[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 136 (Friday, July 15, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41816-41817]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-17718]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLCAD07000, L51010000.FX0000.LVRWB10B4050]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Proposed Ocotillo Sol Solar Project, Imperial County, CA; Possible 
Land Use Plan Amendment; and Notice of Segregation of Public Lands

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 as amended (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
of 1976 (FLPMA), as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) El 
Centro Field Office, El Centro, California, intends to prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which may include an amendment to 
the California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan, related to San 
Diego Gas & Electric's (SDG&E) right-of-way (ROW) authorization request 
for the Ocotillo Sol Solar Energy Facility (Project), a 15-18 megawatt 
(MW) solar energy facility. By this notice, the BLM is announcing the 
beginning of the scoping process to solicit public comments and 
identify issues related to the EIS and proposed plan amendment. By this 
notice, the BLM is also segregating, subject to valid existing rights, 
approximately 240 acres of public lands located in the State of 
California from appropriation under the public land laws, including the 
Mining Law of 1872, as amended, but not the Mineral Leasing or Material 
Sales Acts, for a period of 2 years for the purpose of processing 
SDG&E's ROW authorization request.

DATES: This notice initiates: (1) The public scoping process for the 
EIS and (2) the 2 year segregation period for the public lands within 
the Project's ROW application area, effective as of July 15, 2011. 
Comments on issues related to the EIS may be submitted in writing until 
August 15, 2011. The BLM expects to hold two public meetings during the 
formal scoping period in El Centro, California, the dates and locations 
of which will be announced at least 15 days in advance through local 
media, newspapers, mailings, and the BLM California Desert District Web 
site (http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/cdd.html). In order to be included 
in the Draft EIS, all comments must be received prior to the close of 
the scoping period or 15 days after the last public meeting, whichever 
is later. We will provide additional opportunities for public 
participation upon publication of the Draft EIS. The segregation of the 
public lands is effective as of July 15, 2011. The segregation will 
terminate if one of the following events occurs: (1) The BLM issues a 
decision granting, granting with modifications, or denying SDG&E's ROW 
authorization request; (2) publication of a Federal Register notice 
terminating this segregation; or (3) if no further administrative 
action occurs at the end of this segregation on July 15, 2013.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the Ocotillo Sol Solar 
Project by any of the following methods:
     Mail: Noel Ludwig, California Desert District Office, 
22835 Calle San Juan de Los Lagos, Moreno Valley, California 92553.
     E-mail: [email protected].
     Fax: (951) 697-5299, Attn: Noel Ludwig.

    Documents pertinent to this project proposal may be examined at the 
BLM California Desert District Office.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information and/or to have 
your name added to our mailing list, contact Noel Ludwig, BLM project 
manager, telephone (951)-697-5368; address California Desert District 
Office, 22835 Calle San Juan de Los Lagos, Moreno Valley, California 
92553; e-mail [email protected]. Persons who use a telecommunications 
device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay 
Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact the above individual during 
normal business hours. The FIRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a 
week, to leave a message or question with the above individual. You 
will receive a reply during normal business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: SDG&E has submitted a ROW application 
requesting authorization to construct, operate, maintain, and 
decommission the Ocotillo Sol Project on BLM-administered public lands 
in southwest Imperial County, California. The BLM is responding to 
SDG&E's application as required by FLPMA. The project would be 
constructed on an approximately 100 acre site located approximately 8 
miles southwest of El Centro, 4 miles south of Interstate 8, and 82 
miles east of San

[[Page 41817]]

Diego. An additional 15 acres would be temporarily disturbed during 
construction.
    The Project would be a 15 to 18 MW (with peak capacity of 20 MW) 
project and would include photo-voltaic (PV) arrays, inverters, 
transformers, and a maintenance building. The project would connect to 
the existing SDG&E Imperial Valley Substation (IVS), which is located 
to the Project's immediate north via a buried 12.47 kilovolt cable. The 
project would not require any expansion of the IVS, nor any upgrades to 
the existing transmission lines exiting the substation.
    The purpose of the public scoping process is to determine relevant 
issues that will influence the scope of the environmental analysis, 
including alternatives, and guide the process for developing the EIS. 
At present, the BLM has identified the following preliminary issues: 
Air quality, biological resources, cultural resources, water resources, 
geological resources and hazards, land use, noise, paleontological 
resources, socioeconomics, traffic and transportation, and visual 
resources. An updated inventory of wilderness characteristics will be 
used to determine whether lands with wilderness characteristics are 
present in the project area and to analyze impacts associated with 
these resources.
    Pursuant to the CDCA Plan, sites associated with power generation 
or transmission not identified in the CDCA Plan will be considered 
through the plan amendment process to determine the suitability of the 
sites for renewable energy development. Since the Project site was not 
previously identified as suitable, authorization of the Project would 
require amendment of the CDCA Plan. By this notice, the BLM is 
complying with requirements in 43 CFR 1610.2(c) to notify the public of 
potential amendments to land use plans predicated on the findings in 
the EIS. If a Plan Amendment is necessary, the BLM will integrate the 
land use planning process with the NEPA process for the Project. A 
preliminary list of the potential planning criteria that will be used 
to help guide and define the scope of the plan amendment process 
include:
     The plan amendments will be completed in compliance with 
FLPMA, NEPA, and all other relevant Federal laws, executive orders, and 
BLM policies;
     Existing, valid plan decisions will not be changed and any 
new plan decisions will not conflict with existing plan decisions; and
     The plan amendment(s) will recognize valid existing 
rights.

    The BLM will also use and coordinate the NEPA commenting process to 
help fulfill the public involvement process under 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. Federal, State, and local agencies, along with 
Tribes and 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 requested by the 
BLM to participate as cooperating agencies.
    In connection with its processing of SDG&E's application, the BLM 
is also segregating, under the authority contained in 43 CFR 2091.3-
1(e) and 2804.25(e), subject to valid existing rights, the public lands 
within the Project application area from appropriation under the public 
land laws, including the Mining Law of 1872, as amended, but not the 
Mineral Leasing the Material Sales Acts, for a period of 2 years from 
the date of publication of this notice. The public lands contained 
within this temporary segregation total approximately 240 acres and are 
described as follows:

San Bernardino Meridian

T. 16\1/2\ S., R. 12 E.,
Sec. 3, E\1/2\SW\1/4\, SE\1/4\.

    The BLM has determined that this temporary segregation is necessary 
to ensure the orderly administration of the public lands by maintaining 
the status quo while it processes SDG&E's ROW application for the above 
described lands. The segregation period will terminate and the lands 
will automatically reopen to appropriation under the public land laws, 
including the Mining Law, if one of the following events occurs: (1) 
The BLM issues a decision granting, granting with modifications, or 
denying SDG&E's ROW application; (2) publication of a Federal Register 
notice terminating this segregation; or (3) there is no further 
administrative action at the end of the segregation provided for in the 
Federal Register notice initiating the segregation, whichever occurs 
first. Any segregation made under this authority is effective only for 
a period of up to 2 years.
    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; 43 CFR 1610.2, 2091.3-1(e), and 
2804.25(e).

Thomas Pogacnik,
Deputy State Director, California.
[FR Doc. 2011-17718 Filed 7-14-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-40-P