[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 139 (Wednesday, July 19, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44806-44807]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-18274]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Proposed Crystal Power Generating Station and Associated 
Facilities, Moapa Indian Reservation, Clark County, Nevada

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that the Bureau of Indian 
Affairs, with the cooperation of the Moapa Band of Paiutes and Calpine 
Corporation (Calpine), intends to gather information necessary for 
preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the approval of a 
long-term land lease for the proposed Crystal Power Generating Station, 
and associated infrastructure, that Calpine would construct and operate 
on approximately 50 acres of Indian trust land within the Moapa Indian 
Reservation, Clark County, Nevada. The purpose of the proposed action 
is to provide economic development and job opportunities for the tribe 
and to allow Calpine to meet the electrical power needs of Southern

[[Page 44807]]

Nevada and, possibly, California and Arizona. The proposed plant would 
have a nominal 760-megawatt base load rating. Details on the project 
location, proposed action and initial areas of environmental concern to 
be addressed in the EIS are provided below (See Supplementary 
Information). This notice also announces public scoping meetings 
regarding the content of the EIS.

DATES: Comments on the scope and implementation of this proposal must 
arrive by August 18, 2000. The public scoping meetings will be held on 
August 10, 2000, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., and August 11, 2000, from 
6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: If you wish to comment, you may submit comments by any one 
of several methods. You may mail or hand carry written comments to 
either (1) Amy L. Heuslein, Regional Environmental Protection Officer, 
Western Regional Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Environmental 
Quality Services, P.O. Box 10, Phoenix, Arizona 85001, Telephone (602) 
379-6750 or Telefax (602) 379-3833, or (2) Deborah Hamlin, Realty 
Specialist, Southern Paiute Field Station, P.O. Box 720, St. George, 
Utah 84771, Telephone (435) 674-9720 or Telefax (435) 674-9714. You may 
also comment via the Internet to [email protected] or 
[email protected]. Please submit Internet comments as an ASCII 
file, avoiding the use of special characters and any form of 
encryption. If you do not receive confirmation from the system that 
your message was received, contact us directly at (602) 379-6750 or 
(435) 674-9720, respectively.
    Comments, including the names and home addresses of respondents 
will be available for public review at the above addresses during 
regular business hours, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 
except holidays. Individual respondents may request confidentiality. If 
you wish us to withhold your name and/or your address from public 
review or from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, you 
must state this prominently at the beginning of your written comment. 
Such requests will be honored to the extent allowed by law. We will 
not, however, consider anonymous comments. All submissions from 
organizations or businesses, and from individuals representing 
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or 
businesses, will be made available for public inspection in their 
entirety.
    The August 10, 2000, public scoping meeting will be held at the 
Tribal Hall, Number 1 Lincoln Street, Moapa Indian Reservation, Moapa, 
Nevada. The August 11, 2000, public scoping meeting will be held in the 
First Floor Conference Room of the North Las Vegas Airport, 2730 
Airport Drive, North Las Vegas, NV 89032.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amy L. Heuslein, (602) 379-6750 or 
Deborah Hamlin, (435) 674-9720.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EIS would evaluate the effects of a 
proposed land lease of approximately 50 acres (at 40 deg.46'N Latitude, 
6 deg.97'W Longitude) on the Moapa Indian Reservation, where Calpine 
proposes to construct and operate a 760-megawatt combined cycle power 
plant. The proposed plant would be fueled by natural gas from the 
existing Kern River (Williams) Natural Gas Pipeline, which is located 
on the Reservation approximately 2,500 feet from the plant site. The 
plant would employ three gas turbines and one heat recovery steam 
generator. The stack height would be approximately 150 to 175 feet, 
with a diameter of about 18 feet. Groundwater would be used in 
operations and for cooling. Water is expected to be discharged to an 
on-site 10 to 15 acre evaporation pond.
    The project is also proposed to include: (1) A gas supply lateral 
pipeline on reservation land; (2) a power grid interconnection at the 
Harry Allen substation, approximately 12 miles southwest of the plant 
site; (3) two parallel 230kV lines traversing both reservation land and 
Bureau of Land Management land, mostly within an existing utility 
corridor; and (4) a roadway connecting the site to Interstate Highway 
15. The exact location of the roadway is still being evaluated due to 
design considerations.
    Significant issues to be covered during the scoping process may 
include, but not be limited to, air quality, geology and soils, surface 
and groundwater resources, biological resources, cultural resources, 
socio-economic conditions, land use, aesthetics, environmental justice, 
and Indian trust assets.
    This notice is published in accordance with section 1503.1 of the 
Council on Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500 through 
1508), implementing the procedural requirements of the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), 
and the Department of the Interior Manual (516 DM 1-6), and is in the 
exercise of authority delegated to the Assistant Secretary--Indian 
Affairs by 209 DM 8.

    Dated: July 14, 2000.
Kevin Gover,
Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 00-18274 Filed 7-18-00; 8:45 am]
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