[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 219 (Friday, November 13, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70254-70256]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-28791]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLCA932000.L13400000.DQ0000.LXSSB0020000.16X]


Notice of Availability of the Desert Renewable Energy 
Conservation Plan Proposed Land Use Plan Amendment to the California 
Desert Conservation Plan and the Bakersfield and Bishop Resource 
Management Plans and Final Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 
1976, as amended (FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has 
prepared a Proposed Land Use Plan Amendment (LUPA) and Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Desert Renewable Energy 
Conservation Plan (DRECP). This LUPA would amend the California Desert 
Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan and the Bakersfield and Bishop Resource 
Management Plans (RMPs). By this notice, the BLM is announcing the 
availability of the Proposed LUPA and Final EIS.

DATES: BLM planning regulations state that any person who meets the 
conditions as described in the regulations may protest the BLM's 
Proposed LUPA/Final EIS. A person who meets the conditions and files a 
protest must do so within 30 days of the date that the Environmental 
Protection Agency publishes its Notice of Availability in the Federal 
Register.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the DRECP Proposed LUPA and Final EIS have been 
sent to affected Federal, State, and local government agencies, 
affected tribal governments, and to other stakeholders. The Proposed 
LUPA and Final EIS are available for review online at www.drecp.org and 
www.blm.gov/ca/drecp. See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below 
for a list of locations where copies of the Proposed LUPA and Final EIS 
are available for public inspection.
    All protests must be in writing and mailed to one of the following 
addresses: Regular Mail: BLM Director (210), Attention: Protest 
Coordinator, P.O. Box 71383, Washington, DC 20024-1383; Overnight 
Delivery: BLM Director (210), Attention: Protest Coordinator, 20 M 
Street SE., Room 2134LM, Washington, DC 20003.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Vicki Campbell, Program Manager,

[[Page 70255]]

DRECP, telephone 916-978-4401; address BLM California State Office, 
2800 Cottage Way, Suite W-1623, Sacramento, CA; email 
[email protected]. To request a DVD, please send an email to 
drecp.info@energy.ca.gov">drecp.info@energy.ca.gov or call 1-866-936-7477 to provide a mailing 
address. 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 BLM developed the DRECP to: (1) Advance 
Federal and State natural resource conservation goals and other Federal 
land management goals; (2) Meet the requirements of the Federal 
Endangered Species Act, Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 
(OPLMA), California Endangered Species Act, Natural Community 
Conservation Planning Act, and FLPMA in the Mojave and Colorado/Sonoran 
desert region of Southern California; and (3) Facilitate the timely and 
streamlined permitting of renewable energy projects. The Draft DRECP 
includes a strategy that identifies and maps potential areas for 
renewable energy development and areas for long-term natural resource 
conservation. The Draft DRECP was published on September 26, 2014 (79 
FR 57971), and comments were accepted until February 23, 2015.
    In March 2015, the DRECP partner agencies (the BLM, California 
Energy Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and California 
Department of Fish and Wildlife) announced a phased approach to 
completing the DRECP. As part of this approach, the BLM's component of 
the DRECP is being finalized first in Phase I, outlining important 
designations for conservation and renewable energy on public lands.
    The Proposed DRECP LUPA would amend the CDCA Plan for the entire 
CDCA, and the RMPs for portions of the Bishop and Bakersfield Field 
Offices, which includes the Mojave Desert and Colorado/Sonoran Desert 
ecoregion subareas in California. The DRECP Plan Area includes all or a 
portion of the following counties: Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, 
Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego. The DRECP Plan Area covers 
approximately 22,585,000 acres, of which approximately 9,784,000 acres 
are BLM-administered lands. An additional 1,085,000 acres of BLM-
administered lands are within the CDCA but outside of the DRECP Plan 
Area.
    The BLM's objectives for the Proposed DRECP LUPA and Final EIS are 
to:
     Conserve biological, physical, cultural, social, and 
scenic resources;
     Promote renewable energy and transmission development, 
consistent with Federal renewable energy and transmission goals and 
policies, in consideration of State renewable energy targets;
     Comply with all applicable Federal laws, including the 
BLM's obligation to manage the public lands consistent with FLPMA;
     ``Preserve the unique and irreplaceable resources, 
including archaeological values, and conserve the use of the economic 
resources'' of the CDCA (FLPMA 601(a)(6), 43 U.S.C. 1781(a)(6));
     Incorporate goals, objectives, and allowable uses on areas 
of the public lands managed for conservation purposes within the CDCA 
and which the BLM identifies as components of the National Landscape 
Conservation System, consistent with the Omnibus Public Land Management 
Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-11);
     Amend land use plans consistent with the criteria in FLPMA 
and the CDCA Plan;
     Coordinate planning and management activities with other 
Federal, State, local, and tribal planning and management programs by 
considering the policies of approved land resource management programs, 
to the extent consistent with Federal law; and
     Make some land use allocation decisions outside the DRECP 
area but within the CDCA, including Visual Resource Management Classes 
and land use allocations to replace multiple-use classes.
    Following the publication of the Proposed LUPA and Final EIS, the 
BLM expects to issue a decision that will identify the public lands in 
the CDCA that Congress included in the National Landscape Conservation 
System under Section 2002(b)(2)(D) of Public Law 111-11. The Proposed 
LUPA and Final EIS would define the goals, objectives, and allowable 
uses within those lands. It would also identify areas suitable for 
renewable energy development (Development Focus Areas or DFAs); Areas 
of Critical Environmental Concern and Wildlife Allocation Areas; areas 
suitable for an emphasis on recreation (Special Recreation Management 
Areas and Extensive Recreation Management Areas), and areas that would 
continue to be managed for other uses. In addition, the Proposed LUPA 
and Final EIS contemplate modifications in the management of recreation 
(including the establishment of Special Recreation Management Areas and 
Extensive Recreation Management Areas), allowing for continued 
exploration of mineral resources, establishment of Visual Resource 
Management Classes, and grazing. The Proposed LUPA and Final EIS also 
incorporate proposed mitigation measures to be considered in relation 
to future authorized uses on the public lands and activities on non-
public lands that could adversely affect public land resources. The BLM 
consulted with tribes and carefully considered tribal comments when 
developing proposed DFAs and conservation areas and other elements of 
the proposed LUPA.
    The Proposed DRECP LUPA and Final EIS include the BLM's proposed 
alternative, four additional action alternatives, and a no action 
alternative. Action alternatives analyzed in detail are the result of 
integrating varying locations and configurations for renewable energy 
and conservation on BLM-managed lands. These alternatives were 
developed through the interagency process that led to the development 
of the Draft DRECP. The preferred alternative in the draft DRECP/Draft 
EIS has been modified based on public comment.
    The alternatives differ in the following ways:
     Areas suitable for renewable energy: The alternatives 
range from 81,000 acres of Development Focus Areas (Alternative 1) to 
718,000 acres of Development Focus Areas (Alternative 2). Under the No 
Action Alternative, 2,804,000 acres would be open to some form of 
renewable energy development. The Proposed Alternative identifies 
388,000 acres of Development Focus Areas. The alternatives include 
Conservation and Management Actions for development in these areas.
     Conservation Designations: With respect to lands to be 
included in the National Landscape Conservation System, the 
alternatives range from 3,264,000 acres (Alternative 1) to 5,113,000 
acres (Alternative 2). Under the No Action Alternative, no lands would 
be identified as National Conservation Lands, although 2,966,000 acres 
would remain as Areas of Critical Environmental Concern. The Proposed 
Alternative would identify 3,856,000 acres of National Conservation 
Lands. The alternatives also analyze a range of management actions for 
National Conservation Lands. In addition, the Proposed LUPA and Final 
EIS would identify new and expanded Areas of Critical Environmental 
Concern. The Proposed Alternative would identify approximately 
4,717,000 acres of

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ACECs, although approximately 3,337,000 acres would overlap with 
proposed National Conservation Lands.
     Recreation: The Proposed LUPA and Final EIS would identify 
Special Recreation Management Areas (SRMAs) and Extensive Recreation 
Management Areas (ERMAs). The alternatives range from 2,537,000 acres 
of SRMA (Alternative 1) and 2,458,000 acres of SRMA (Proposed 
Alternative). The Proposed Alternative would also include 946,000 acres 
of ERMAs. Under the No Action Alternative, there would be zero acres of 
ERMA, 193,000 acres of SRMA, and 1,465,000 acres managed for recreation 
emphasis.
    Comments on the Draft RMP/Draft EIS received from the public and 
internal BLM review were considered and incorporated as appropriate 
into the proposed plan. Public comments resulted in the addition of 
clarifying text, but did not significantly change proposed land use 
plan decisions.
    Instructions for filing a protest with the Director of the BLM 
regarding the Proposed LUPA/Final EIS may be found in the ``Dear 
Reader'' Letter of the DRECP Proposed LUPA and Final EIS and at 43 CFR 
1610.5-2. All protests must be in writing and mailed to the appropriate 
address, as set forth in the ADDRESSES section above. Emailed protests 
will not be accepted as valid protests unless the protesting party also 
provides the original protest by either regular or overnight mail 
postmarked by the close of the protest period. Under these conditions, 
the BLM will consider the emailed protest as an advance copy and it 
will receive full consideration. If you wish to provide the BLM with 
such advance notification, please direct emails to: [email protected].
    Copies of the Proposed LUPA and Final EIS are available for public 
inspection at the following locations:
     BLM California State Office, 2800 Cottage Way, Suite W-
1623, Sacramento, CA 95825;
     BLM California Desert District Office, 22835 Calle San 
Juan De Los Lagos, Moreno Valley, CA 92553;
     BLM Barstow Field Office, 2601 Barstow Road, Barstow, CA 
92311;
     BLM El Centro Field Office, 1661 S. 4th Street, El Centro, 
CA 92243;
     BLM Needles Field Office, 1303 S. Highway 95, Needles, CA 
92363;
     BLM Palm Springs South Coast Field Office, 1201 Bird 
Center Drive,
    Palm Springs, CA 92262;
     BLM Ridgecrest Field Office, 300 S. Richmond Road, 
Ridgecrest, CA 93555;
     BLM Bakersfield Field Office, 3801 Pegasus Drive, 
Bakersfield, CA 93308;
     BLM Bishop Field Office, 351 Pacu Lane, Suite 100, Bishop, 
CA 93514; and
     FWS Palm Springs Fish and Wildlife Office, 777 East 
Tahquitz Canyon Way, Suite 208, Palm Springs, CA 92262.
    Electronic copies will also be available at public libraries 
throughout the Planning Area. See the project Web site above or contact 
the BLM for further information on other locations.
    Before including your phone number, email address, or other 
personal identifying information in your protest, you should be aware 
that your entire protest--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your protest 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, 43 CFR 
1610.5.

Thomas Pogacnik,
Deputy State Director, Bureau of Land Management.
[FR Doc. 2015-28791 Filed 11-12-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-40-P