[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 133 (Wednesday, July 12, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35920-35921]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-17073]



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[[Page 35921]]


DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
[OR-020-05-1330-01: G5-162]


Intent To Prepare Environmental Impact Statement, Harney County, 
OR

AGENCY: Burns District, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), DOI.


ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) for a Plan of Operations for a proposed geothermal electric 
generating plant and associated geothermal facilities and operations 
near Borax Lake in Pueblo Valley, southern Harney County.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969, and 43 CFR Part 3200, the Bureau of Land Management 
(BLM) will be directing a third party contractor in the preparation of 
an EIS on the impacts of a proposed geothermal electric generating 
plant and associated facilities and operations known as the Pueblo 
Valley Geothermal Project, which would be located on public land about 
1-mile southwest of Borax Lake and 5 miles northeast of Fields, Oregon. 
Comments are being requested to help identify significant issues or 
concerns related to the proposed action, to determine the scope of the 
issues and alternatives that need to be analyzed, and to eliminate from 
detailed study those issues that are not significant. Supporting 
documentation should be included with comments recommending that the 
EIS address specific environmental issues.

DATES: Scoping meetings to encourage public participation will be held 
in Burns, Fields, Bend, and Portland. Once a third party contractor has 
been selected, the exact dates and locations will be published in the 
Burns Times-Herald, Bend Bulletin, and the Oregonian.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be addressed to the Bureau of Land 
Management, HC 74-12533 Hwy 20 West, Hines, Oregon 97738, Attn: Pueblo 
Valley Geothermal Project Manager.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Craig (Cody) M. Hansen (503) 573-4400.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Anadarko Petroleum Corporation submitted a 
Plan of Development, Utilization, Production, Injection, and Disposal 
for a project to drill and test production and injection wells and to 
supply, build, and operate a 22.9 MW (net) air-cooled binary geothermal 
electric power plant and supporting facilities in the Alvord Known 
Geothermal Resource Area (KGRA) in Pueblo Valley. The development would 
be located within portions of Sections 21, 22, 23, and 27, Township 37 
South, Range 33 East of the Willamette Meridian. Geothermal fluid (hot 
water) would be pumped from an underground reservoir and produced 
initially from 6 to 10 geothermal production wells. The hot water would 
be transported via surface pipelines to a proposed binary power plant 
where it would be used to heat a second fluid system, which in turn 
would run turbines to generate electricity. After heat extraction, the 
cooled geothermal water would be pumped via surface pipelines to six to 
eight injection wells to be returned to the subsurface geothermal 
reservoir. The plant would use a closed production loop with no release 
of geothermal liquid or gases to the surface environment. Well spacing 
would be approximately one well per 25 acres and well pads would occupy 
between 1.2 and 2.2 acres. The production facility would occupy 12.6 
acres. The proposed plan includes monitoring of Borax Lake and the 
collection of seismic data in the area as well as a suite of mitigation 
measures to reduce adverse impacts. The estimated viable life of the 
project is expected to be 30 years.
    This EIS will address potential impacts to nearby Borax Lake as 
well as to geology, minerals, gothermal resources, groundwater, soil, 
vegetation, grazing management, wildlife, recreation, visual resources, 
air quality, cultural and paleontological resources, land use, access, 
and social and economic values related to development of the project.
    Federal, State, and local agencies and other individuals or 
organizations who may be interested in or affected by the BLM's 
decision are invited to participate in the scoping process. The 
Authorized Officer will respond to public input and comment as part of 
the final EIS through the third party contractor. The decision 
regarding the proposal will be recorded as a Record of Decision, which 
is subject to appeal under 43 CFR Part 4.

    Date: July 5, 1995.
Jerome A. Petzold,
Assistant District Manager for Operations.
[FR Doc. 95-17073 Filed 7-11-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-33-M