[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 101 (Friday, May 23, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30150-30151]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-11602]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[CA 680-08-5101-ER B293; CACA 48902]


West Fry Wind Energy LLC, California Desert District, Notice of 
Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 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, 
will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the 
development and operation of a wind energy farm on public lands in the 
West Fry Mountains northeast of Lucerne Valley, California to meet the 
requirements of NEPA. The project and associated ancillary facilities 
will require one or more BLM right-of-way 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 45-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 as a cooperating or 
participating agency, and comments on issues or alternatives related to 
this proposal must be received within 45 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.

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, 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 may be published as part 
of the EIS. 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: EIS/EIR Process: Edy Seehafer, 760-
252-6021, or [email protected]. Technical Information: Joan Patrovsky, 
760-252-6032, or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: West Fry Wind Energy, LLC has applied for a 
right of way on public lands to construct a wind energy generating 
facility in the West Fry Mountains in San Bernardino County, 
California. The 3,100 acre project site is northeast of Lucerne Valley, 
on public lands managed as the Johnson Valley Off Highway Vehicle area. 
The proposed project is comprised of (1) A main access road from the 
northwest (off Camp Rock Road); (2) other internal access roads; (3) up 
to 34 wind turbine generators, each up to 425 feet tall; (4) associated 
pad-mounted transformers; (5) an underground electrical collection 
system; (6) a new 230 kV electrical substation; (7) a 500-ft 230 kV 
overhead transmission line from the substation to a new switchyard; (8) 
the new switchyard where the project would interconnect to

[[Page 30151]]

Southern California Edison's Pisgah No.2, 230 kV line; (9) an 
operations and maintenance (O&M) building; (10) underground 
communication lines; and (11) two permanent meteorological towers. The 
O&M facility would be on a separate BLM parcel located approximately 7 
miles from the wind energy facility. The proposed project would take 
approximately 7 months to construct.
    Issues that are anticipated to be addressed in this EIS and plan 
amendment include impacts to visual resources, noise, birds, 
socioeconomics, OHV use, hiking, hunting, 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 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 and any rights-of way issued 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, the 
Bureau of Land Management has opted to forego preparation of an 
environmental assessment and proceed directly to a draft EIS.

    Dated: May 12, 2008.
Roxie C. Trost,
Field Manager, Barstow Field Office.
[FR Doc. E8-11602 Filed 5-22-08; 8:45 am]
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