[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 115 (Friday, June 13, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33802-33805]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-13365]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
U.S. Forest Service
[WO-300-9131-PP]
Notice of Availability of the Draft Programmatic Environmental
Impact Statement for Leasing of Geothermal Resources in 11 Western
States and Alaska and Notice of Public Hearings
AGENCIES: Bureau of Land Management, Interior; and U.S. Forest Service,
Agriculture.
ACTION: Notice of Availability (NOA) of the Draft Programmatic
Environmental Impact Statement for Leasing of Geothermal Resources in
11 Western States and Alaska and Notice of Public Hearings.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with Section 202 of the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Council on
Environmental Quality's regulations implementing the NEPA (40 CFR 1500-
1508), and applicable agency guidance, a Draft Programmatic
Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) has been prepared on the leasing
of geothermal resources in 11 Western States and Alaska. The Department
of the Interior, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Department
of Agriculture, the Forest Service (FS) are co-lead agencies for the
PEIS, and the Department of Energy (DOE) is a cooperating Federal
agency.
In accordance with the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Pub. L. 109-58,
August 8, 2005), the agencies' goal is to make geothermal leasing
decisions on pending lease applications submitted prior to January 1,
2005, and to facilitate geothermal leasing decisions on other existing
and future lease applications and nominations for geothermal leasing on
Federal lands. The planning area encompasses about 530 million acres of
land with the potential for geothermal development in Alaska, Arizona,
California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah,
Washington, and Wyoming.
DATES: To ensure comments will be considered, the BLM must receive
written comments on the Draft PEIS within 90 days following the date
the Environmental Protection Agency publishes the Notice of
Availability in the Federal Register. Public hearings will be held in
13 cities during June and July 2008. See the Supplementary Information
section for meeting dates and locations.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
E-mail: [email protected].
Fax: 1-866-625-0707.
US Mail: Geothermal Programmatic EIS, c/o EMPSi, 182
Howard Street, Suite 110, San Francisco, California 94105.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information, including
information on how to comment, contact Jack G. Peterson, Bureau of Land
Management at (208) 373-4048, [email protected] or Tracy
Parker, Forest Service at (703) 605-4796, [email protected], or visit
the PEIS Web site at http://www.blm.gov/Geothermal_EIS.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A copy of the Draft PEIS is available for
review via the Internet from a link at http://www.blm.gov/Geothermal_EIS. Hardcopies are available for review at the BLM State and Field
Offices. Electronic (on CD-ROM) and paper copies may also be obtained
by contacting Jack Peterson at the aforementioned address and phone
number.
The PEIS consists of three volumes: Volume I contains the PEIS and
associated programmatic analyses; Volume II provides the additional
site-specific environmental analysis for the pending lease
applications; and Volume III contains the appendices.
The public is encouraged to provide comments on the Draft PEIS. In
addition to the written comment period, the BLM and the FS will host 13
public meetings to collect additional comments. The public meeting
dates and addresses are as follows:
1. June 16, 2008, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Denver, Colorado; PPA Event
Center, 2105 Decatur Street.
2. June 17, 2008, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Cheyenne, Wyoming; Laramie
County Main Library, Willow Room, 200 Pioneer Avenue.
3. June 18, 2008, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Helena, Montana; Lewis and
Clark Main Library, 120 S. Last Chance Gulch.
4. June 19, 2008, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Boise, Idaho; Boise Public
Library, 715 South Capitol Blvd.
5. June 23, 2008, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Seattle, Washington; Seattle
Public Library, University Branch, 5009 Roosevelt Way, NE.
6. June 24, 2008, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Portland, Oregon; Multnomah
County Library, Hillsdale Branch, 1525 SW Sunset Blvd.
7. June 25, 2008, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Davis, California; University
of
[[Page 33803]]
California Davis Walter A. Buehler Alumni and Visitors Center, Mrak
Hall Road.
8. July 8, 2008, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Anchorage, Alaska; Alaska
Energy Authority, 813 W. Northern Lights Blvd.
9. July 9, 2008, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Fairbanks, Alaska; Fairbanks
North Star Borough Library, 1215 Cowles Street.
10. July 14, 2008, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Reno, Nevada; Washoe County
Library--Spanish Springs Branch, 7100 Pyramid Highway.
11. July 15, 2008, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Salt Lake City, Utah; Main
Library, 210 East 400 South.
12. July 16, 2008, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Tucson, Arizona; Pima County
Public Library, Dusenberry River Branch, 5605 E. River Road.
13. July 17, 2008, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Albuquerque, New Mexico;
University of New Mexico, Conference Center, Room G, 1634 University
NE.
Any changes to these dates or locations, and any other public
involvement activities, will be announced at least 10 days in advance
through local media and on the project Web site: http://www.blm.gov/Geothermal_EIS.
The Notice of Intent to prepare the PEIS was published on June 13,
2007, in the Federal Register (72 FR 32679). In accordance with the
Energy Policy Act of 2005, the BLM and the FS propose to facilitate
geothermal leasing on lands administered by the BLM (termed ``public
lands'') and by the FS (National Forest System (NFS) lands) that have
geothermal potential in the 11 western states and Alaska. Under the
proposal, the BLM and the FS would do the following: (1) Identify
public and NFS lands with geothermal potential for which geothermal
leases may be issued, statutorily open lands, and for which issuance of
geothermal leases is barred by operation of law, legally closed lands;
(2) identify public lands that are administratively closed or open, and
under what conditions; (3) develop a comprehensive list of
stipulations, best management practices, and procedures to serve as
consistent guidance for future geothermal leasing and development on
public and NFS lands; (4) amend the BLM Resource Management Plans
(RMPs) to adopt the resource allocations and procedures; and (5) issue
or deny geothermal lease applications pending as of January 1, 2005.
The need for the action is to (1) Issue decisions on pending lease
applications in accordance with the Energy Policy Act of 2005; (2)
address other provisions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, respond to
other policy directives calling for clean and renewable energy (such as
state renewable portfolio standards), and meet the increasing energy
demands of the nation; and (3) facilitate geothermal leasing decisions
on other existing and future lease applications and nominations on the
Federal mineral estate. The purpose of the action is to (1) Complete
the processing of active pending geothermal lease applications; (2)
amend BLM land use plans to allocate lands with geothermal potential as
being closed or open with minor to major constraints to leasing; and
(3) provide suitable information to the FS to facilitate its subsequent
consent decisions for BLM leasing on NFS lands.
Over 530 million acres of the western United States and Alaska have
been identified as potentially containing geothermal resources suitable
for commercial electrical generation and other direct uses, such as
heating. Much of the resource base is held in the Federal mineral
estate, for which the BLM has the delegated authority for processing
and issuing geothermal leases. Some units or portions of the areas
identified as having geothermal resource potential will not be
developed because they are unavailable for leasing, either by statute,
regulation or other authority. These designations are described at 43
CFR 3201.11, and include, but are not limited to: lands where the
Secretary has determined that issuing a lease would cause unnecessary
or undue degradation to public lands and resources; lands contained
within a unit of the National Park System, for example, the geothermal
features in and around Yellowstone National Park; wilderness areas;
wilderness study areas; fish hatcheries; wildlife management areas;
Indian trust lands; and other areas referred to in the above
regulation.
Under the Proposed Action, the BLM and the FS would also apply
discretionary closures to (1) Areas of Critical Environmental Concern
(ACEC) where the BLM determines that geothermal leasing and development
would be incompatible with the purposes for which the ACEC was
designated, or those whose management plans expressly preclude new
leasing; (2) National Conservation Areas, except the California Desert
Conservation Area; (3) other lands in the BLM's National Landscape
Conservation System, such as historic and scenic trails; and (4)
military reservations where geothermal development would conflict with
the military mission.
Approximately 142 million acres of public (BLM) lands and 106
million acres of NFS lands have geothermal potential. Based on the
proposed closures, the BLM and the FS are proposing to allocate
approximately 117 million acres of public lands and 75 million acres of
NFS lands to geothermal leasing subject to existing laws, regulations,
formal orders, stipulations attached to the lease form, and terms and
conditions of the standard lease form. To protect special resource
values, the BLM and the FS have developed a comprehensive list of
stipulations, conditions of approval, and best management practices
(BMPs).
In addition, a reasonably foreseeable development scenario (RFD)
was prepared to predict future geothermal development trends. The RFD
estimates a potential for 5,500 megawatts (MW) of new electrical
generation capacity by 2015 through 110 new geothermal power plants,
and an additional 6,600 MW from an additional 132 power plants by 2025.
The RFD also recognizes the great potential for direct uses, including
up to 270 communities being able to develop geothermal resources for
heating buildings to offset the use of conventional energy sources.
The BLM and the FS administrative units that have geothermal
resources within their boundaries and are included in the planning area
for the PEIS are provided in Table 1. In order for geothermal resource
leasing and development to take place on the public lands that the BLM
manages, such activities must be provided for in the land use plan for
the affected administrative unit. Therefore, land use plans for the
affected BLM administrative units may be amended by this PEIS to
address geothermal leasing. Adoption of the appropriate allocations,
development scenarios, stipulations, and BMPs for specific
administrative units will be done through the plan maintenance process;
thereby allowing future leasing decisions to be made based on the
amended plans. The FS will evaluate their land use plans and amend them
as needed through a separate environmental review process.
[[Page 33804]]
Table 1.--BLM and Forest Service Administrative Units Within the
Planning Area
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BLM Field Office (or
State District) National Forest
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Alaska.............. Anchorage, Central Tongass National Forest.
Yukon, Eastern
Interior, Glennallen.
Arizona............. Arizona Strip, Apache-Sitgreaves
Hassayampa, Kingman, National Forests,
Lake Havasu, Lower Coronado National
Sonoran, Safford, Forest, Tonto National
Tucson, Yuma. Forest.
California.......... Alturas, Arcata, Angeles National Forest,
Bakersfield, Barstow, Cleveland National
Bishop, Eagle Lake, El Forest, Eldorado
Centro, Folsom, National Forest,
Hollister, Needles, Humboldt-Toiyabe
Palm Springs, Redding, National Forest, Inyo
Ridgecrest, Surprise, National Forest,
Ukiah. Klamath National
Forest, Lassen National
Forest, Los Padres
National Forest,
Mendocino National
Forest, Modoc National
Forest, Plumas National
Forest, San Bernardino
National Forest,
Sequoia National
Forest, Shasta Trinity
National Forest, Sierra
National Forest, Tahoe
National Forest.
Colorado............ Columbine, Del Norte, Arapaho and Roosevelt
Dolores, Glenwood National Forests, Grand
Springs, Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and
Junction, Gunnison, Gunnison National
Kremmling, La Jara, Forests, Medicine Bow-
Little Snake, Pagosa Routt National Forest,
Springs, Royal Gorge, Pike-San Isabel
Saguache, Uncompahgre, National Forest, Rio
White River. Grande National Forest,
San Juan National
Forest, White River
National Forest.
Idaho............... Bruneau, Burley, Boise National Forest,
Challis, Cottonwood, Caribou-Targhee
Four Rivers, Jarbridge, National Forest,
Owyhee, Pocatello, Clearwater National
Salmon, Shoshone, Upper Forest, Nez Perce
Snake. National Forest,
Payette National
Forest, Salmon-Challis
National Forest,
Sawtooth National
Forest.
Montana............. Billings, Butte, Dillon, Beaverhead-Deerlodge
Lewistown, Malta, Miles National Forest,
City, Missoula. Bitterroot National
Forest, Clearwater
National Forest, Custer
National Forest, Dixie
National Forest,
Gallatin National
Forest, Helena National
Forest, Lewis and Clark
National Forest, Lolo
National Forest.
New Mexico.......... Carlsbad, Farmington, N/ Carson National Forest,
A, Rio Puerco, Roswell, Cibola National Forest,
Soccoro, Taos. Gila National Forest,
Lincoln National
Forest, Santa Fe
National Forest.
Nevada.............. Battle Mountain, Carson Humboldt-Toiyabe
City, Elko, Ely, Las National Forest.
Vegas, Winnemucca.
Oregon.............. Burns, Eugene, Lakeview, Deschutes National
Medford, Prineville, Forest, Fremont-Winema
Roseburg, Salem, Vale. National Forests,
Malheur National
Forest, Mt. Hood
National Forest, Ochoco
National Forest, Rogue
River-Siskiyou National
Forests, Umatilla
National Forest, Umpqua
National Forest,
Wallowa-Whitman
National Forest,
Willamette National
Forest.
Utah................ Cedar City, Fillmore, Dixie National Forest,
Kanab, Richfield, Salt Fishlake National
Lake, St. George, Forest, Uinta National
Vernal. Forest, Wasatch-Cache
National Forest.
Washington.......... Spokane................. Gifford Pinchot National
Forest, Mt Baker-
Snoqualmie National
Forest, Okanogan-
Wenatchee National
Forests, Umatilla
National Forest.
Wyoming............. Buffalo, Casper, Cody, Ashley National Forest,
Kemmerer, Lander, Bridger-Teton National
Newcastle, Pinedale, Forest, Caribou-Targhee
Rawlins, Rock Springs, National Forest,
Worland. Medicine Bow-Routt
National Forest,
Shoshone National
Forest, Wasatch-Cache
National Forest.
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In addition to the Proposed Action, the PEIS evaluates two other
alternatives: The No Action Alternative and an alternative termed
Leasing Near Transmission Lines. The No Action Alternative would allow
the processing of pending geothermal lease applications; however, no
land use plans would be amended. Therefore, lease applications would be
evaluated on a case-by-case basis and would require additional
environmental review and possible land use plan amendments.
The Leasing Near Transmission Lines Alternative was developed based
on input from scoping. Under this alternative the scope of lands
considered for leasing for commercial electrical generation would be
limited to those lands that are near transmission lines.
This alternative also considers a larger buffer around Yellowstone
National Park. While this alternative minimizes the potential footprint
of tie-in transmission lines from power plants to distribution lines,
it would limit the potential for geothermal energy generation.
In addition to the programmatic analysis, the PEIS provides site-
specific environmental analysis for seven lease applications in Alaska,
California, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington that were pending as of
January 1, 2005. The alternatives evaluated for this analysis are
issuing the lease or denying the lease (no action conditions).
Comments may be submitted in writing on the stated planning
criteria using one of the methods listed in the ADDRESSES section.
Please note that public comments and information submitted including
names, street addresses, and e-mail addresses of respondents will be
available for public review and disclosure at the above address during
regular business hours (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.), Monday through Friday,
except holidays. Comments will be available for review at the following
Web site: http://www.blm.gov/Geothermal_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 may
request in your comment that we withhold your personal identifying
information from
[[Page 33805]]
public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Jeff O. Holdren,
Acting Assistant Director, Minerals and Realty Management.
Gloria Manning,
Associate Deputy Chief for National Forest System, U.S. Forest Service.
[FR Doc. E8-13365 Filed 6-12-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-10-P