[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 234 (Thursday, December 6, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68894-68895]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-23728]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[CA 680-07-5101-ER B241] [CACA 48254]


Granite Mountain LLC Wind Farm, California Desert District, 
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement/Notice of 
Preparation of an Environmental Impact Report and To Amend the 
California Desert Conservation Area Plan

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), 42 U.S.C. 4321-4347, the Bureau 
of Land Management (BLM), Barstow Field Office, Barstow, California, in 
coordination with the County of San Bernardino (County), California 
will prepare a joint Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental 
Impact Report (EIS/EIR) for the development and operation of a wind 
energy farm on public and private lands in the Granite Mountains, north 
of Apple Valley, California to meet the requirements of both the 
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and NEPA. The project and 
associated ancillary facilities will require both BLM and County 
authorizations. Pursuant to the California Desert Conservation Area 
(CDCA) Plan, new power generation projects must be evaluated through 
the planning process. By this notice the BLM is announcing a 30-day 
period for public scoping of alternatives, issues, the scope of the 
direct, indirect, and cumulative analysis for this proposal and 
associated planning criteria. In addition, BLM is requesting the views 
of other agencies as to the scope and content of the environmental 
information that is germane to the statutory responsibilities or areas 
of expertise for your agencies in connection with the proposed project 
and the analysis of its impacts.

DATES: This notice initiates the public scoping process. Requests for 
participation in the development of this EIS/EIR as a cooperating or 
participating agency, and comments on issues or alternatives related to 
this proposal must be received within 30 days of the date of 
publication of this notice in the Federal Register, and may be 
submitted in writing to the address listed below. Additionally, at 
least two scoping meetings will be held to encourage public input. The 
public meetings will be announced through the local news media, 
newspapers, and the BLM Web site (http://www.ca.blm.gov/barstow) at 
least 15 days prior to the event. Additional opportunities for public 
participation will be provided upon publication of the draft EIS/EIR.

ADDRESSES: Requests for participation in the EIS development by 
agencies, requests to be added to the mailing list, and comments on the 
scope and content of the EIS should be sent to Edy Seehafer, 
Environmental Coordinator, Bureau of Land Management, Barstow Field 
Office, 2601 Barstow Road, Barstow, CA 92311, or by fax at 760-252-
6099, or e-mail at [email protected]. A follow-up hard copy is requested 
when comments are sent by fax or e-mail, to assure readability. 
Documents pertinent to this proposal, including comments with the names 
and addresses of respondents, will be available for public review 
Monday through Friday, except holidays, at the BLM Barstow Field Office 
located at 2601 Barstow Road, Barstow, California, during regular 
business hours of 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and at the County of San 
Bernardino, either at 385 N. Arrowhead Avenue, San Bernardino or at 
15456 West Sage Street, Victorville, CA 92392, during regular business 
hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and may be published as part of the EIS/EIR. 
Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other 
personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware 
that your entire comment--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so. 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:
    Technical Information: Joan Patrovsky, 760-252-6032, or 
[email protected].
    EIS/EIR Process: Edy Seehafer, 760-252-6032, or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Granite Wind, 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 at Granite Mountain, near 
Apple Valley, in San Bernardino County. The project site is east of 
Apple Valley and west of Lucerne Valley. Operations are expected to 
last approximately 30 years. The proposed project would install 
approximately 27 wind turbines on public and private lands, with a 
generating capacity of approximately 62.1 to 81 megawatts, depending on 
the make and model of wind turbines used for the proposed project. 
Related structures would include access roads, underground 34.5 kV 
transmission lines and fiber-optic cables, an electrical substation and 
a 230 kV power-line from the project site to Southern California 
Edison's existing 230 kV transmission system and an electrical 
substation interconnecting the project to the existing 230 kV 
transmission system. 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 and the federal 
regulations at 43 CFR 2800. The proposed project would take 
approximately 7 months to construct.
    Issues that are anticipated to be addressed in this EIS/EIR and 
plan amendment include visual impacts, avian impacts, socioeconomic 
impacts, electrical transmission capacity, and cumulative impacts. The 
CDCA Plan (1980, as amended), while recognizing the potential 
compatibility of wind generation facilities on public lands, requires 
that all power generating facilities be considered through the planning 
process. Planning criteria for consideration of a CDCA plan amendment 
to provide for power generation at this site include:
    a. The plan amendment will be completed in compliance with FLPMA, 
NEPA and all other applicable Federal and State laws, Executive orders, 
and management policies of the BLM;
    b. The plan amendment will recognize and conform to previous site-
specific planning decisions from BLM regional and bioregional plans;
    c. Where existing planning decisions are still valid, those 
decisions will remain unchanged;
    d. Where appropriate, this EIS will reference the BLM Programmatic 
Wind EIS (2005);
    e. For the purposes of cumulative analysis, past, present, and 
reasonably foreseeable projects will be those alternative energy 
projects which have

[[Page 68895]]

been approved, or for which a draft or final plan of development has 
been received, or is anticipated prior to the release of the Draft or 
Final EIS, within the CDCA;
    f. The plan amendment will recognize valid existing rights; and
    g. Interagency and Native American Tribal consultations will be 
conducted in accordance with policy, and will be given due 
consideration. The planning process will include the consideration of 
impacts on Indian trust assets, other jurisdictions, and agencies.
    Copies of the environmental assessment and initial study are not 
attached. Pursuant to NEPA Departmental Guidelines, in 516 DM 11.4 and 
CEQA Guidelines, Section 15063(a), the Bureau of Land Management and 
the County of San Bernardino have opted to forgo preparation of an 
initial study and proceed directly to a draft EIS/EIR.

    Dated: November 21, 2007.
Roxie C. Trost,
Field Manager, Barstow Field Office.
[FR Doc. E7-23728 Filed 12-5-07; 8:45 am]
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