[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 226 (Monday, November 27, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Page 56009]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-25556]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Air Force


Notice of Intent To Prepare An Environmental Impact Statement And 
Environmental Impact Report for the Edwards Air Force Base Solar 
Enhanced Use Lease Project

AGENCY: Department of the States Air Force.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The United States Air Force (The Air Force) is issuing this 
notice to advise the public of the intent to prepare a joint 
Environmental Impact Statement and Environmental Impact Report with the 
County of Kern, California. The Environmental Impact Statement and 
Environmental Impact Report will assess the potential environmental 
consequences of various alternatives for development of the Edwards Air 
Force Base Solar Enhanced Use Lease Project.

DATES: The Air Force invites the public, stakeholders, and other 
interested parties to attend an open house public scoping meeting on 
December 12, 2017 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Mojave Veterans Memorial 
Building located at address 15580 O Street, Mojave, California 93501.

ADDRESSES: Scoping comments may also be submitted to: Gary Hatch, 
Environmental Public Affairs, Bldg. 1405 Room 400, Edwards Air Force 
Base, California 93524; email: [email protected], Phone: 661-
277-4127, Fax: (661) 277-2732. Handicap assistance or translation 
service at public meetings can be made available by providing advance 
notice to Mr. Hatch at the contact information listed above.
    Comments will be accepted at any time during the environmental 
impact analysis process. However, to ensure the Air Force has 
sufficient time to consider public input in the preparation of the 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement, scoping comments should be 
submitted by January 12, 2017.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Solar Enhanced Use Lease Project will be 
sited up to 4,000 acres of available, non-excess Air Force land located 
on Edwards Air Force Base. Alternatives which meet the purpose and need 
for the Proposed Action have been identified and include the No Action 
Alternative and two additional alternatives. Alternative A includes 
full-scale project development of a 600 Megawatt solar PV project and 
construction of a 150 Megawatt battery storage facility on up to 4,000 
acres of Edwards Air Force Base property located in the northwestern 
corner of the base. Alternative B represents a reduced-scale 
alternative for the construction and operation of a 200 Megawatt solar 
PV project and construction of a 150 Megawatt battery storage facility. 
Under Alternative B, the reduced-scale project will be sited on up to 
1,500 acres of Edwards Air Force Base non-excess property within the 
same project footprint as Alternative A. The project also includes 
construction of a Gen-tie line of approximately 10-14 miles in total 
length. The Gen-tie includes a north-south component and an east-west 
component. There are three alternatives for the north-south Gen-tie 
connection. The Proposed Action will include only one of these three 
north-south route options. There are two alternatives for the east-west 
Gen-tie connection. The Proposed Action will include only one of these 
two east-west route options. The Proposed Action is subject to the 
requirements and objectives of Executive Order 11988, Floodplain 
Management, as amended. All alternatives for the Proposed Action, 
including alternatives for the Gen-tie line will result in impacts to 
floodplains.
    Scoping and Agency Coordination: To effectively define the full 
range of issues to be evaluated in the Environmental Impact Statement 
and Environmental Impact Report, the Air Force will determine the scope 
of the analysis by soliciting comments from interested local, state and 
federal elected officials and agencies, as well as interested members 
of the public and others. Implementation of the Edwards Solar Enhanced 
Use Lease Project would have the potential to be located in a 
floodplain and/or wetland. Consistent with the requirements and 
objectives of Executive Order 11990, ``Protection of Wetlands,'' and 
Executive Order 11988, ``Floodplain Management,'' as amended by 
Executive Order 13690, ``Establishing a Federal Flood Risk Management 
Standard and a Process for Further Soliciting and Considering 
Stakeholder Input,'' state and federal regulatory agencies with special 
expertise in wetlands and floodplains will be contacted to request 
comment. Consistent with Executive Order 11988, Executive Order 13690, 
and Executive Order 11990, this Notice of Intent initiates early public 
review of the alternatives that have the potential to be located in a 
floodplain and/or wetland. Notification of the meeting locations, 
dates, and times will be published and announced in local news media no 
later than 15 days prior to public scoping meetings.
    The scoping process will help identify the full range of reasonable 
alternatives, potential impacts, and key issues to be emphasized in the 
environmental analysis. The Air Force has identified potential impacts 
to the following resources: Air Quality, Biological Resources, Cultural 
and Historical Resources, Water Resources, Land Use, Paleontological 
Resources, Soils, and Visual Resources. Scoping will assist the Air 
Force and Kern County in identifying and addressing other issues of 
concern.
    Oral and written comments presented at the public scoping meetings, 
as well as written comments received by the Air Force or County of Kern 
will be considered in the preparation of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement and Environmental Report.

Henry Williams,
Acting Air Force Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2017-25556 Filed 11-24-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5001-10-P