[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 33 (Friday, February 17, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9694-9696]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-3630]


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 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLAZ910000.L14300000.DB0000.LXSS058A0000]


Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Restoration Design Energy Project and Land Use Plan 
Amendments

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, as amended (NEPA); the Council on Environmental Quality and the 
Department of the Interior regulations implementing NEPA; and the 
Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended, the Bureau 
of Land Management (BLM) Arizona State Office has prepared a Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Restoration Design Energy 
Project (RDEP) to evaluate proposed amendments to several Resource 
Management Plans (RMPs) to identify lands across Arizona that may be 
suitable for developing renewable solar and wind energy, and to 
establish a baseline set of environmental protection measures for such 
projects. By this notice, the BLM is announcing the beginning of a 90-
day public review and comment period on the Draft EIS.

DATES: To ensure comments will be considered, the BLM must receive 
written comments on the RDEP Draft EIS within 90 days following the 
date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes its Notice of 
Availability in the Federal Register. The BLM will announce future 
meetings or hearings and any other public involvement activities at 
least 15 days in advance through local media, newspapers, mailings, and 
the BLM Web site at: http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en.html.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on the RDEP Draft EIS by any of the 
following methods.
     Email: [email protected].
     Fax: Attn: Lane Cowger, (602) 417-9454; and
     Mail or other delivery service: BLM-Arizona State Office, 
Attn: Restoration Design Energy Project, One North Central Avenue, 
Suite 800, Phoenix, AZ 85004-4427.
    Please be sure to include your name, any organization you 
represent, and return address with your comment.
    Copies of the Draft EIS are available at the BLM-Arizona State 
Office, One North Central Avenue, Suite 800, Phoenix, Arizona 85004, or 
it can be downloaded from the project Web site: http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/prog/energy/arra_solar.htm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kathy Pedrick, BLM Project Manager; 
Telephone: 602-417-9235; Mail: One North Central Avenue, Suite 800, 
Phoenix, Arizona 85004-4427; or email: [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: The RDEP supports the Secretary of the 
Interior's goals to build America's new energy future and to protect 
and restore treasured landscapes. The purpose of the RDEP is to conduct 
statewide planning that fosters environmentally responsible production 
of solar and wind energy and allows the permitting of future solar and 
wind energy development projects to proceed in a more efficient and 
standardized manner. The RDEP would amend BLM land use plans to 
identify geographic areas in Arizona best suited for solar and wind 
energy development, including solar and wind technologies, and to 
establish a baseline set of environmental protection measures for such 
projects.
    The BLM is proposing to identify Renewable Energy Development Areas 
(REDAs), BLM-administered lands that may be suitable for the 
development of solar and wind facilities, and a Solar Energy Zone (SEZ) 
with a priority for utility-scale (greater than 20 megawatts) solar 
development. These areas include disturbed sites and lands with low 
resource sensitivity and few environmental conflicts. Through scoping 
and outreach activities, disturbed sites have been identified 
throughout Arizona, including former landfills, brownfields, mines, 
isolated BLM parcels, and Central Arizona

[[Page 9695]]

Project canal rights-of-way areas. Additionally, the BLM proposes to 
establish unified management actions, design features, and best 
management practices applicable to solar and wind energy development on 
BLM-administered lands in Arizona. The REDAs would identify where solar 
and wind energy development is likely to be compatible with resource 
objectives and would be suitable for the development of utility- or 
distributed-scale solar and wind facilities. The SEZ would be 
prioritized for utility-scale (greater than 20 megawatts) solar 
development.
    The Draft EIS evaluates six action alternatives and the No Action 
Alternative. Identifying lands as REDAs was an iterative process that 
provides a wide range of alternatives. Alternative 1 identifies about 
321,500 acres of REDAs on BLM-administered land that are formerly 
disturbed sites or lands with low resource sensitivity. It seeks to 
provide maximum flexibility for locating small- to large-scale projects 
without consideration of other physical constraints, such as distance 
to transmission or load. Alternative 2 seeks to reduce environmental 
impacts by only including the REDAs identified in Alternative 1 that 
are within 5 miles of designated utility corridors and existing or 
proposed transmission lines. Under Alternative 2, about 218,600 acres 
of BLM-administered land are identified as REDAs. Alternative 3 seeks 
to reduce disturbance and environmental impacts by identifying about 
129,800 acres of REDAs that are near the point of demand, such as 
cities, towns, or industrial centers. Alternative 4 seeks to address 
potential water issues by instituting specific design features for 
321,500 acres of REDAs to avoid impacts on sensitive watersheds, 
groundwater supply, and water quality. Alternative 5 focuses on 
opportunities to facilitate solar and wind energy development through 
land tenure adjustments by identifying about 43,700 acres of REDAs on 
BLM-administered land that have been identified through prior planning 
processes to be suitable for disposal. Alternative 6 was developed 
through a collaborative process and identifies about 237,100 acres of 
REDAs within 5 miles of designated utility corridors and existing 
transmission lines or near a point of demand, includes design features 
to protect water resources, and provides for land tenure adjustment of 
lands previously identified for disposal.
    In addition to identifying REDAs, the RDEP is serving as a step-
down process to the Solar Energy Development Programmatic EIS (Solar 
Programmatic EIS) for utility-scale solar development. In this regard, 
the BLM is also proposing to identify the Agua Caliente SEZ in eastern 
Yuma County to facilitate the development of utility-scale solar 
projects. The proposed SEZ was developed based on a screening process 
that included the following criteria: available large contiguous 
parcels of BLM land (greater than 2,500 acres); proximity to 
transmission; limited known environmental or cultural constraints; 
proximity to roads and infrastructure; and proximity to existing solar 
developments. Based on input from cooperating agencies and the public, 
the Draft EIS analyzes three footprints for the proposed Agua Caliente 
SEZ: 2,760 acres, 6,770 acres, and 20,600 acres.
    Alternative 6 with 237,100 acres of REDAs and a 6,770-acre SEZ is 
the agency's preferred alternative because it is the result of 
extensive input from cooperating agencies and the public and best meets 
the stated purpose of the RDEP. The preferred alternative is the BLM's 
preliminary preference but does not represent a final BLM decision. The 
preferred alternative could change between publication of the Draft EIS 
and Final EIS based on public comments; new information; or changes in 
laws, regulations, or BLM policies.
    The following BLM RMPs are proposed for amendment to incorporate 
the identification of REDAs and environmental protection measures, as 
appropriate: Bradshaw-Harquahala RMP (2010); Arizona Strip Field Office 
RMP (2008); Kingman Resource Area RMP (1995); Lake Havasu Field Office 
RMP (2007); Lower Gila South RMP (1988, as amended 2005); Lower Gila 
North Management Framework Plan (1983, as amended 2005); Phoenix RMP 
(1988); Safford District RMP (1991); and Yuma Field Office RMP (2010). 
Additionally, the Yuma Field Office RMP would be amended to identify 
the Agua Caliente SEZ and to change the Visual Resource Management 
class for portions of lands within the SEZ.
    This EIS will not eliminate the need for site-specific 
environmental review for future individual solar and wind energy 
development proposals; the BLM will make decisions on a case-by-case 
basis whether to authorize individual solar and wind energy development 
projects in conformance with the amended RMP on the basis of this EIS. 
The BLM retains the discretion to deny solar and wind right-of-way 
applications based on site-specific issues and concerns, even in those 
areas available or open for application in the existing land use plan. 
The RDEP is not proposing any new exclusion or avoidance areas. Solar 
and wind energy developments proposed outside of REDAs or a SEZ would 
be considered on a case-by-case basis using applicable State and 
national policy direction and guidance from existing land use plan 
decisions.
    The Draft EIS analyzes impacts of the alternatives on land use 
authorizations; military airspace; air quality; minerals/geology and 
soils; farm lands (prime or unique); water quality and quantity; 
floodplains, wetlands, and riparian zones; vegetation (including 
invasive, nonnative species); wildlife; migratory birds; BLM-designated 
sensitive animal and plant species; cultural resources; Native American 
religious concerns; paleontological resources; visual resources; 
livestock grazing; recreation; special designations (including areas of 
critical environmental concern and wilderness); lands with wilderness 
characteristics; national scenic and historic trails; noise; public 
health and safety and fire management; hazardous or solid waste; social 
and economic values; and environmental justice.
    The Draft EIS is in conformance with other Federal, State, and 
local plans, including the ongoing Solar Programmatic EIS that is 
currently being prepared by the U.S. Department of Energy and the BLM. 
The Solar Programmatic EIS proposes to amend land use plans to identify 
SEZs for utility-scale production of solar energy and to establish 
national program guidance, mitigation measures, and management 
practices for utility-scale solar energy development on BLM-
administered lands. Throughout development of the RDEP, the BLM has 
engaged eight cooperating agencies, State and local governments, 
tribes, the Arizona Resource Advisory Council, and stakeholders in 
order to obtain input on defining the REDAs and the future solar and 
wind energy footprint in Arizona.
    Please note that public comments and information submitted, 
including names, street addresses, and email addresses of persons who 
submit comments, will be available for public review and disclosure at 
the Bureau of Land Management Arizona State Office, One North Central 
Avenue Suite 800, Phoenix, Arizona, during regular business hours (8 
a.m. to 4 p.m.), Monday through Friday, except holidays.
    Before including your address, phone number, email 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

[[Page 9696]]

to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, 
we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

    Authority: 40 CFR 1503.1, 1506.6, 1506.10, and 43 CFR 1610.2.

Raymond Suazo,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 2012-3630 Filed 2-16-12; 8:45 am]
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