[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 105 (Friday, May 31, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38145-38147]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-13379]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[NV-040-02-5101-ER-F330; (N-74943)]


Notice of Realty Action; Notice of Availability of Draft 
Amendment and Draft Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of realty action and notice of availability of the Draft 
Toquop Land Disposal Amendment to the Caliente Management Framework 
Plan (MFP) and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the 
Toquop Energy Project.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, a DEIS has been prepared by the Bureau of 
Land Management (BLM), Ely Field Office for the Toquop Energy Project. 
This document evaluates the environmental

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effects from constructing a 1,100-megawatt (MW) natural gas-fired 
electric power generating plant and associated features on public lands 
in Lincoln and Clark Counties, southern Nevada. This document also 
evaluates the effects of amending the Caliente MFP, to identify 640 
acres of land for disposal. This document evaluates the exchange of 
approximately 640 acres of private land (the Pah Rah parcel) in Washoe 
County, northwestern Nevada, for a similarly valued parcel of public 
land at one of the power plant sites under consideration. The Pah Rah 
parcel would come under BLM administration if the Pah Rah/Toquop land 
exchange is approved.

DATES: The DEIS will be made available to the public on May 31, 2002. 
Copies of the DEIS will be mailed to individuals, agencies, or 
companies who previously requested copies. Mailed comments on the DEIS 
must be postmarked by August 29, 2002. Written comments on the document 
should be addressed to Gene A. Kolkman, District Manager, Bureau of 
Land Management, Ely Field Office, HC 33, Box 33500, Ely, NV 89301-
9408. Oral and/or written comments may also be presented at four 
scheduled public meetings to be held at the following locations.

--Monday, July 8, 2002, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.; City Hall, 100 Depot 
Avenue, Caliente, Nevada
--Tuesday, July 9, 2002, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.; City Hall, 10 E. 
Mesquite Boulevard, Mesquite, Nevada
--Wednesday, July 10, 2002, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.; BLM Las Vegas Field 
Office, 4701 Torrey Pines Drive, Las Vegas, Nevada
--Thursday, July 11, 2002, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Airport Plaza Hotel, 
1981 Terminal Way, Reno, Nevada

ADDRESSES: Public reading copies of the DEIS will be available for 
reading at public libraries listed below:

--Caliente Branch Library, P.O. Box 306, Caliente, NV 89008
--Clark County Library, 1401 East Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, NV 89109
--Las Vegas Public Library, 1726 East Charleston Boulevard, Las Vegas, 
NV 89104
--Lincoln County Library, P.O. Box 330, Pioche, NV 89043
--Mesquite Library, 121 West 1st North Street, Mesquite, NV 89027
--North Las Vegas Library, 2300 Civic Center, North Las Vegas, NV 89030
--Panaca High School Library, P.O. Box 268, Panaca, NV 89042
--University of Nevada-Las Vegas, James R. Dickinson Library, Documents 
Department, 4505 South Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV 89154
--University of Nevada-Reno, Getchell Library, Government Publication 
Dept., Reno, NV 89507
--Washoe County Library, 301 South Center Street, Reno, NV 89501
--White Pine County Library, 950 Campton Street, Ely, NV 89301

    A limited number of copies of the document will be available at the 
following BLM offices:

--Bureau of Land Management, Caliente Field Station, U.S. Highway 93, 
Caliente, NV 89008-0237
--Bureau of Land Management, Carson City Field Office, 5665 Morgan Mill 
Road, Carson City, NV 89701
--Bureau of Land Management, Ely Field Office, 702 North Industrial 
Way, Ely, NV 89301-9408
--Nevada State Office, 1340 Financial Boulevard, Reno, NV 89502-7147
--Washington Office of Public Affairs, 18th and C Street, NW, 
Washington, DC 20240

    Individual respondents may request confidentiality. If you wish to 
withhold your name or street address from public review or from 
disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, you must state this 
definitively at the beginning of your written comments. Such requests 
will be honored to the extent allowed by law. All submissions from 
organizations, businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves 
as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses will be 
available for public inspection in their entirety.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dan Netcher, Team Lead, Bureau of Land 
Management, Ely Field Office, HC 33, Box 33500, Ely, NV 89301-9408.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DEIS addresses alternatives to resolve 
the following major issues: Air quality, surface water, ground water, 
threatened or endangered species, transportation, visual resources, 
noise, cultural and historical resources, Native American religious 
concerns, and socioeconomics.
    The Proposed Action, two other action alternatives, and the No 
Action Alternative include the following: Proposed Action (MFP 
Amendment Land Exchange and/or Southern Power Plant Site right-of-way 
(ROW), Western Utility Alignment ROW, and access road ROW); Alternative 
1 (MFP Amendment, Land Exchange and/or Southern Power Plant Site, 
Eastern Utility Alignment, and access road ROW); Alternative 2 (MFP 
Amendment, Land Exchange, and/or Northern Power Plant Site, Eastern 
Utility Alignment ROW, and access road ROW); No Action Alternative.
    The Proposed Action and each action alternative include the 
following project actions and features: amending the Caliente MFP, 
exchanging BLM-managed public land for a privately owned parcel of 
land, and/or issuing ROWs by the BLM for Toquop Energy Project 
construction and operation; constructing, operating, and maintaining a 
1,100-MW natural gas-fired electric power generating plant on one of 
two candidate plant sites with an expected life of 42 years; developing 
a wellfield in the Tule Desert to meet the water needs of the power 
plant; and developing the linear infrastructure necessary to connect 
the power plant to the new water source, to existing natural gas and 
electric transmission lines serving the region, and to access site 
facilities. The Proposed Action and Alternative 1 differ primarily in 
the location of the utility alignment (western vs. eastern). The 
Proposed Action and Alternative 2 differ primarily in the location of 
the power plant site (southern vs. northern) and, therefore, the parcel 
of BLM-managed public land to be exchanged. An option to the Proposed 
Action, Alternative 1, and Alternative 2 is for the BLM to issue ROWs 
for all project features rather than amend the Caliente MFP and approve 
the proposed land exchange.
    The No Action Alternative represents the status quo condition of 
not approving or implementing the Proposed Action or either of the 
action alternatives. Analysis of the No Action Alternative is required 
by NEPA guidelines.
    Based upon input received during public scoping, the BLM has 
combined the Toquop Energy Project DEIS with a related Environmental 
Assessment (EA) that the Carson City field office of the BLM had been 
preparing for the proposed Pah Rah/Toquop Land Exchange. That EA had 
been evaluating the exchange of approximately 640 acres of private land 
owned by the NLRC in the Pah Rah Range in Washoe County for a similarly 
valued, BLM-managed parcel of public land near the Toquop Wash in 
Lincoln County. The proposed land exchange is now being evaluated as 
part of the Proposed Action and Alternative 1 in this DEIS. The 
separate EA process for the proposed Pah Rah/Toquop land exchange has 
been discontinued. In addition, BLM elected to initiate amendment of 
the Caliente MFP.
    A different land exchange would occur under Alternative 2. Under 
this alternative, the same privately owned parcel in Washoe County 
would be exchanged for a parcel of BLM-managed public land 
approximately 12 miles

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north-northwest of the Toquop Wash plant site. This alternative site 
would be adjacent to and contiguous with the proposed wellfield in the 
Tule Desert. That wellfield is necessary for the Proposed Action and 
both action alternatives. These proposed land exchanges are part of the 
Proposed Action and action alternatives being addressed in this Draft 
Caliente MFP Amendment/DEIS. To proceed with the land exchange, the 
public land to be disposed of must be identified in the Caliente MFP as 
being suitable for disposal through sale or exchange. It has been 
determined that additional analysis is needed in the Caliente MFP for 
the 640 acres of public land that have been identified for exchange 
under the Proposed Action or action alternatives. Therefore, this 
document contains a focused Plan Amendment that addresses the proposed 
land exchange. The Pah Rah section of land to be acquired already meets 
the criteria for land acquisition in the Lahonton RMP, which is 
contained within the Consolidated RMP developed and administered by the 
BLM's Carson City Field Office. Therefore, no amendments to those RMPs 
are needed. The project might optionally proceed by building the power 
plant on public land with the issuance of appropriate ROWs from the 
BLM.
    Public participation is occurring throughout the processing of this 
project. A Notice of Intent was published in the Federal Register on 
November 7, 2001. Two rounds of public meetings were held. Comments 
presented throughout the process have been considered.

    Dated: April 10, 2002.
Eric K. Luse,
Associate Field Manager.
[FR Doc. 02-13379 Filed 5-30-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-HC-P