[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 59 (Monday, March 29, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15427-15429]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-7019]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Western Area Power Administration

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement/
Staff Assessment for the Proposed Construction and Operation of the 
Rice Solar Energy Project, Riverside County, CA (DOE/EIS-0439) and 
Possible Land Use Plan Amendments

AGENCY: Western Area Power Administration, DOE; Bureau of Land 
Management, DOI.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement/
Staff Assessment, Possible Land Use Plan Amendments and to Conduct 
Scoping Meetings; Notice of Floodplain and Wetlands Involvement.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969 (NEPA), as amended, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 
1976 (FLPMA), as amended, and the California Environmental Quality Act 
(CEQA), the Western Area Power Administration (Western), an agency of 
the DOE, and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Palm Springs--South 
Coast Field Office, together with the California Energy Commission 
(CEC), intend to prepare a joint Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)/
Staff Assessment (SA), which may include an amendment to the California 
Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan (1980, as amended) and by this 
notice are announcing the beginning of the scoping process to inform 
the public and interested parties and to solicit public comments and 
identify issues concerning the scope, proposed actions, and 
alternatives to be addressed in the EIS and SA for the proposed Rice 
Solar Energy Project (Project) in Riverside County, California. Rice 
Solar Energy, LLC (RSE) has applied to Western to interconnect the 
proposed Project to Western's electrical transmission system. This EIS/
SA will address Western's proposed Federal action of interconnecting 
the proposed Project to Western's transmission system and making any 
necessary modifications to Western facilities to accommodate the 
interconnection and will also address BLM's proposed action of 
authorizing rights of way (ROW) for a 230-kilovolt (kV) transmission 
line, access road, and fiber optic line and possibly amending the CDCA. 
The EIS/SA will also review the potential environmental impacts of 
constructing, operating, and maintaining RSE's 150-megawatt (MW) solar-
powered generating facility, consisting of a solar field of heliostat 
mirrors, power block, thermal energy storage system, substation site, 
transmission line, temporary laydown areas, and other ancillary 
facilities.

DATES: The public scoping period begins with the publication of this 
notice and will end on April 28, 2010. Western and BLM will host public 
scoping meetings to provide information on the proposed Project and 
gather comments on the proposal. The public scoping meetings will be on 
March 31, 2010 at Big River Community Services District, 150351 Del Rey 
Street, Big River, California, and on April 1, 2010 at University of 
California Riverside-Palm Desert Campus, 75080 Frank Sinatra Drive, 
Palm Desert, California 92211. Scoping meetings will be from 4 p.m. to 
7 p.m. The meetings will be informal, and attendees will be able to 
speak directly with Western, BLM, and RSE representatives about the 
proposed Project. Oral or written comments may be provided at the 
public scoping meetings, mailed or e-mailed to Ms. Liana Reilly at the 
address listed in the addresses section.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope of the EIS/SA and possible 
land use plan amendment should be addressed to:
    Ms. Liana Reilly, NEPA Document Manager, Western Area Power 
Administration, P.O. Box 281213, Lakewood, Colorado 80228-8213 or e-
mail at [email protected].
    Allison Shaffer, Project Manager, Palm Springs-South Coast Field 
Office, BLM 1201 Bird Center Drive, Palm Springs, California 92262 or 
e-mail at [email protected].
    John Kessler, Project Manager, Siting, Transmission and 
Environmental Protection Division, CEC 1516 Ninth Street, Sacramento, 
California 95814 or e-mail at [email protected].
    To help define the scope of the EIS, written comments should be 
received no later than April 28, 2010.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the proposed 
Project, the EIS process or to receive a copy of the Draft EIS (DEIS) 
when it is published, contact Ms. Reilly at (720) 962-7253, or (800) 
336-7288, or the address provided above.
    For information relating to BLM's participation, contact Allison 
Shaffer at (760) 833-7100 or the address provided above.
    For information relating to the CEC's participation, contact John 
Kessler at (916) 654-4679 or the address above or information can be 
obtained through the CEC's Public Adviser's Office at (916) 654-8236 or 
toll free in California, (800) 822-6228, or by e-mail at 
[email protected].
    For general information on DOE's NEPA review procedures or status 
of a NEPA review, contact Ms. Carol M. Borgstrom, Director of NEPA 
Policy and Compliance, GC-54, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585, telephone (202) 586-
4600 or (800) 472-2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Western, an agency within DOE, markets 
Federal hydroelectric power to preference customers, as specified by 
law. These customers include municipalities, cooperatives, irrigation 
districts, Federal and State agencies, and Native American tribes. 
Western's service territory covers 15 western states, including 
California. Western owns and operates more than 17,000 miles of high-
voltage transmission lines. Under Federal law, BLM is responsible for 
responding to applications for ROW on public lands. BLM has received an 
application for a ROW authorization to construct and operate a 
transmission line that would interconnect the Rice Solar Energy Project 
to Western's transmission system. A portion of the transmission line 
would cross managed lands in eastern Riverside County, California. 
Pursuant to BLM's CDCA Plan, sites associated with power generation or 
transmission not identified in the CDCA Plan will be considered through 
the plan amendment process. By this notice, the BLM is complying with 
the requirements in 43 CFR 1610.2 (c) to notify the public of potential 
amendments to land use plans, subject to the findings of the EIS.
    Western and BLM intend to prepare an EIS to analyze the impacts of 
their respective proposed Federal action and RSE's proposed Project in 
accordance with the NEPA, as amended, CEQ

[[Page 15428]]

regulations for implementing NEPA (40 CFR 1500-1508), and agency 
implementing regulations. This will be accomplished through preparation 
of a DEIS/SA in coordination with the CEC. Under California law, the 
CEC is responsible for reviewing the Applications for Certification 
(AFC) filed for thermal power plants over 50 MW, and also has the role 
of lead agency for the environmental review of such projects under the 
CEQA (Pub. Res. Code, sections 21000 et seq. and, 25500 et seq.). The 
CEC conducts these reviews in accordance with the administrative 
adjudication provisions of California's Administrative Procedure Act 
(Government Code section 11400 et seq.) and its own regulations 
governing site certification proceedings (Cal. Code Regulations., title 
20, section 1701 et seq.), which have been deemed CEQA-equivalent by 
the Secretary of Resources.
    RSE is a Santa Monica, California based energy company formed by 
U.S. Renewables Group, a private equity firm focused exclusively on 
renewable energy development.

RSE's Proposed Project

    RSE proposes to construct a 150-MW solar-powered electrical 
generation facility in eastern Riverside County, California. The 
proposed solar generation facility is located within a private land 
holding of 3,324 acres, of which 2,560 acres constitute the project 
parcel. The solar generation facility site is approximately 40 miles 
from Blythe, 65 miles from Needles, and 75 miles from Twentynine Palms. 
State Route 62 is immediately adjacent to the northern boundary of the 
proposed solar generation facility and would be the primary access 
during construction and operation. The proposed solar generation 
facility would be located on the site of a former airfield (Rice Army 
Airfield) that was used during World War II as a training site, later 
transferred to private use, and then abandoned sometime between 1955 
and 1958.
    The proposed Project would use concentrating solar ``power tower'' 
technology to capture the sun's heat to make steam, which would power 
traditional steam turbine generators. The solar generation facility 
would contain the power block, a central receiver or tower, solar 
fields which consist of mirrors or heliostats to reflect the sun's 
energy to the central tower, a thermal energy storage system, technical 
and non-technical buildings, a storm water system, two on-site water 
wells, water supply and treatment system, a wastewater system, 
evaporation ponds, and other supporting facilities. These facilities 
would be situated on 1,410 acres within the project parcel and would be 
surrounded by a site fence. Other Project components would include a 
new transmission line, a new electrical substation, and an access road.
    RSE has applied to Western to interconnect the proposed Project to 
Western's transmission system. The new 230-kV transmission line from 
the solar facility would extend approximately ten miles from the solar 
facility boundary to a new substation to be constructed adjacent to 
Western's existing line. The substation, to be owned and operated by 
Western, would be located adjacent to Western's existing Parker-Blythe 
transmission line. The new substation would be approximately 300 x 400 
feet or about three acres.
    An on-site temporary laydown area would be used during the 
construction phase of the Project. Laydown areas within the project 
parcel total approximately 30 acres and would be used for storage and 
assembly of proposed Project components and for temporary construction 
trailers. Because of the remote location of the site, RSE will make 
available a construction workforce RV/trailer parking camp on the 
project site near the parking and laydown areas at the north end of the 
heliostat field. This workforce camp will offer spaces for up to 300 
trailers or RVs (in keeping with the county requirement that limits 
trailer parks to 20 per acre), electrical hookups, and mobile water and 
sanitary sewer service for the trailers and RVs.

Proposed Agency Actions and Alternatives

    Western's proposed action is to interconnect the proposed Project 
to Western's transmission system at the substation described above. 
BLM's proposed action is to authorize a ROW in favor of a 230-kV 
transmission line, access road, and fiber optic line and possibly amend 
the CDCA.
    Western and BLM will also consider the no-action alternative in the 
EIS. Under the no-action alternative, Western would deny the 
interconnection request and BLM would not grant a ROW. There would be 
no plan amendment to the CDCA. For the purpose of impact analysis and 
comparison in the EIS/SA, it will be assumed that RSE's proposed 
Project would not be built and the environmental impacts associated 
with construction and operation would not occur.

Agency Responsibilities

    Because interconnection of the proposed Project would incorporate a 
major new generation resource into Western's power transmission system, 
Western has determined that an EIS is required under DOE NEPA 
implementing procedures, 10 CFR part 1021, Subpart D, Appendix D, class 
of action D6.\1\
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    \1\ On October 4, 1999, DOE's Assistant Secretary for 
Environmental, Safety and Health delegated to Western's 
Administrator the authority to approve EISs for integrating 
transmission facilities with Western's transmission grid.
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    Western and BLM are serving as co-lead Federal agencies, as defined 
at 40 CFR 1501.5, for preparation of the EIS and will coordinate with 
the CEC in preparation of a joint NEPA/CEQA EIS/SA. Western and BLM 
invite other Federal, State, local, and Tribal agencies with 
jurisdiction by law or special expertise with respect to environmental 
issues to be cooperating agencies on the EIS, as defined at 40 CFR 
1501.6. Such agencies may make a request to Western and BLM to be a 
cooperating agency by contacting Ms. Reilly at the address listed in 
the ADDRESSES section. Because the proposed Project may involve action 
in floodplains or wetlands, this NOI also serves as a notice of 
proposed floodplain or wetland action, in accordance with DOE 
regulations for Compliance with Floodplain and Wetlands Environmental 
Review Requirements at 10 CFR 1022.12(a). The EIS will include a 
floodplain/wetland assessment and, if required, a floodplain/wetland 
statement of findings will be issued with the Final EIS or Western and 
BLM's Records of Decision.

Environmental Issues

    This notice is to inform agencies and the public of Western and 
BLM's intent to prepare an EIS and solicit comments and suggestions for 
consideration in the EIS. To help the public frame its comments, the 
following list contains potential environmental issues preliminarily 
identified for analysis in the EIS:
    1. Impacts on protected, threatened, endangered, or sensitive 
species of animals or plants
    2. Impacts on migratory birds
    3. Introduction of noxious weeds, invasive, and non-native species
    4. Impacts on recreation and transportation
    5. Impacts on land use, wilderness, farmlands, and Areas of 
Critical Environmental Concern
    6. Impacts on cultural or historic resources and tribal values
    7. Impacts on human health and safety

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    8. Impacts on air, soil, and water resources (including air quality 
and surface water impacts)
    9. Visual impacts
    10. Socioeconomic impacts and disproportionately high and adverse 
impacts to minority and low-income populations
    This list is not intended to be all-inclusive or to imply any 
predetermination of impacts. Western and BLM invite interested parties 
to suggest specific issues within these general categories, or other 
issues not included above, to be considered in the EIS/SA.
    A certificate designating approval from the CEC must be obtained by 
RSE before construction of power plants and/or electric transmission 
lines and related facilities.

Public Participation

    The EIS process includes a public scoping period; public scoping 
meetings, public review, and hearings on the draft EIS, publication of 
a final EIS, and publication of separate records of decision by Western 
and BLM. Persons interested in receiving future notices, Project 
information, copies of the EIS, and other information on the NEPA 
review process should contact Ms. Reilly at the address listed in the 
ADDRESSES section.
    Western and BLM will hold public scoping meetings as described in 
the DATES section above.
    The purpose of the scoping meetings is to provide information about 
the proposed Project, review Project maps, answer questions, and take 
written comments from interested parties. All meeting locations are 
handicapped-accessible. Anyone needing special accommodations should 
contact Ms. Reilly to make arrangements. The public will have the 
opportunity to provide written comments at the public scoping meetings. 
Written comments may also be sent to Ms. Reilly by fax, e-mail, or U.S. 
Postal Service mail. To help define the scope of the EIS, comments 
should be received by Western no later than April 28, 2010.

    Dated: March 24, 2010.
Timothy J. Meeks,
Administrator, Western Power.
    Dated: March 19, 2010.
Karla D. Norris,
Associate Deputy State Director, Bureau of Land Management.
[FR Doc. 2010-7019 Filed 3-26-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P