[Federal Register: April 19, 2010 (Volume 75, Number =
74)]
[Notices] =20
[Page 20379-20380]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr19ap10-58] =20
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[CACA 048880, LLCAD06000, L51010000.FX0000, LVRWB09B2520]
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Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact=20
Statement/Staff Assessment for the NextEra Energy Resources Genesis=20
Solar Energy Project and Possible California Desert Conservation Area=20
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 (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 Genesis Solar Energy=20
Project (GSEP), Riverside 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 and plan amendment within 90 days
[[Page 20380]]
following the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes its=20
Notice of Availability in the Federal Register. The BLM will announce=20
future meetings or hearings and any other public involvement activities=20
at least 15 days in advance through public notices, media releases,=20
and/or mailings.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the GSEP by any of the=20
following methods:
E-mail: CAPSSolarNextEraFPL@blm.gov.
Mail or other delivery service: Allison Shaffer, Project=20
Manager, Palm Springs South Coast Field Office, Bureau of Land=20
Management, 1201 Bird Center Drive, Palm Springs, California 92262.
Copies of the GSEP Draft EIS/SA are available from the BLM at the=20
above addresses.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Allison Shaffer, BLM project manager,=20
at (760) 833-7100. See also ADDRESSES above.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NextEra Energy Resources has submitted a=20
right-of-way (ROW) application to the BLM for development of the=20
proposed GSEP on public lands, consisting of two concentrating solar=20
electric generating power plants each producing 125 megawatts (MW) for=20
a total output of approximately 250 MW of electricity at full=20
development. The project would use a wet-cooling tower for power plant=20
cooling. Water for the project (approximately 1,644 acre-feet per year)=20
would be obtained from on-site wells. The project would include a 15-
mile transmission line to the Colorado River Substation; 5.6 miles of=20
this line would use the existing 230-kilovolt Blythe Energy=20
Transmission Line. The total expected project footprint is about 1,800=20
acres of BLM-managed lands for the two power plants, and approximately=20
80 to 90 acres in support of ancillary facilities. The project is sited=20
in an undeveloped area of the Sonoran Desert, near Ford Dry Lake, north=20
of Interstate 10 in Riverside County, approximately 25 miles west of=20
Blythe, California, on lands managed by the BLM. The BLM's purpose and=20
need for the GSEP is to respond to NextEra's application for a ROW=20
grant to construct, operate, and decommission a solar power facility on=20
public lands in compliance with Title V of FLPMA (43 U.S.C. 1761), BLM=20
ROW regulations, and other applicable Federal laws. The BLM will decide=20
whether to grant, grant with modification, or deny a ROW to NextEra for=20
the proposed GSEP. The BLM will also consider amending the CDCA Plan=20
(1980, as amended) in this analysis. The CDCA Plan, while recognizing=20
the potential compatibility of solar generation facilities on public=20
lands, requires that all sites proposed for power generation or=20
transmission not identified in the Plan be considered through the BLM=20
land use plan amendment process. If the BLM decides to grant a ROW for=20
this project, the CDCA Plan would be amended as required.
The proposed action is to authorize the GSEP and amend the CDCA=20
Plan to designate the project area as available for solar energy=20
projects. In addition to the proposed action, the BLM is analyzing an=20
alternative that would reduce the project footprint by half, to=20
approximately 900 acres of disturbance, by constructing only one power=20
plant for a total output of 125 MW. The BLM is also analyzing a dry-
cooling alternative. All three action alternatives would amend the CDCA=20
Plan to designate the area as available for commercial solar energy=20
development. As required under NEPA, the Draft EIS analyzes a No Action=20
alternative that would not require a CDCA Plan amendment. The Draft EIS=20
also analyzes alternatives that reject the project, but amend the CDCA=20
Plan to either: (1) Designate the project area as available for future=20
solar energy power generation projects; or (2) designate the project=20
area as unavailable for future solar energy power generation projects.=20
The BLM will take into consideration the provisions of the Energy=20
Policy Act of 2005 and Secretarial Order 3283 Enhancing Renewable=20
Energy Development on the Public Lands and Secretarial Order 3285=20
Renewable Energy Development by the Department of the Interior in=20
responding to the NextEra application.
The BLM has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the CEC=20
to conduct a joint environmental review of solar thermal projects that=20
are proposed on Federal land managed by the BLM. The BLM and CEC have=20
agreed to conduct joint environmental review of the project in a single=20
combined NEPA/California Environmental Quality Act process and=20
document. The Draft EIS/SA analyzes site-specific impacts of the=20
proposed project on air quality; biological, cultural, water, soil,=20
visual, paleontological, and geological resources; recreation; land=20
use; noise; public health; socioeconomics; and traffic and=20
transportation. The Draft EIS/SA also addresses hazardous materials=20
handling, waste management, worker safety, fire protection, facility=20
design engineering, efficiency, reliability, transmission system=20
engineering, transmission line safety, and nuisance.
A Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS/SA and Proposed Land Use Plan=20
Amendment for the NextEra Genesis Solar Energy Project in Riverside=20
County was published in the Federal Register on November 23, 2009 (74=20
FR 61167). The BLM held two public scoping meetings in Blythe,=20
California, and Palm Desert, California, on December 10th and11th,=20
2009. The formal scoping period ended December 23, 2009.
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
Karla D. Norris,
Associate Deputy State Director.
[FR Doc. 2010-8905 Filed 4-16-10; 8:45 am]
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