[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 155 (Tuesday, August 12, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47928-47929]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-20464]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[CA-340-03-5101-ER-B171; CACA-44000]


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Plan Amendment and Environmental 
Impact Statement for Wind Energy; Ukiah Field Office, California

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a plan amendment and Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) for Wind Energy; Ukiah Field Office, California.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102 (2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Ukiah Field 
Office, will be directing the preparation of a plan amendment and EIS 
and conducting public scoping meetings in response to a right-of-way 
application filed by GE Wind Energy, LLC. GE Wind Energy proposes an 
array of wind turbines and ancillary facilities including buried power 
lines, access roads, an electric substation and transmission line 
interconnect in the Walker Ridge Area of Lake and Colusa Counties, 
California. BLM will assess the potential impacts of a proposed right-
of-way for an array of approximately eighty (80) 1.5-megawatt wind 
turbines. The project area contains the public land bordered by Bear 
Valley to the east, State Highway 20 to the south, and Indian Valley 
Reservoir to the west.
    The proposal is located in the Indian Valley Management Area the 
Clear Lake Management Framework Plan Update, 1984 for the Ukiah Field 
Office. This management plan does not address long-term management 
objectives for Walker Ridge and is silent on wind power development 
projects; thus, a plan amendment is required in accordance with 43 CFR 
1610.5-5. Although BLM has tentatively scheduled to begin a Resource 
Management Plan (RMP) Revision in the fall of 2003, BLM has elected to 
accelerate this wind energy plan amendment in response to the need for 
alternative energy sources in California and in support of the 
President's energy policy. A final decision on the plan amendment is 
expected in 2004.

DATES: The public is invited to submit comments on the scope of the 
plan amendment and issues to be addressed in the EIS. Three (3) public 
scoping meetings will be held. The exact dates, times and locations for 
these meetings will be announced by BLM, published in local newspapers 
within 15 days in advance of the event, and posted on BLM's Web site 
at: http://www.ca.blm.gov. The three scoping meetings will be open 
houses; they will provide opportunities for the applicant and BLM to 
explain details of the project and gather information from interested 
individuals or groups. The ``open houses'' will start at 6 p.m. and end 
at 9 p.m. Starting at 7 p.m. the EIS process will be explained and an 
opportunity will be given for written comments and general concerns. 
Meetings are anticipated at the following locations: Sacramento, 
Colusa, and Clear Lake, California.
    The comment period for scoping will commence with the publication 
of this notice. Those having concerns, issues, or alternatives they 
would like to see addressed in the EIS must respond with written 
comments within 45 days of the date of this notice. Comments concerning 
the Proposed Action and Alternatives, plan amendment, and EIS should 
address issues to be considered, planning criteria, feasible 
alternatives to examine, possible mitigation measures, and information 
relevant to or having a bearing on the Proposed Action. In addition, 
any persons wishing to be added to a mailing list of interested parties 
can call or write to BLM as described in this notice. Additional 
informational meetings may be conducted throughout the process to keep 
interested parties informed of progress of the EIS.

ADDRESSES: Information and a copy of the Notice of Intent can be 
obtained by contacting or visiting the following offices:
    Bureau of Land Management, Ukiah Field Office, 2550 North State 
Street, Ukiah, CA 95482, Telephone: (707) 468-4000; or
    Public Room, Bureau of Land Management, California State Office, 
2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95825, Telephone: (916) 978-4400; or
    Tom Hurshman, Bureau of Land Management, 2505 South Townsend, 
Montrose, CO 81401, Telephone: (970) 240-5345.
    A copy of the scoping notice and other relevant information 
concerning the status of the project may also be found on-line at: 
http://www.ca.blm.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tom Hurshman, BLM Project Manager, 
(970) 240-5345 or e-mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Walker Ridge area is located in north 
central California, west of the Sacramento Valley and near the southern 
tip of the Coast Range. Walker Ridge is located north of Highway 20 
between Bear Valley and Little Indian

[[Page 47929]]

Valley at an elevation of approximately 3,000 feet. The proposed 
project area is accessible by the Walker Ridge Road, a BLM maintained 
road that runs north from its junction with State Highway 20. The 
proposed wind power development area application encompasses 
approximately 8,200 acres of public lands. On June 2, 2003, GE Wind 
Energy received a site testing and monitoring right-of-way grant from 
BLM to study the wind power potential of the project area for a period 
of three years. Five meteorological towers with anemometers to measure 
wind characteristics are currently installed on Walker Ridge. No 
private lands would be utilized for the project. The legal description 
of the land proposed for the wind power development project is 
available from the contact information in this notice.
    Tentatively identified issues of concern may include: threatened, 
endangered, and sensitive species; visual resources; loss of wildlife 
habitat; land use conflicts; and avian mortality. An interdisciplinary 
approach will be used to develop the plan amendment in order to 
consider a variety of resource issues and concerns identified. 
Disciplines involved will include specialists with expertise in 
archaeology, wildlife, outdoor recreation, visual resources, biology, 
soils, and realty. BLM has preliminarily identified the following, 
possible planning criteria:
    [sbull] Comply with applicable laws, Executive Orders, and 
regulations,
    [sbull] Consider all alternatives in the context of their 
consistency with the President's National Energy Policy, BLM's Interim 
Wind Energy Development Policy, and State of California Renewable 
Energy Portfolio Standards.
The Plan Amendment and EIS will analyze the Proposed Action and the No 
Action Alternative. Other alternatives may include modifying proposed 
tower/turbine locations, road and power cable and line locations, 
rerouting linear electric power line right-of-way locations, as well as 
applying mitigating measures to reduce or eliminate impacts.

    Dated: July 14, 2003.
Richard Burns,
Field Manager.
[FR Doc. 03-20464 Filed 8-11-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-40-P