[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 107 (Monday, June 5, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Page 32371]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-8681]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[CA 660-06-5101-ER]


Proposed Wind Energy Project

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a joint Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) and Environmental Impact Report (EIR).

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA) of 1969, 40 CFR 1508.22, and the California Environmental 
Quality Act (CEQA), notice is herby given that the Bureau of Land 
Management (BLM) and the City of Palm Springs intend to prepare a joint 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Environmental Impact Report 
(EIR) for a proposed wind energy facility on public and private land in 
the Coachella Valley. The EIS/EIR will describe and analyze 
alternatives for a proposed wind energy generating facility on 
approximately 600 acres in the Whitewater floodplain in the Coachella 
Valley, Riverside County, California.

DATES: This notice initiates the public scoping process. Comments on 
issues may be submitted in writing to the address listed below. 
Additionally, a public meeting will be held to encourage public input. 
The public meeting will be announced through the local news media, 
newspapers, and the BLM Web site (http://www.ca.blm.gov/palmsprings) at 
least 15 days prior to the event. Additional opportunities for public 
participation will be provided upon publication of the draft EIS/EIR.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to Greg Hill, Wind Energy Project, 
Bureau of Land Management, 690 W. Garnet Ave., P.O. Box 581260, North 
Palm Springs, CA 92258 or by fax at (760) 251-4899, or by e-mail at 
[email protected]. Documents pertinent to this proposal, including 
comments with the names and addresses of respondents, will be available 
for public review at the BLM Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office 
located at 690 W. Garnet Avenue, North Palm Springs, California, during 
regular business hours of 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, except holidays, and may be published as part of the EIS/EIR. 
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 
prominently at the beginning of your written comment. Such requests 
will be honored to the extent allowed by law. BLM will not consider 
anonymous comments. All submissions from organizations and 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: For further information and/or to have 
your name added to our mailing list, contact Greg Hill, Wind Energy 
Project, Bureau of Land Management, Palm Springs-South Coast Field 
Office, (760) 251-4840, or by e-mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Mountain View Power Partners IV, LLC has 
applied for a right of way on public lands and a conditional use permit 
on private lands to construct a wind energy generating facility in the 
Coachella Valley, in Riverside County. The project site is west of 
Indian Avenue and is within the corporate boundary of the City of Palm 
Springs and within the planning area for the draft Coachella Valley 
Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan. Operations are expected to 
last approximately 30 years. The proposed project would install a total 
of approximately 42 to 50 wind turbines on public and private lands, 
with a total generating capacity of approximately 49 megawatts. Related 
structures would include access roads, a 34.5kV powerline and an 
electrical substation. If approved, the wind energy generating facility 
on public lands would be authorized in accordance with Title V of the 
Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (U.S.C.) and the Federal 
regulations at 43 CFR 2800. The proposed project would take 
approximately 7 months to construct.

    Dated: January 10, 2006.
Gail Acheson,
Field Manager, Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office.
 [FR Doc. E6-8681 Filed 6-2-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-40-P