[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 75 (Friday, April 18, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Page 21951]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-08767]



[[Page 21951]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLCAD01500, L51010000.ER0000, 13XL5017AP, LVRWB13B5330; CACA 053958]


Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Tylerhorse Wind Project and Draft Plan Amendment, 
Kern County, CA

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as 
amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as 
amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Tylerhorse Wind Project 
(TWP) and a Draft Plan Amendment to the California Desert Conservation 
Area (CDCA) Plan 1980, as amended, and by this notice is announcing the 
opening of the comment period.

DATES: To ensure that comments will be considered, the BLM must receive 
written comments on the Draft EIS/plan amendment within 90 days 
following the date the U.S. 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 public notices, media 
releases, and/or mailings.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the TWP Draft EIS/plan 
amendment by any of the following methods:
     Web site: http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/ridgecrest/tylerhorse_wind_project.html.
     Email: [email protected].
     Mail: Cedric Perry, BLM Project Manager, BLM California 
Desert District Office, 22835 Calle San Juan De Los Lagos, Moreno 
Valley, CA 92553.
    Copies of the TWP Draft EIS/plan amendment are available in the 
California Desert District Office at the above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cedric Perry, BLM Project Manager; 
telephone 951-697-5388; address BLM California Desert District Office, 
22835 Calle San Juan de Los Lagos, Moreno Valley, CA 92553; 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 applicant, Heartland Wind, LLC, has 
submitted a right-of-way (ROW) application to the BLM requesting 
authorization to construct, operate, maintain, and decommission the TWP 
on 1,200 acres of BLM-managed lands to produce up to 60 megawatts of 
electricity from wind energy. The proposed project would be located in 
Kern County, California, approximately 15 miles west of Highway 14, 12 
miles south of Highway 58, and 8 miles north of State Route 138.
    The proposed project would include up to 40 wind turbine 
generators, access roads, a 34.5-kilovolt underground energy collection 
system, supervisory control and data acquisition system, fiber optic 
communications, and fencing. The TWP would share an existing operations 
and maintenance building with the adjacent Manzana Wind Energy Project. 
A portion of the project may also connect to the Whirlwind substation 
through the adjacent, approved Pacific Wind Energy Project. If 
approved, construction of the TWP is expected to last 4 months. 
However, construction could be delayed by weather or other unforeseen 
circumstances. Therefore, a 2-year pre-operating period has been 
requested by the Heartland Wind, LLC to allow adequate time for 
construction.
    The Draft EIS/plan amendment analyzes the Proposed Action (40 
turbines) and a smaller, Modified Proposed Action alternative (30 
turbines). It also analyzes a no action alternative and two no project 
alternatives that would not approve the project, but would amend the 
CDCA Plan identifying the area as either suitable or unsuitable for 
wind energy projects. The CDCA Plan (1980, as amended), while 
recognizing the potential compatibility of renewable energy generation 
facilities with other uses on public lands, requires that all sites 
proposed for power generation or transmission not already identified in 
the plan be considered through the plan amendment process.
    The Draft EIS/plan amendment analyzes the direct, indirect, and 
cumulative impacts of the Proposed Action and alternatives on 
biological resources, cultural resources, water resources, geological 
resources and hazards, land use, noise, paleontological resources, 
public health, socioeconomics, soils, traffic and transportation, 
visual resources, wilderness characteristics, and other resources.
    On July 15, 2011, the BLM published a Notice of Intent to prepare 
an EIS in the Federal Register (76 FR 41815). On August 31, 2011, a 
press release issued, notified the public that the scoping period had 
been extended to September 29, 2011, and on September 14, 2011, a 
scoping meeting was held.
    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 above address 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 to withhold 
your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot 
guarantee that we will be able to do so.

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

Cynthia Staszak,
Associate Deputy State Director.
[FR Doc. 2014-08767 Filed 4-17-14; 8:45 am]
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