[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 145 (Monday, July 28, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43779-43781]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-17208]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management


Provide Opportunity To Comment on Changes to the Eastern San 
Diego County Proposed Resource Management Plan

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The BLM is soliciting comments, electronic or written, on 
significant changes and clarifications (collectively ``changes'') to 
the Proposed Plan as set forth in the PRMP for wind energy and VRM. The 
environmental consequences of the proposed changes and clarification 
have been analyzed as part of the RMP/EIS process. After considering 
public comments on these changes, BLM will issue a Record of Decision 
(ROD) for the Eastern San Diego County Resource Management Plan.

DATES: Written comments on the changes to the PRMP will be accepted 
until August 27, 2008.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be submitted to Erin Dreyfuss, 
Planning and Environmental Coordinator, BLM El Centro Field Office, 
1661 S. 4th Street, El Centro, CA 92243. Comments may also be e-mailed 
to [email protected] or faxed to (760) 337-4490 Attention: Erin 
Dreyfuss, Planning and Environmental Coordinator.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erin Dreyfuss, Planning and 
Environmental Coordinator, or Thomas Zale, Associate Field Manager, at 
(760) 337-4400.

[[Page 43780]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 
published the Notice of Availability (NOA) for the Eastern San Diego 
County Draft Resource Management Plan and Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (DRMP/EIS) in the Federal Register on March 2, 2007, which 
initiated a 90-day comment period.
    The EPA published the NOA for the Eastern San Diego County Proposed 
Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement 
(PRMP/FEIS) in the Federal Register on December 7, 2007, which 
initiated the 30-day protest period. The PRMP/FEIS identified 
Alternative E as the Proposed Plan. The BLM received nine (9) protest 
letters. In response to protests and based on additional policy 
discussions, the BLM will clarify and make changes to the Proposed Plan 
as set forth in the PRMP.
    Comments (written or electronic) submitted during the 30-day public 
comment period will be available for public review at the El Centro 
Field Office during regular business hours 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except holidays, and will be subject to 
disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.
    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.
    The clarification and changes include: (1) Modifying renewable 
energy (wind) related proposals and (2) clarifying and modifying Visual 
Resource Management (VRM) proposals and classifications. This Notice 
identifies the clarifications and changes and initiates a 30-day public 
notice and comment period. (43 CFR 1610.2(f)(5) and 43 CFR 1610.5-
1(b)).

1. Renewable Energy (Wind)--Proposed Changes

    The BLM is changing the Proposed Plan, as it was set forth in the 
PRMP, to allow for additional lands in the planning area to be 
available for wind energy development. This change is being made in 
response to issues raised during the protest period, in addition to 
internal policy discussions.
    Concerns have been raised by the public that the Eastern San Diego 
County PRMP is overly restrictive regarding wind energy development and 
is not adequately responsive to national goals and directives, 
summarized herein, regarding renewable energy development on public 
lands. On May 18, 2001, the President issued Executive Order 13212, 
Actions to Expedite Energy-Related Projects, establishing a policy that 
federal agencies should take appropriate actions, to the extent 
consistent with applicable law, to expedite projects to increase the 
production, transmission, or conservation of energy. Also in 2001, the 
President's National Energy Policy Development Group (NEPDG) 
recommended to the President, as part of the National Energy Policy 
Report, that the Departments of the Interior, Energy, Agriculture, and 
Defense work together to increase renewable energy production (NEPDG 
2001). The Energy Policy Act of 2005 states that ``the Secretary of the 
Interior should, before the end of the 10-year period beginning on the 
date of enactment of this Act, seek to have approved non-hydropower 
renewable energy projects located on the public lands with a generation 
capacity of at least 10,000 megawatts of electricity.'' Sec.  211 
Energy Policy Act (2005), Public Law 109-58. Based on a broad scale 
assessment of wind energy potential in the western United States, the 
Department of Energy determined that the Eastern San Diego County 
planning area has approximately 33,100 acres of land with high quality 
wind resources. From that total, BLM excludes designated Wilderness 
Areas, Wilderness Study Areas, and Areas of Critical Environmental 
Concern from wind energy development. These exclusions are consistent 
with the Record of Decision for the Final Programmatic EIS for Wind 
Energy Development on BLM-Administered Lands in the Western United 
States, which was published in December 2005.
    BLM also has the discretion to exclude other areas from wind energy 
development where significant resource impacts or conflicts cannot be 
mitigated. Other areas that were excluded from wind energy development 
in the original PRMP include, but are not limited to, designated 
critical habitat, recreation areas and an existing utility corridor. In 
applying all of these restrictions, the acres of high quality wind 
resources available for renewable energy development in the planning 
area would be reduced to 16,078 acres. Under the original PRMP, many of 
these remaining lands were designated as VRM Management Class II where 
wind energy development would likely not comply with the objectives of 
that management class.
    In recognition of concerns raised by the public and in an effort to 
meet its goals to support renewable energy development on public lands, 
the BLM is changing the PRMP regarding wind energy in the vicinity of 
McCain Valley consistent with Alternative D. Specifically, the BLM 
proposes to designate McCain Valley East (3,635 acres outside of ACECs 
and WSAs) and McCain Valley West (8,560 acres) as VRM Management Class 
IV (These areas were designated as VRM Management Class II and III, 
respectively, in the original PRMP, p. 2-58 and Map 2-5). For more 
information on the objectives of each VRM Management Class, see the 
PRMP/FEIS p. 2-57. Please refer to the following table for a comparison 
of the PRMP changes to VRM Management Classes. The BLM also proposes to 
make recreation areas in McCain Valley available for renewable energy 
development consistent with Alternative D. This includes Lark Canyon 
Off-Highway Vehicle Area and the Lark Canyon Campground/Staging Area 
(1,300 acres) and Cottonwood Campground (16 acres) (PRMP/FEIS 
Alternative D, p. 2-110).

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                                                     Original   Changed
              Classification of lands                  PRMP       PRMP
                                                      acres      acres
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VRM Class I.......................................     61,908     61,908
VRM Class II......................................     31,623     28,033
VRM Class III.....................................      9,288        693
VRM Class IV......................................         51     12,236
                                                   ---------------------
    Total.........................................    102,870    102,870
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    High quality wind resources in McCain Valley and its proximity to 
the existing utility corridor make it a logical area to focus wind 
energy development in the planning area. Furthermore, wind energy 
development currently exists in McCain Valley and is visible in the 
area. Wind energy development and recreation can effectively coexist in 
McCain Valley. This decision is consistent with the Record of Decision 
for the Final Programmatic EIS for Wind Energy Development on BLM-
Administered Lands in the Western United States (December 2005). 
Appropriate mitigation would be required for all future development on 
or adjacent to recreation areas to minimize user conflicts and 
degradation of the recreational experience.

2. Visual Resource Management--Proposed Clarification

    As part of its protest analysis, the BLM found that it needed to 
clarify its description of land use restrictions in VRM Management 
Classes. BLM is required to manage all uses and

[[Page 43781]]

activities consistent with an area's VRM Management Class as 
established in the RMP. It is not BLM policy to determine, at the RMP 
level, which land uses or activities to restrict based on VRM 
Management Class. Rather, BLM must consider, at the site specific 
activity level, all uses proposed for an area with a given VRM 
Management Class and determine if those uses would be consistent with 
the objectives for that Class.
    Therefore, the RMP will be clarified by removing the following 
restrictions (this will not impact RMP decisions related to designated 
critical habitat, Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs), or Areas of 
Environmental Concern (ACECs)):
     VRM Management Class II areas are closed to leasable 
mineral entry under the Proposed Plan (PRMP/FEIS p. 2-77). Removal of 
this restriction will result in an additional 27,387 acres open to 
leasable mineral entry in the planning area (34,993 acres total).
     VRM Management Class II areas are exclusion areas for 
renewable energy under the Proposed Plan (PRMP/FEIS p. 2-110). Removal 
of this restriction will result in an additional 27,327 acres available 
for renewable energy in the planning area (34,259 acres total).
     VRM Management Class II areas are avoidance areas for all 
land use authorizations under the Proposed Plan (other than renewable 
energy which is described above) (PRMP/FEIS p. 2-110). Removal of this 
restriction will allow BLM to consider issuing land use authorizations 
on approximately 31,600 acres of land designated as VRM Management 
Class II in the planning area, outside of designated critical habitat, 
WSAs, and ACECs.
    All future development in the planning area would adhere to the VRM 
Management Class objectives established in the RMP (PRMP/FEIS p. 2-57). 
For example, VRM Class II objectives require that the existing 
character of the landscape be retained and that the level of change to 
be low. In order to meet these objectives, BLM expects that the level 
of development in VRM Management Class II would be very minimal. BLM 
will utilize visual resource design techniques and best management 
practices to mitigate the potential visual impacts. Visual contrast 
ratings will be required for all major projects proposed for VRM 
Management Class I, II, and III areas which have high sensitivity 
levels. In areas where VRM Management Class objectives cannot be met 
through design techniques and/or best management practices, BLM has the 
authority to deny the project. (PRMP/FEIS p. 2-57 and 2-58).

Mike Pool,
State Director, California.
[FR Doc. E8-17208 Filed 7-25-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-40-P