[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 129 (Friday, July 5, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40497-40498]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-16128]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLCAC07000 L913100000 EI0000 LXSIGEOT0000]


Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement/Environmental Impact Report for the Casa Diablo IV Geothermal 
Development Project, Mono County, CA

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, as amended (NEPA); the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 
1976, as amended; and the California Environmental Quality Act of 1970 
(CEQA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the United States Forest 
Service (USFS), and the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control 
District (GBUAPCD), a California State agency, have prepared a Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)/Environmental Impact Report (EIR) 
for the proposed Casa Diablo IV Geothermal Development Project near the 
town of Mammoth Lakes in Mono County, California, and by this notice 
are announcing its availability.

DATES: The BLM will not issue a final decision on the proposal for a 
minimum of 30 days after the date that the Environmental Protection 
Agency publishes its notice of availability in the Federal Register.

[[Page 40498]]


ADDRESSES: You may request an electronic copy of the Casa Diablo IV 
Geothermal Development Project Final EIS/EIR by any of the following 
methods:
     Mail: BLM Bishop Field Office, 351 Pacu Lane, Suite 100, 
Bishop, CA 93514; Attn: Casa Diablo IV Geothermal Development Project 
Final EIS/EIR, c/o Collin Reinhardt, Project Manager.
     Email: [email protected]; Subject: Casa Diablo IV 
Geothermal Development Project Final EIS/EIR.
     Fax: 760-872-5050; Attn: Collin Reinhardt.
    Interested persons may also review the Final EIS/EIR on the 
Internet at http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/bishop.html.
    Copies of the Final EIS/EIR are also available for public 
inspection at the BLM Bishop Field Office at the above address and at 
the Mono County Library at 400 Sierra Park Road, Mammoth Lakes, 
California.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Collin Reinhardt, Project Manager, 
telephone 760-872-5024; address 351 Pacu Lane, Suite 100, Bishop, CA 
93514; 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 Final EIS/EIR analyzes the potential 
impacts of authorizing the proposed Casa Diablo IV Geothermal 
Development Project near the town of Mammoth Lakes in Mono County, 
California. In accordance with the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970, as 
amended (30 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.), the BLM Bishop Field Office is the 
lead Federal agency responsible for permitting the proposed project and 
for completing the required environmental analysis under NEPA. The USFS 
Inyo National Forest is a cooperating Federal agency. The GBUAPCD is 
the lead State agency responsible for permitting the proposed project 
and for completing the required environmental analysis under CEQA.
    The purpose and need for action is to respond to an application to 
construct and operate the Casa Diablo IV project on Federal geothermal 
leases administered by the BLM Bishop Field Office. The project would 
be located on Inyo National Forest lands and adjacent private lands 
within portions of Federal geothermal leases CACA-11667, CACA-14407, 
CACA-14408, and CACA-11672. The project would be located adjacent to 
three currently operating geothermal plants.
    The 33 megawatt binary geothermal power plant would be the fourth 
geothermal plant in the vicinity. It would include up to 16 wells for 
production and injection, drilled 1,600 to 2,500 feet deep. Pipelines 
would be constructed to transport geothermal fluid from production 
wells to the power plant and the return of fluids from the power plant 
to injection wells. A 650-foot-long transmission line would connect the 
new power plant to the Southern California Edison substation at 
Substation Road. The power plant, access roads, well pads, pipelines, 
and transmission line would occupy approximately 80 acres. Of the 16 
proposed production/injection well locations, 14 were previously 
analyzed and approved by the BLM as exploration wells in EA-170-02-15 
(2001) and EA-170-05-04 (2005). Three of these exploration wells have 
already been drilled as of the time of the publication of this notice.
    Three action alternatives and a no action alternative are analyzed 
in the Final EIS/EIR. Alternative 1 is the applicant's proposed action 
as outlined above; Alternative 2 considers an alternative location for 
the proposed power plant; and Alternative 3 (the BLM's preferred 
alternative) considers alternative pipeline alignments in Basalt Canyon 
and slightly alters the location of one proposed well. The GBUAPCD has 
identified Alternative 3 as the ``environmentally superior 
alternative'' pursuant to CEQA (14 C.C.R. 15126.6(e)(2)).
    Alternative 4, the No Action Alternative, would not construct the 
CD-IV Project. The three existing geothermal power plants, the pipeline 
from Basalt Canyon, and two existing production wells would continue 
operating in accordance with their respective permits. Under the No 
Action Alternative, geothermal exploration in Basalt Canyon and Upper 
Basalt Canyon previously approved would be expected to continue. 
Previous analyses resulted in the approval of up to ten small diameter 
(slim hole) and six geothermal exploratory (large diameter) geothermal 
wells, some of which have been already drilled. Under the No Action 
Alternative, while no activities related to the Proposed Action would 
occur, nine additional small diameter and two large diameter 
exploratory wells could be drilled as previously authorized.
    The Final EIS/EIR describes and analyzes the project's site-
specific impacts on the following resources: Air, biological, climate 
change, cultural and paleontological, geothermal and groundwater, 
geologic, soil, mineral, grazing, wild horses and burros, land use, 
noise and vibration, population and housing, public safety, hazardous 
materials, fire, recreation, socioeconomics and environmental justice, 
traffic, utilities and public service, visual, and surface water.
    In addition to scoping activities, a Notice of Availability of the 
Draft EIS/EIR was published in the Federal Register on November 16, 
2012 (77 FR 68813), announcing a 60-day comment period ending January 
15, 2013. In response to requests, the NEPA comment period was extended 
to January 30, 2013 and the CEQA comment period was extended to 
February 20, 2013. Additionally, two public meetings were held on 
December 5 and 6, 2012, in Mammoth Lakes and Lake Crowley, California, 
respectively.
    One oral comment and 28 comment letters were received. Comments on 
the Draft EIS/EIR primarily pertained to the NEPA and CEQA processes, 
project alternatives, and impacts to various resources and uses. The 
agencies also received statements in support of the proposal.
    All comments were addressed in the Final EIS/EIR, some of which 
resulted in corrections and clarifying text that did not significantly 
change the alternatives or analysis. Similarly, consultation pursuant 
to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and Section 7 
of the Federal Endangered Species Act has resulted in revisions to the 
project as reflected in the Final EIS/EIS that further avoid impacts to 
cultural and biological resources.

    Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10.

Thomas Pogacnik,
Deputy State Director.
[FR Doc. 2013-16128 Filed 7-3-13; 8:45 am]
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