and CEC have=20
prepared the Draft EIS/SA evaluating the potential impacts of the=20
proposed RSPP on air quality, biological resources, cultural resources,=20
water resources, geological resources and hazards, land use, noise,=20
paleontological resources, public health, socioeconomic impacts, soils,=20
traffic and transportation, visual resources, and other resources.
A Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS/SA and Proposed Land Use Plan=20
Amendment for the Proposed Ridgecrest Solar Power Project in Kern=20
County, California was published in the Federal Register on November=20
23, 2009 (74 FR 61168). The BLM held two public scoping meetings in=20
Ridgecrest and Inyokern, California, on January 5 and 6, 2010. The=20
formal scoping period ended January 21, 2010.
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.
Thomas Pogacnik,
Deputy State Director.
Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 1506.10 and 43 CFR 1610.2.
[FR Doc. 2010-7832 Filed 4-6-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-40-P