[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 175 (Friday, September 11, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46787-46788]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-21925]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLNVC0100000.L91310000.EJ0000.LXSIGEOT0000; MO4500008734; NVN 087795; 
09-08807; TAS: 14X5575]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Salt Wells Energy Projects, Churchill County, NE

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Stillwater Field Office, 
Carson City, Nevada, intends to prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) for the Salt Wells Energy Projects proposed by Sierra 
Pacific Power Company (Sierra), Ormat Technologies, Inc. (Ormat), and 
Vulcan Power Company (Vulcan) that are located in Churchill County, 
Nevada. Three separate projects are proposed that could result in seven 
30-60 megawatt (MW) geothermal power plants with 47 associated wells, 
pipelines and other facilities near Fallon, Nevada, and a 22-mile, 
fifty-foot-wide Right-of-Way (ROW) for a new transmission line with 
substations to support the existing and new Fallon geothermal power 
plants. The study area encompassed by the three projects together 
covers approximately 537 total acres. This notice announces the 
beginning of the scoping process and solicits input on the 
identification of issues.

DATES: The public scoping period will close November 10, 2009. Any 
public meetings associated with the public scoping will be announced 
through the local news media and the BLM Web site: www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/carson_city_field.html at least 15 days prior to each event. 
Additional formal opportunities for public participation in the EIS 
process will be provided through comment upon publication of the draft 
document.

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be submitted by any of the following 
methods:
     Mail: BLM Stillwater Field Office, Attn: Salt Wells Energy 
Projects, 5665 Morgan Mill Road, Carson City, NV 89701.
     Fax: (775) 885-6147.
     E-mail: [email protected].

Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined at the Carson City 
District Office, 5665 Morgan Mill Road, Carson City, NV.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Desna Young (775) 885-6078; or e-mail 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BLM Stillwater Field Office received 
separate proposed geothermal utilization plans and applications for 
facilities construction permits from Ormat and Vulcan, and an electric 
transmission right-of-way (ROW) application from Sierra, for proposed 
energy projects covering a combined area of approximately 537 acres in 
the Salt Wells area about 15 miles east of Fallon, Nevada. Vulcan 
proposes the development of up to six geothermal power plants and 
facilities. Ormat proposes the development of one geothermal power 
plant and associated facilities. Sierra proposes 22 miles of above-
ground electrical transmission lines, electrical substations, and 
switching facilities. The BLM determined that because of similar 
timing, geographic area, and type of action, the BLM will analyze the 
three proposals in one EIS. The BLM will issue a separate record of 
decision at the end of the process for each proposed project. The BLM 
will use information from this scoping process with the utilization 
plans and ROW proposals to facilitate public involvement and to 
identify the alternatives to be studied. All lands within the project 
area are already under lease. The proposed facilities would be sited on 
a combination of private property and public land managed by the BLM 
and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BOR). Several proposed well sites 
are located on Federal geothermal leases in the Carson Lake and Pasture 
area, currently open to leasing and managed by the BOR, although these 
lands have been proposed to be transferred to the Nevada State 
Department of Wildlife. These activities are consistent with the 
applicable 2001 Carson City Consolidated Resource Management Plan as 
amended by the 2008 Record of Decision and Resource Management Plan 
Amendments for Geothermal Resource Leasing in the Western United 
States. The Fallon Naval Air Station is adjacent to the leased areas in 
Salt Wells. The Navy has concerns both related to its own geothermal 
resource program and also related to preserving its airspace for 
training, and community encroachment issues. The Ormat project proposal 
includes the construction and operation of a 40 MW binary air-cooled 
geothermal power plant, 20 geothermal production and injections wells, 
pipelines, a substation, connection lines to the proposed Sierra 
transmission line, and access roads on approximately 90 acres of land. 
BLM has already completed a July 2008 Environmental Assessment in the 
Ormat Carson Lake Geothermal Exploration Project EA (EA-NV-030-07-006) 
and has approved 11 of the wells estimated to be necessary for Ormat's 
project. The Vulcan project proposal is to construct up to six 30-60 MW 
binary or double-flash geothermal power plants and associated 
facilities on approximately 160 acres of land, which could require an 
estimated 27 geothermal production and injection wells. Each site 
includes production and injection wells, pipelines, a substation, 
connection lines to the proposed Sierra transmission line, and access 
roads. Twenty of these wells have already been approved via two 
Environmental Assessments for ten

[[Page 46788]]

wells each in the Salt Wells Geothermal Drilling EA, EA-NV-030-07-05 of 
February 2007, and in the Salt Wells Geothermal Drilling Program EA, 
DOI-BLM-NV-C010-2009-0006-EA of April 2009. The Sierra fifty-foot-wide 
ROW proposal covers approximately 287 acres and includes construction 
of a new substation, 22 miles of single-circuit 230 kV transmission 
line, four 230 kV switching stations, and two 60 kV transmission lines 
connecting the proposed new substation to the existing Fallon 
substation.
    The EIS will analyze the direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts 
of the three proposed projects, alternatives, and a no action 
alternative. The EIS will also identify specific mitigation. The EIS 
will address issues brought forth through scoping and will be evaluated 
by an interdisciplinary team of specialists. This EIS is also intended 
to cover the impacts of operation of the plants and facilities, and 
thus should be able to support issuance of the site license required 
under 43 CFR subpart 3273 as well as remaining drilling approvals under 
43 CFR subpart 3261, and the utilization plans and facility 
construction permits under 43 CFR subpart 3272. Key issues likely to be 
considered in analyzing each proposal and alternatives include: Water 
resources (including surface and ground water quality, floodplains, 
wetlands and riparian areas); geology and minerals; air quality; soils; 
vegetation; wildlife and wildlife habitat (especially related to 
migratory shorebirds utilizing Carson Lake to the west of the project 
area); special-status species; range resources; land use and access; 
recreation; aesthetics (noise and visual; especially in areas of high 
cultural sensitivity such as the Grimes Point Archeological Site to the 
north and the Pony Express Trail to the south of the project area); 
social and economic values; cultural resources; Native American 
religious concerns (consultation with the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe 
has been ongoing to avoid cultural sites that have been identified by 
the tribe); hazardous materials; and noxious weeds. Native American 
tribal consultations will be conducted in accordance with policy. 
Evaluation of cumulative impacts will take into consideration the 
recently-constructed Enel North America geothermal power plant adjacent 
to the project area to the south.
    Federal, state, and local agencies and other entities that may be 
affected by the decisions to be made on the proposed projects are 
invited to participate in the scoping process and, if eligible, may 
request, or be requested by the BLM, to participate as a cooperating 
agency. Written comments may be provided to the BLM at public scoping 
meetings or may be submitted to the BLM using one of the methods listed 
in the ADDRESSES section. 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.

(Authority: 43 CFR 3200 and 43 CFR 2800).

Teresa J. Knutson,
Manager, Stillwater Field Office, BLM Carson City District.
[FR Doc. E9-21925 Filed 9-10-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-HC-P