[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 134 (Friday, July 11, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39982-39983]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-15943]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[CACA-47658, CA-670-5101 ER B204]


Notice of Availability of the Recirculated Draft Environmental 
Impact Report/Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the 
Proposed Sunrise Powerlink Project

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969 (NEPA, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and the Federal Land Policy and 
Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA, 43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), the Bureau of 
Land Management (BLM), together with the California Public Utilities 
Commission (CPUC), in compliance with the California Environmental 
Quality Act (CEQA, Pub. Res. Code Sec.  21000 et seq.), has prepared a 
Recirculated Draft EIR/Supplemental Draft EIS (RDEIR/SDEIS) to augment 
the analysis for the Sunrise Powerlink Project proposed by San Diego 
Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E).

DATES: In order to comply with NEPA regulations at 40 CFR 1502.9(c)(4), 
comments on the RDEIR/SDEIS must be postmarked or received within 45 
days following the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes 
its Notice of Availability in the Federal Register. You may submit 
comments by U.S. mail, electronic mail, or fax. Only written comments 
may be submitted. There will be no opportunity to make oral comments. 
Comments on the RDEIR/SDEIS may only address the topics included in 
this document, not the contents of the original complete Draft EIR/EIS.
    In addition, an informational workshop will be held during the 
comment period to help the public understand the RDEIR/SDEIS and to 
explain how to participate in the CPUC and BLM's decision-making 
processes. The workshop will be announced at least 15 days in advance 
through local news media, public notices, mailings, and agency Web 
sites.

ADDRESSES: By Mail: Please use first-class postage and be sure to 
include your name and return address. Send written comments to CPUC/BLM 
c/o Aspen Environmental Group, 235 Montgomery Street, Suite 935, San 
Francisco, CA 94104. By Electronic Mail: E-mail communications are 
welcome; but, please remember to include your name and return address 
in the e-mail message. E-mail messages should be sent to 
[email protected]. By Fax: You may fax your comments to (866) 711-
3106. Please remember to include your name and return address in the 
fax, write legibly, and use black or blue ink.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Information concerning the BLM/NEPA 
process may be obtained from Lynda Kastoll, Project Manager, BLM, 1661 
S. 4th Street, El Centro, CA 92243; telephone (760) 337-4421; e-mail 
[email protected]. Information concerning the CPUC/CEQA process may 
be obtained from Billie Blanchard, Project Manager, CPUC, 505 Van Ness 
Ave., San Francisco, CA 94102; telephone (415) 703-2068; e-mail at 
[email protected].
    The RDEIR/SDEIS will be available for review at numerous area 
libraries and on the project Web site: http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/environment/info/aspen/sunrise/sunrise.htm. A compact disc (CD) 
containing the document may be requested by phone, fax at (866) 711-
3106, or by e-mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: SDG&E proposes to construct a new 91-mile, 
500-kilovolt (kV) electric transmission line from the Imperial Valley 
Substation (in Imperial County, near the City of El Centro) to a new 
Central East Substation (in central San Diego County, southwest of the 
intersection of County Highways S22 and S2) and a new 59-mile, 230-kV 
line that includes both overhead and underground segments from the new 
Central East Substation to SDG&E's existing Pe[ntilde]asquitos 
Substation (in the City of San Diego). Portions of the proposed 500-kV 
transmission line would traverse approximately 35 miles of federal 
lands managed by the BLM within the California Desert Conservation Area 
in Imperial County, and approximately 1 mile of BLM-administered land 
in San Diego County. The remainder of the proposed project would cross 
lands owned by various entities including the State of California, 
local governments, and private parties.
    On January 3, 2008, the CPUC and BLM published a Draft EIR/EIS on 
the Sunrise Powerlink Project. The Draft EIR/EIS contained 7500+ pages 
in six volumes. It included an analysis of the proposed project's 
effects, as well as an analysis of future possible transmission lines 
and ``connected actions'' that are likely to be built if the Sunrise 
Powerlink Project is built. The Draft EIR/EIS also identified 
alternatives to the proposed project (including the No Action 
Alternative) and evaluated their expected environmental impacts.

[[Page 39983]]

    A 90-day comment period on the Draft EIR/EIS ended on April 11, 
2008. Nine workshops and five public participation hearings were held 
during the comment period, and over 2,500 pages of written comments 
were submitted. After the comment period, two additional public 
participation hearing were held on May 12, 2008.
    Under CEQA, recirculation is required when significant new 
information changes the EIR in a way that deprives the public of a 
meaningful opportunity to comment upon a substantial adverse 
environmental effect of the project or a feasible way to mitigate or 
avoid such an effect. New information may include changes in the 
project or environmental setting as well as additional data or other 
information. Under the regulations implementing NEPA (40 CFR 
1502.9(c)(2)(ii), a supplement to an EIS is required when there are 
significant new circumstances or information relevant to the 
environmental concerns related to the proposed project or its impacts. 
In this case, the new information involves changes to the ``connected 
actions'' analyzed in the Draft EIR/EIS and route revisions 
(``reroutes'') proposed by SDG&E in comments on the Draft EIR/EIS. The 
RDEIR/SDEIS includes the following components:
    1. Revision of components of the Environmentally Superior 
Alternatives for northern and southern transmission lines. Because of 
Tribal opposition, the Interstate 8 Alternative now bypasses the Campo 
Reservation. Without Tribal approval it was also necessary to modify 
the Southern Environmentally Superior Route to avoid all tribal lands, 
following the BCD Alternative and BCD South Option. The Northern 
Environmentally Superior Route has been modified to add consideration 
of an additional underground segment in the Santa Ysabel Valley.
    2. New and Revised Analysis of the La Rumorosa Wind Project. In 
December 2007, Sempra Generation submitted to the U.S. Department of 
Energy an Application for Presidential Permit, proposing a 1,250 
megawatt (MW) wind project in Mexico that would include the 
construction of transmission lines into the United States, and a new 
substation located northeast of the town of Jacumba, California. The 
Draft EIR/EIS, in its evaluation of ``connected actions'' and 
``indirect effects'', analyzed a 250 MW wind project in Mexico that 
included the construction of a transmission line and a ``Jacumba 
Substation.'' However, the wind project considered in the Draft EIR/EIS 
was much smaller than the actual project as described by Sempra. As a 
result, the RDEIR/SDEIS presents new ``connected action'' and 
``indirect effects'' analysis of the Sempra project.
    3. Description and Analysis of Transmission Line Route Revisions. 
In comments on the Draft EIR/EIS, SDG&E proposed modifications to 
several segments of the Proposed and Alternative transmission line 
routes. Some of these reroutes would affect new landowners, change the 
potential effect on already-affected landowners, or otherwise change 
the environmental impact described in the Draft EIR/EIS. The RDEIR/
SDEIS describes 13 reroutes.
    The CPUC and BLM evaluated all comments on the Draft EIR/EIS and 
determined that other requests for a recirculated/supplemental document 
did meet the requirements defined above. The Final EIR/EIS will respond 
to each comment requesting recirculation, explaining why this 
determination was made.
    An informational workshop will be held to help the public 
understand the RDEIR/SDEIS, and to explain how to participate in the 
CPUC and BLM decision-making processes. The informal workshop is an 
opportunity to speak with and ask questions of CPUC and BLM 
representatives and some of the specialists who prepared the RDEIR/
SDEIS. A brief presentation will summarize the EIR/EIS process, the 
information presented in the RDEIR/SDEIS, and the decision making-
process. Presentation notes will be available on the project Web site 
for those unable to attend. While written comments may be submitted 
during the workshop, there will be no facilities to record oral 
comments.
    Comments received may be published as part of the EIR/EIS process. 
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.
    At the end of the 45-day comment period on the RDEIR/SDEIS, the 
CPUC and BLM will prepare a Final EIR/EIS. The Final EIR/EIS will 
respond to all comments received on the Draft EIR/EIS and on the RDEIR/
SDEIS.

Tom Pogacnik,
Deputy State Director.
 [FR Doc. E8-15943 Filed 7-10-08; 8:45 am]
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