[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 70 (Friday, April 11, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17826-17827]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-8798]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[NV-040-03-5101-ER-F336; N-74943]


Notice of Availability of the Proposed Toquop Land Disposal 
Amendment to the Caliente Management Framework Plan and Final 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Toquop Energy Project

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of the proposed Toquop Land Disposal 
Amendment to the Caliente Management Framework Plan (MFP) and Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) 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, an FEIS has been prepared by the Bureau of 
Land Management (BLM), Ely Field Office, for the Toquop Energy Project. 
The FEIS was prepared to evaluate the effects of amending the Caliente 
Management Framework Plan to identify specific sections of land as 
available for disposal through sale or exchange, effects of an exchange 
of 640 acres in the Toquop area for 640 acres in the Pah Rah area, and 
to analyze the impacts of issuing a right-of-way for the construction 
and operation of a natural gas fired electric power generating plant 
and associated facilities on public land currently administered by the 
Ely and Las Vegas Field Offices of the BLM.

DATES: The Proposed Toquop Land Disposal Amendment to the Caliente 
Management Framework Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Toquop Energy Project is available for a 30-day protest period 
starting from the date the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 
publishes its NOA in the Federal Register. Copies of the FEIS will be 
mailed to individuals, agencies, or companies who previously requested 
copies. Instructions for filing protests are contained in the Final 
Environmental Impact Statement document cover sheet just inside the 
front cover, and are included below under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

ADDRESSES: Public reading copies of the FEIS will be available for 
reading at public libraries: Caliente Branch Library; Clark County 
Library; Las Vegas Public Library; Lincoln County Library; Mesquite 
Library; North Las Vegas Library; Panaca High School Library; 
University of Nevada-Las Vegas; James R. Dickinson Library Documents 
Department; University of Nevada-Reno; Getchell Library Government 
Publication Dept.; Washoe County Library; White Pine County Library. A 
limited number of copies of the document will be available at the 
following BLM offices: BLM Nevada State Office, Las Vegas Field Office, 
Caliente Field Station, and Ely Field Office.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gene A. Kolkman, Field Manager, Bureau 
of Land Management, Ely Field Office, 702 N. Industrial Way, Ely, 
Nevada 89301-9408; telephone (775) 289-1800.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Environmental Protection Agency 
published the notice of availability of the Draft EIS (DEIS) on May 31, 
2002. The public comment period on the DEIS ended August 29, 2002. The 
FEIS addresses alternatives to resolve the following major issues: 
ground water resources, air quality, economic benefits, and desert 
tortoise habitat.
    This proposed Toquop Land Disposal Amendment to the Caliente MFP 
and FEIS for the Toquop Energy Project evaluates the environmental 
effects that would result from issuance of a right-of-way for the 
construction of the proposed Toquop Energy electric power generating 
plant. This 1,100-megawatt (MW) natural gas-fired and water-cooled 
power plant and associated features would be located on public lands in 
Lincoln County and Clark County, southern Nevada, that are presently 
managed by the Ely and Las Vegas Field Offices of the U.S. Bureau of 
Land Management (BLM). The power plant site for the proposed action is 
approximately 50 miles south-southeast of Caliente, Nevada, and 12 
miles northwest of Mesquite, Nevada. An alternative power plant site 
located in the Tule Desert approximately 12 miles north-northwest of 
the Toquop Wash plant site and an alternative air-cooled plant located 
at the Toquop Wash plant site are evaluated. This document also 
evaluates the effects of amending the

[[Page 17827]]

Caliente MFP, which would identify specific sections of land as 
available for disposal. This action would be needed to dispose of 640 
acres in the Toquop area through sale or exchange. This document also 
evaluates the effects of an exchange of 640 acres in the Toquop area 
for 640 acres of private land located in the Pah Rah Range in Washoe 
County in northwestern Nevada. Federal actions addressed in the 
accompanying document are the BLM's issuance of rights-of-way needed to 
construct and operate the Toquop Energy Project and an amendment of the 
Caliente MFP to identify specific public lands as available for 
disposal through sale or facilitation of a land exchange as it relates 
to the proposed project. This Final EIS satisfies the National 
Environmental Policy Act, which mandates that federal agencies analyze 
the environmental consequences of major undertakings. The agency 
preferred alternative is the selected alternative for the proposed plan 
and Final EIS. The preferred alternative includes a proposed Toquop 
Land Disposal Amendment to the Caliente MFP, water-cooled power plant, 
western utility alignment ROW, wellfield ROW, and access road ROW, 
southern power plant site ROW, Toquop land disposal (southern parcel) 
through exchange. In addition to the proposed action, three other 
alternatives were developed for the Toquop Land Disposal Amendment to 
the Caliente MFP and Toquop Energy Project. The document contains a 
summary of the decisions and resulting impacts, an overview of the 
planning process and planning issues, the Proposed Plan Amendment, 
comment letters and responses and verbal comments received during 
public review of the Draft Plan Amendment and Toquop Energy Project, 
and responses to the substantive issues raised during the review.
    The proposed Toquop Land Disposal Amendment to the Caliente 
Management Framework Plan may be protested by any person who 
participated in the planning process, and who has an interest which is 
or may be, adversely affected by the approval of the proposed plan 
amendment. A protest may raise only those issues which were submitted 
for the record during the planning process (see 43 Code of Federal 
Regulations 1610.5-2). The protest shall contain the following 
information:
    [sbull] The name, mailing address, telephone number, and interest 
of the person filing the protest.
    [sbull] A statement of the issue or issues being protested.
    [sbull] A statement of the part or parts of the document being 
protested.
    [sbull] A copy of all documents addressing the issue or issues 
previously submitted during the planning process by the protesting 
party, or an indication of the date the issue or issues were discussed 
for the record.
    [sbull] A concise statement explaining precisely why the Bureau of 
Land Management, Nevada State Directors's decision is wrong.
    Upon resolution of any protests, an Approved Plan Amendment and 
Record of Decision will be issued for the plan amendment. The Approved 
Plan Amendment/Record of Decision will be mailed to all individuals who 
participated in this planning process and all other interested public 
upon their request.
    Mailing address for filing a protest:

Regular Mail

Director (210), Attn: Brenda Williams, P.O. Box 66538, Washington, DC 
20035.

Overnight Mail

U.S. Department of the Interior, Director, Bureau of Land Management, 
Protest Coordinator (WO-210), 1620 ``L'' Street, NW., Rm 1075, 
Washington, DC 20036.

    Dated: February 14, 2003.
Robert V. Abbey,
State Director, Nevada.
[FR Doc. 03-8798 Filed 4-10-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-HC-P