[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 100 (Wednesday, May 23, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28538-28539]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-12963]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[NV-060-2800/1610]


Notice of Availability; Draft Environmental Impact Statement/
Draft Resource Management Plan Amendment; Falcon to Gonder Project; 
Proposed Power Transmission Line Project in Lander, Elko, Eureka, and 
White Pine Counties, NV

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Interior.

Cooperating Agencies: Nevada Division of Wildlife, Nevada State 
Historic Preservation Office.

ACTION: Notice of availability of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement/Draft Resource Management Plan Amendment (DEIS/DRMPA) for the 
Falcon to Gonder Project, Lander, Elko, Eureka, and White Pine 
Counties, Nevada.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), 40 Code of Federal Regulations 1500-1508 
Council on Environmental Quality Regulations, 43 Code of Federal 
Regulations 2800, and 43 Code of Federal Regulations 1600, notice is 
hereby given of the availability of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement/Draft Resource Management Plan Amendments (DEIS/DRMPA), 
prepared by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to analyze a proposed 
Falcon to Gonder 345 kV transmission line project and associated RMP 
amendments. The DEIS/DRMPA considers the environmental effects of five 
transmission line alternatives, along with the No Action Alternative. 
The project involves the BLM Nevada State Office, as well as BLM's 
Battle Mountain, Elko, and Ely Field Offices and includes public and 
private lands in Elko, Eureka, Lander, and White Pine Counties, Nevada.

DATES: Written comments must be postmarked or otherwise delivered by 
4:30 p.m. on August 23, 2001. Copies of the DEIS may be obtained at the 
Nevada State Office or the Battle Mountain, Elko, or Ely BLM Field 
Offices. Public meetings will be held in the following locations from 
7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on the dates indicated:

June 19, 2001. Carlin City Hall Court Room, 101 South 8th Street, 
Carlin, NV.
June 20, 2001. Eureka Opera House, 31 South Main Street, Eureka, NV.
June 21, 2001. BLM Ely Field Office, 702 North Industrial Way, Ely, NV.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be addressed to the Bureau of Land 
Management, Battle Mountain Field Office, ATTN: Mary Craggett, 50 
Bastian Road, Battle Mountain, Nevada 89820. Comments, including names 
and street addresses of respondents, will be available for public 
review at the above address during regular business hours (7:30 a.m. to 
4:30 p.m.), Monday through Friday, except holidays, and may be 
published in the Final EIS. Individual respondents may request 
confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your name or street address 
from public review or from disclosure under 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. 
All submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals 
identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations 
or businesses, will be made available for public inspection in their 
entirety.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary Craggett (775) 635-4060.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On December 17, 1998, Sierra Pacific Power 
Company (SPPC) filed a right-of-way application with the BLM for the 
construction, operation, and maintenance of an approximately 165-185 
mile long 345 kV electric transmission line that would connect the 
Falcon substation (north of Dunphy,

[[Page 28539]]

Nevada) with the Gonder substation (north of Ely, Nevada). The project 
would improve electricity import and export capabilities to meet 
anticipated growth in SPPC's system.
    The project, as currently proposed, identifies several route 
alternatives. The northern portion of any route would head south from 
the Falcon substation to Highway 50 near Eureka along one of several 
possible alignments. The southern portion of any route alternative 
would then head east along Highway 50 to follow an existing Sierra 230 
kV line to the Gonder substation. The current alternatives are 
identified as the Crescent Valley (a), Crescent Valley (b), Pine Valley 
(a), Pine Valley (b), and Buck Mountain alternatives. The No Action 
alternative is also analyzed. The Pine Valley (a) route is BLM's 
preferred alternative.
    As part of the proposed action, the BLM is also considering 
amendments to the RMPs for the Shoshone-Eureka Resource Area, Elko 
Resource Area, and Egan Resource Area to establish rights-of-way 
utility corridors along the preferred alignment. The Elko RMP also 
requires modifying the existing ``low visibility'' corridor along 
Interstate 80. Amendments to the Shoshone-Eureka RMP also include the 
deletion of a utility planning corridor that runs parallel to State 
Highway 305.

Robert V. Abbey,
State Director, Nevada, Bureau of Land Management.
[FR Doc. 01-12963 Filed 5-22-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-HC-P