[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 201 (Friday, October 17, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59814-59815]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-26123]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[WO-350-1430-PB]


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) To Evaluate Wind Energy Development on Western Public 
Lands Administered by the Bureau of Land Management

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701), as amended; the National Environmental Policy 
Act of 1969 (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321), as amended; and the Council on 
Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), the 
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will prepare a Programmatic 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate issues associated with 
wind energy development on western public lands (excluding Alaska) 
administered by the BLM.

DATES: The BLM will accept written comments on the scope of the 
Programmatic EIS postmarked by December 19, 2003, and electronic or 
faxed comments received by December 19, 2003.
    The BLM will hold public scoping meetings to obtain comments for 
the Programmatic EIS at the locations and dates specified in the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by the following methods:
    Written: BLM Wind Energy Programmatic EIS Scoping, Argonne National 
Laboratory EAD/900, 9700 S. Cass Avenue, Argonne, IL 60439.

     Web site: windeis.anl.gov
     Fax: 1-866-542-5903

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: For general information, including 
information on how to comment, you may contact Lee Otteni, Bureau of 
Land Management, Farmington Field Office, 1235 La Plata Highway, Suite 
A, Farmington, NM 87401, (505) 599-8911 or visit the Wind Energy 
Development Programmatic EIS Web site at windeis.anl.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Meetings

    The BLM will hold public scoping meetings to obtain comments for 
the Programmatic EIS at the following locations on the dates specified 
below:

Sacramento, California: Monday, November 3, 2003
Salt Lake City, Utah: Wednesday, November 5, 2003
Cheyenne, Wyoming: Wednesday, November 12, 2003
Las Vegas, Nevada: Tuesday, November 18, 2003
Boise, Idaho: Thursday, November 20, 2003

    BLM will announce all public meetings through the local media, 
newsletters, and the project Web site (windeis.anl.gov) at least 15 
days prior to the meeting.

[[Page 59815]]

Comments

    The public is encouraged to contact the BLM with information and 
comments on specific issues it believes BLM should address in the 
Programmatic EIS. The agency requests information and comments on 
resources in the western United States that wind energy development may 
impact. Comments may be in terms of broad areas or restricted to 
specific areas of concern.
    After gathering public comments on what issues BLM should address 
in the Programmatic EIS, the BLM will identify and provide rationale on 
those issues we will address in the EIS or those issues beyond the 
scope of the EIS. In addition to the major issues, BLM will address a 
number of management questions and concerns in the Programmatic EIS. 
The public is encouraged to help identify these questions and concerns 
during the public scoping period.
    Scoping comments will be available for public review approximately 
45 days following closure of the scoping period. Scoping comments will 
be posted on the Internet (windeis.anl.gov). You may also view the 
public scoping comments at the Argonne National Laboratory, 1200 
Internationale Parkway, Woodridge, IL 60517, Monday through Friday, 9 
a.m. to 11:30 a.m., except holidays. To ensure easy access to the 
comments at Argonne's offices, we ask that you contact the Document 
Retrieval Center at (630) 252-4587 prior to your visit. Visitors to 
Argonne will be escorted at all times and will be issued a temporary 
badge; specific arrangements must be made for visitors who are not U.S. 
citizens.
    Individual respondents may request confidentiality. If you wish BLM 
to withhold your name or street address, except for the city or town, 
from public view or from disclosure under the Freedom of Information 
Act, you must state this prominently at the beginning of your written 
comment. We will honor requests 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 available for public inspection in their 
entirety.

Background Information

    In response to recommendations contained in the President's 
National Energy Policy that encourages the development of renewable 
energy resources, the BLM is undertaking efforts to evaluate additional 
wind energy development on public lands, including the establishment of 
a national wind energy program and policy. The BLM currently 
administers numerous wind energy right-of-way authorizations on lands 
in several western states and has received a large number of new 
project proposals. The BLM has issued interim wind energy development 
policy (Instruction Memorandum No. 2003-020) that establishes 
requirements for wind energy site monitoring and testing activities and 
full commercial development activities. Under the interim policy 
industry is required to conduct appropriate levels of environmental 
review before BLM will issue a right-of-way authorization for either 
monitoring and testing or full commercial development.
    The BLM has determined that the establishment of a national wind 
energy program and additional related policy would be a major federal 
action as defined by the NEPA and, thus, the BLM will prepare a 
Programmatic EIS. This NOI provides public notice of preparation of the 
Programmatic EIS and announces the opportunity for the public to 
provide comments relating to the preparation, scope, and content of the 
Programmatic EIS.
    The Programmatic EIS will address the possible amendment of 
individual land use plans to address future development of wind energy 
resources on BLM-administered lands. BLM will develop a reasonably 
foreseeable development scenario to define the magnitude of future wind 
energy development activities and to identify which land use plans 
might be amended. Examples of possible amendments to land use plans 
include the:
    (1) Adoption of stipulations (e.g., wildlife management guidelines) 
applicable to wind energy development projects, and
    (2) Designation of lands for competitive leasing of wind energy 
resources.
    BLM will include in the scope of this analysis all BLM-administered 
lands in the western United States, excluding Alaska. The Programmatic 
EIS will also address the no-action alternative of not establishing 
national wind energy policies or amending land use plans. Under the no-
action alternative, BLM will continue to allow wind energy development 
in accordance with the requirements of the interim policy, Instruction 
Memorandum No. 2003-020. BLM may develop other alternatives as a result 
of scoping.
    The BLM anticipates that the Wind Energy Development Programmatic 
EIS and Record of Decision will be completed in approximately 24 months 
and will include public and agency scoping; coordination and 
consultation with Federal, State, and local agencies and tribal 
governments; publication of a draft EIS; public review of the draft 
EIS; and publication of a final EIS and Record of Decision. As 
currently envisioned, the Programmatic EIS will pay special attention 
to the resources listed below as we understand they are significant 
issues associated with wind energy development:

Wildlife and wildlife habitat including avian impacts,
Proximity to military activities,
Visual environment, and
Proximity to wilderness or other special management areas.

    The Programmatic EIS will also address the indirect and cumulative 
impacts associated with wind energy development on a wide range of 
other resource issues.
    The Programmatic EIS will describe wind energy technologies, 
activities undertaken for site monitoring and evaluation, activities 
undertaken for full commercial development, and the distribution of 
wind energy resources on a regional scale. The Programmatic EIS will 
also describe the impact associated with current technologies, 
monitoring, and mitigation measures and constraints relevant to wind 
energy development. It will include a statement of the purpose and need 
for the proposed action, including the effect of wind energy 
development on the nation's energy supply, economy, and energy 
security.
    The BLM will work collaboratively with interested parties to 
identify the management decisions that are best suited to local, 
regional, and national needs and concerns. Early participation is 
encouraged and will help determine the future management of the public 
lands. In addition to the ongoing public participation process, we will 
provide opportunities for formal participation through comment on the 
alternatives and upon publication of the draft EIS.

Ray Brady,
Group Manager, Lands and Realty.
[FR Doc. 03-26123 Filed 10-16-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-84-P