[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 176 (Monday, September 13, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55602-55603]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-22737]



[[Page 55602]]

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DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLCOF0000 L14300000.FX0000]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment To Amend 
the Resource Management Plan for the San Luis Resource Area for 
Geothermal Leasing in Colorado's San Luis Valley

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969 (NEPA), as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
(FLPMA) of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) San 
Luis Valley Public Lands Center, Monte Vista, Colorado, intends to 
prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) and by this notice is 
announcing the beginning of the scoping process to solicit public 
comments and identify issues.
    The EA will analyze the BLM proposal to amend the San Luis Resource 
Area (SLRA) Resource Management Plan (RMP) of September 1991, to 
allocate lands as closed and open to consideration for geothermal 
leasing and under what conditions.

DATES: This notice initiates the public scoping process for the EA and 
RMP amendment. Comments on issues may be submitted in writing by 
October 13, 2010. The date(s) and location(s) of any scoping meetings 
will be announced at least 15 calendar days in advance, through local 
media, newspaper, and the BLM Web site at: http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/slvplc/Geothermal_Leasing.html. In order to be included in the EA 
and RMP amendment, all comments must be received prior to the close of 
the scoping period or 30 days after the last public meeting, whichever 
is later. We will provide additional opportunities for public 
participation upon publication of the EA and RMP amendment.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the EA and proposed RMP 
amendment for Geothermal Leasing in the BLM SLRA in Colorado's San Luis 
Valley by any of the following methods.
     Web site: http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/slvplc/Geothermal_Leasing.html.
     E-mail: [email protected].
     Fax: (719) 852-6250.
     Mail: BLM, San Luis Valley Public Lands Center, 1803 West 
Highway 160, Monte Vista, Colorado 81144.
    Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined at the San 
Luis Valley Public Lands Center.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joseph Vieira, Renewable Energy Team 
Project Manager, telephone (719) 852-6213; address BLM, San Luis Valley 
Public Lands Center, 1803 West Highway 160, Monte Vista, Colorado 
81144; e-mail [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Programmatic Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) for Geothermal Leasing in the Western United States 
analyzed geothermal potential, leasing alternatives, and leasing 
stipulations for subsurface mineral estate administered by the BLM in 
Colorado, including lands within the SLRA RMP. The Record of Decision 
(ROD) for Geothermal Leasing in the Western United States amended 14 
RMPs in Colorado, but did not amend the SLRA RMP due to an 
administrative oversight. The ROD for the Programmatic EIS can be found 
at the following Web site: http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/frog/energy/geothermal/geothermal.nationwide. The BLM proposes to amend the SLRA 
RMP using the NEPA analysis in the Programmatic EIS to support its 
decision. Review and amendment of the SLRA RMP is also necessary due to 
new information concerning sensitive species that are not analyzed in 
the existing RMP. This EA will inform the BLM SLRA RMP amendment 
decisions to establish resource management consistency, including 
stipulations and Best Management Practices, in future geothermal 
leasing in the SLRA.
    While there is a history of geothermal leasing on lands 
administered by the BLM in the SLRA, the San Luis Valley Public Lands 
Center has not received any new nominations for competitive geothermal 
leasing to date.
    Under the 1991 SLRA RMP, 617,380 acres of the mineral estate within 
the SLRA were identified as having potential for geothermal resources 
and allocated as open to consideration for geothermal leasing. 
Additionally, under the 1991 SLRA RMP the BLM established the following 
nondiscretionary closures, denying the development of fluid minerals, 
including geothermal resources:
     320 acres within the town of Del Norte.
     40 acres within the town of South Fork.
     360 acres under the Recreation and Public Purpose lease to 
the City of Monte Vista for a city park.
     840 acres within the Pike Stockade Historic Site.
     3,300 acres designated as BLM wilderness.
     16,794 acres within BLM wilderness study areas.
    There are no Federal geothermal leases in effect in the planning 
area at this time. The issuance of a geothermal lease does not 
authorize any land disturbance, development, or use of the surface of 
the leased lands without further application, environmental review, and 
approval by the BLM at each stage. Rather, a lease provides a non-
exclusive right to future exploration and an exclusive right to produce 
and use the geothermal resources within the lease area, subject to 
existing laws, regulations, formal orders, terms, conditions, and 
stipulations in or attached to the lease form, or included as 
conditions of approval to permits.
    The purpose of this public scoping process is to determine relevant 
issues that will influence the scope of the environmental analysis, 
including alternatives, and guide the process for amending the RMP to 
adopt new stipulations and other conservation measures, and deciding 
whether, and under what conditions, to issue geothermal leases in the 
SLRA. This EA and RMP amendment will also serve to correct an 
administrative error in which the BLM SLRA was not included in the 2008 
ROD document associated with the Programmatic EIS for geothermal 
leasing in the Western United States. This EA and RMP amendment will 
specifically address development of adequate protective measures and 
stipulations for the following:
     Geothermal resources and existing uses.
     Water resources.
     Cultural resources.
     Federally listed threatened and endangered species as well 
as candidate species for Federal listing.
     Species included in the BLM Colorado sensitive species 
list (which includes the State of Colorado, Department of Natural 
Resources threatened and endangered species).
     Other species of concern.
    Currently, the BLM has identified the following preliminary issues:
     Impacts to water resources.
     Impacts to private and commercial geothermal uses.
     Necessary conservation measures for listed and sensitive 
plant and animal species and habitats.
     Necessary stipulations and potential impacts to cultural 
resources.
     Impacts to known geothermal resources and features in and 
near the potential lease areas.
     Demand for renewable energy and local economic impacts.
     Access to and across private lands.
     Impacts to critical big game winter range and other 
wildlife habitat.

[[Page 55603]]

     Visual impacts from potential development.
     Cumulative impacts associated with geothermal leasing, 
including the potential for exploration and development operation.
    The BLM will use a combination of scoping periods, public meetings, 
and the NEPA process to satisfy the public involvement process required 
by Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 
470(f)) as provided for in 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3). Native American Tribal 
consultations will be conducted in accordance with policy, and Tribal 
concerns will be given due consideration, including impacts on Indian 
trust assets. Federal, state, and local agencies, along with other 
stakeholders that may be interested or affected by the BLM's decision 
on this project, are invited to participate in the scoping process and, 
if eligible, may request or be contacted by the BLM to participate as a 
cooperating agency. Agencies or organizations with technical expertise 
or jurisdictional authority will be invited to participate as 
cooperating agencies during the NEPA analysis and environmental review.
    The BLM will use an interdisciplinary approach to develop the plan 
amendment in order to consider the resource issues and concerns 
identified during public scoping. The planning process will include 
specialists with expertise in rangeland management, minerals and 
geology, forestry, outdoor recreation, law enforcement, archaeology, 
botany, wildlife, fisheries, lands and realty, hydrology, soils, 
vegetation, and fire. Notification of the planning process will be sent 
to the Governor of Colorado, county commissioners, local tribes and 
potentially affected members of the public. The public is encouraged to 
help identify questions and concerns during the scoping phase.
    By this notice, the BLM is complying with requirements in 43 CFR 
1610.2(c) to notify the public of potential amendments to the existing 
SLRA RMP. The BLM land use planning regulations require the BLM to 
publish, and provide for public review of, the proposed planning 
criteria that will guide the RMP amendment process. Planning criteria 
are the constraints, standards, and guidelines that determine what the 
BLM will or will not consider during its planning process. As such, 
they establish parameters and help focus analysis of the issues 
identified in scoping and structure the preparation of the EA and 
proposed RMP amendment. The BLM welcomes public comment on the 
following proposed planning criteria,
    1. The BLM will continue to manage the SLRA in accordance with 
FLPMA (43 U.S.C. 1701. et seq.), other applicable laws and regulations, 
and all existing public land laws.
    2. The BLM will use a collaborative, multi-jurisdictional approach 
with local, state, tribal, and Federal agencies to jointly determine 
the desired future condition of public lands and provide consistency 
with their existing plans and policies, to the extent that those plans 
and policies are consistent with Federal law governing the 
administration of public land.
    3. The BLM will limit its amendment of the RMP to geothermal 
resource leasing and development issues and will not address management 
of other resources. The BLM will consider and analyze the impacts from 
this increased use on other BLM-managed resource values.
    4. The BLM will address the socioeconomic impacts of the 
alternatives.
    5. The amendment process will follow the FLPMA planning process and 
include an EA that will comply with NEPA standards, and an EIS, if a 
Finding of No Significant Impact cannot be reached.
    6. The BLM will consider environmental protection and energy 
production as both are desirable and necessary objectives of sound land 
management practices and not to be considered mutually exclusive 
priorities.
    7. The BLM will prepare the EA in compliance with the Geothermal 
Steam Act, as amended, and the legislative directives set forth in the 
Energy Policy Act of 2005.
    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:  40 CFR 1501.7 and 43 CFR 1610.2.

John Mehlhoff,
Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. 2010-22737 Filed 9-10-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-JB-P