[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 169 (Friday, August 30, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53779-53780]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-21105]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLNVS0100.L51010000.ER0000.LVRWF1304100; NVN-085801, NVN-088592, NVN-
089530, and NVN-090050; MO 4500053295; TAS: 14X5017]


Notice To Extend Mineral Segregation for the Proposed Silver 
State Solar Project Near Primm in Clark County, Nevada

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Publication of this notice serves to extend the segregation of 
the identified lands for an additional two years from appropriation 
pursuant to the public land laws, including location pursuant to the 
General Mining Act, but not the Mineral Lands Leasing Act or the 
authority of the Materials Act of 1947, subject to valid existing 
rights in existence prior to the original segregation. This segregation 
extension is warranted to provide for the orderly administration of the 
public lands to facilitate the development of valuable renewable energy 
resources and to avoid conflicts between renewable energy generation 
and mining claims.

DATES: Effective Date: September 1, 2013.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information or to have 
your name added to the mailing list, contact Gregory Helseth, Renewable 
Energy Project Manager, at 702-515-5173; or email at 
[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. 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: Silver State Solar, LLC, has submitted a 
right-of-way (ROW) application for the construction, operation, 
maintenance, and termination of a solar energy generation facility on a 
portion of the ROW application on 13,043 acres of public lands east of 
Primm, Nevada. The ROW application is assigned BLM case number NVN-
089530. This application expands on ROW application NVN-085801. The 
proposed solar energy project would consist of photovoltaic panels and 
related ROW appurtenances, including a substation and switchyard 
facilities, and would produce about 250 megawatts of electricity. The 
lands

[[Page 53780]]

covered by the ROW application were initially segregated from the 
operation of the public land laws through a Notice published in the 
Federal Register on September 1, 2011 (76 FR 54483). The prior 
segregation was made pursuant to an Interim Final Segregation Rule, 
which was in effect at the time. The BLM is in the process of preparing 
a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement in connection with its 
review of the ROW application.
    The BLM published a Final Segregation Rule (78 FR 25204) on April 
30, 2013, that amended the BLM regulations found in 43 CFR 2090 and 
2800. As with the Interim Final Segregation Rule, the Final Rule allows 
the BLM to temporarily segregate from the operation of the public land 
laws, by publication of a Federal Register notice, public lands 
included in a pending solar energy generation ROW application in order 
to promote the orderly administration of the public lands. The Final 
Rule also allows a State Director to grant a one-time extension of the 
initial 2-year project-specific segregation if the State Director 
determines that such an extension is necessary for the orderly 
administration of the public lands.
    As noted above, the initial 2 year segregation (76 FR 54483) will 
expire on August 31, 2013. Based on the status of the BLM's processing 
of the ROW application, the Nevada State Director has determined that 
the continued segregation of the lands identified below is necessary 
for the orderly administration of the public lands in order to prevent 
the filing of mining claims in the ROW application area prior to any 
final decision by the BLM, which would hinder the development of the 
project and increase the costs of such development. This one-time 2-
year extension of the existing segregation does not affect valid 
existing rights in mining claims located before the original 
segregation of the affected lands. Licenses, permits, cooperative 
agreements, or discretionary land use authorizations of a temporary 
nature which would not impact lands identified in this notice may be 
allowed with the approval of an authorized officer of the BLM during 
the temporary segregative period. The lands segregated under this 
notice are described as follows:

Mount Diablo Meridian

T. 26 S., R. 59 E.,
    sec. 13, lots 1 to 8, inclusive;
    sec. 14;
    sec. 23, E\1/2\;
    secs. 24, 25 and 26;
    sec. 27, SE\1/4\;
    sec. 34, E\1/2\, that portion of public lands in the NW\1/4\; 
lying east of the easterly right-of-way of CC 0360;
    secs. 35 and 36.
T. 27 S., R. 59 E.,
    secs. 1 and 2;
    sec. 3, lots 1 to 4, inclusive, NE\1/4\SE\1/4\NE\1/4\, SE\1/
4\SE\1/4\NE\1/4\, NE\1/4\NE\1/4\SE\1/4\, SE\1/4\NE\1/4\SE\1/4\, and 
SE\1/4\SE\1/4\SE\1/4\;
    sec. 9, NE\1/4\SE\1/4\, SW\1/4\SE\1/4\, SE\1/4\SW\1/4\SE\1/4\, 
NE\1/4\SW\1/4\SE\1/4\, SE\1/4\NW\1/4\SE\1/4\, and NE\1/4\NW\1/
4\SE\1/4\, that portion of public lands lying east of the easterly 
right-of-way of CC 0360;
    sec. 10, SE\1/4\NE\1/4\, N\1/2\NE\1/4\, and S\1/2\;
    secs. 11 to 15, inclusive;
    secs. 22, 23 and 24;
    sec. 25, N\1/2\;
    sec. 26;
    sec. 27, lots 4 to 6, inclusive.

    The area described contains 13,043 acres, more or less, in Clark 
County, Nevada.

    The BLM intends to resurvey T. 27 S., R. 59 E., sec. 3, lots 1 to 
3, inclusive. The description will be replaced for those lands upon 
final approval of the official plat of survey.
    The segregation extension of land identified in this notice will 
not exceed 2 years from the effective date. Termination of the 
segregation, as provided in the Final Rule, is the date that is the 
earliest of the following: Upon issuance of a decision by the 
authorized officer granting, granting with modifications, or denying 
the application for a ROW; automatically at the end of the 2 year 
segregation extension; or upon publication of a Federal Register notice 
of termination of the segregation.
    Upon termination or expiration of the segregation of these lands, 
all lands subject to this segregation will automatically reopen to 
appropriation under the public land laws, including the United States 
Mining Laws.

    Authority:  43 CFR parts 2800 and 2090.

Gary Johnson,
State Director, Acting.
[FR Doc. 2013-21105 Filed 8-29-13; 8:45 am]
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