[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 35 (Friday, February 21, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Page 9922]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-03678]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[CACA-048669, LLCAD09000, L51010000.LVRWB09B2380.ER0000]


Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the 
Stateline Solar Farm Project and California Desert Conservation Area 
Plan Amendment, San Bernardino County, California

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability 
of the Record of Decision (ROD)/Approved Amendment to the California 
Desert Conservation Area Plan (CDCA Plan) for the Stateline Solar Farm 
Project (SSFP). The Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Land and 
Minerals Management, approved the ROD on February 14, 2014, which 
constitutes the final decision of the Department.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the ROD/Approved Amendment to the CDCA Plan are 
available upon request from the BLM Field Manager, Needles Field 
Office, 1303 S. Highway 95, Needles, CA 92363, and at the California 
Desert District Office, 22835 Calle San Juan de Los Lagos, Moreno 
Valley, CA 92553, or via the Internet at the following Web site: http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/needles/stateline_solar_farm.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeffery Childers, BLM Project Manager, 
telephone, 951-697-5308; mail, BLM California Desert District Office, 
22835 Calle San Juan de Los Lagos, Moreno Valley, CA 92553-9046; 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 Mr. Childers during normal business hours. The FIRS is 
available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question 
for Mr. Childers. You will receive a reply during normal business 
hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The applicant, First Solar Development, LLC, 
filed an application for a right-of-way (ROW) grant authorization to 
construct, operate, maintain and decommission the 300-Megawatt (MW) 
photovoltaic Stateline Solar Farm Project (SSFP). The proposed project 
includes access roads, photovoltaic arrays, an electrical substation, 
meteorological station, monitoring and maintenance facility, water 
wells, and a 2.3 mile generation tie-line on up to 2,143 acres. The 
project location is in San Bernardino County approximately 2 miles 
south of the Nevada-California border and 0.5 miles west of Interstate 
15.
    The Agency-Selected Alternative consists of a 300-MW solar PV 
facility encompassing 1,685 acres on a single, contiguous footprint, 
which was described in the Final EIS as the Revised Alternative 3: 
1,685 Acre Alternative.
    The project site is located in the California Desert District 
within the planning boundary of the CDCA Plan, which is the applicable 
resource management plan for the project site and surrounding areas. 
The CDCA Plan, while recognizing the potential compatibility of solar 
energy generation facilities with other uses on public lands, requires 
that all sites associated with power generation or transmission not 
already identified in the Plan be considered through the BLM's land use 
plan amendment process. As a result, prior to approval of a ROW grant 
for the SSFP, the BLM must amend the CDCA Plan to allow the solar 
energy generating project on that site. The approved Amendment to the 
CDCA Plan specifically revises the CDCA Plan to allow for the 
development of the SSFP and ancillary facilities on land managed by the 
BLM.
    A Notice of Availability of the proposed plan amendment/final EIS 
for the SSFP was published in the Federal Register on November 15, 2013 
(78 FR 68860). Publication of the Notice of Availability for the plan 
amendment/final EIS initiated a 30-day protest period for the proposed 
amendment to the CDCA Plan. At the close of the 30-day period, seven 
timely and complete written protests were received and thereafter 
resolved. Their resolution is summarized in the Director's Protest 
Summary Report attached to the ROD. While the Director's resolution of 
protests did not identify any issues to be remanded, the BLM made minor 
corrections and clarifying statements as a result of protests.
    Simultaneously with the protest period, the Governor of California 
conducted a 30-day consistency review of the proposed plan amendment to 
identify any inconsistencies with State or local plan, policies or 
programs; no inconsistencies were identified.
    Because this decision is approved by the Secretary of the Interior, 
it is not subject to administrative appeal (43 CFR 4.410(a)(3)).

    Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6.

Neil Kornze,
Principal Deputy Director.
[FR Doc. 2014-03678 Filed 2-20-14; 8:45 am]
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