[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 101 (Friday, May 24, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24171-24173]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-10914]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs

[190A2100DD/AAKC001030/A0A501010.999900 253G]


Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Campo Wind 
Energy Project, San Diego, California

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA) of 1969, as amended, this notice advises the public that the 
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) as lead agency has prepared a Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) in connection with the approval 
of a lease between the Campo Band of Diegueno Mission Indians (Tribe) 
and Terra-Gen Development Company, LLC (Terra-Gen), to construct and 
operate a wind energy generation project on the Campo Indian 
Reservation (Reservation). This Notice of Availability (NOA) also 
announces that the DEIS is now available for public review and that a 
public hearing will be held to receive comments on the DEIS.

DATES: Written comments on the DEIS must arrive by July 8, 2019. The 
date of a public hearing on the DEIS will be announced at least 15 days 
in advance through a notice to be published in local newspapers (San 
Diego Union-Tribune and San Diego Business Journal) and online at: 
www.CampoWind.com.

[[Page 24172]]


ADDRESSES: Commenters may mail or hand-deliver written comments to the 
Bureau of Indian Affairs, Pacific Regional Office, 2800 Cottage Way, 
Sacramento, California 95825. See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section 
of this notice for further directions on submitting comments. The 
location of a public hearing on the DEIS will be announced at least 15 
days in advance through a notice to be published in local newspapers 
(San Diego Union-Tribune and San Diego Business Journal) and online at: 
www.CampoWind.com. The DEIS is available for review at:

 County of San Diego Public Library--Campo, 31356 Highway 94, 
Campo, CA 91906
 County of San Diego Public Library--Pine Valley, 28804 Old 
Highway 80, Pine Valley, CA 91962
 BIA Pacific Regional Office, 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, 
California 95825

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dan (Harold) Hall, Regional 
Archeologist BIA Pacific Region Branch, by telephone at (916) 978-6041 
or by email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background on the Process
II. Background on the Project
III. Alternatives
IV. Environmental Impact Analysis
V. Public Comment Procedures
VI. Authority

I. Background on the Process

    Public review of the DEIS is part of the administrative process for 
the evaluation of the authorization of the Tribe's lease of trust land 
in eastern San Diego County, California. Terra-Gen proposes to 
construct and operate a wind energy generation facility in the lease 
area. A Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS was published in the Federal 
Register on November 11, 2018, (83 FR 58784) and posted on the 
www.CampoWind.com website. A public notice announcing the proposed 
action and the scoping meeting was published in the San Diego Business 
Journal on November 26, 2018, and the San Diego Union-Tribune on 
November 21, 2018. The BIA held a public scoping meeting for the 
proposed project on December 6, 2018, at the Campo Indian Reservation 
Tribal Hall, 36190 Church Road, Campo, California.

II. Background on the Project

    The proposed action consists of BIA approval of a lease between the 
Tribe and Terra-Gen, to construct and operate a renewable energy 
generation project for 25 years on the Reservation, with the 
possibility of a 13-year extension for a total of 38 years. The lease 
would allow Terra-Gen to develop and operate a wind energy generation 
facility in the lease area. The project consists of the following 
components: (A) Up to 60 wind turbines of approximately 4.2 megawatts 
(MW) capacity and approximately 586 feet in total height; (B) access 
roads, including approximately 15 miles of new roads and approximately 
15 miles of improved existing roads; (C) electrical collection and 
communication system; (D) project collector substation; (E) operations 
and maintenance facility; (F) meteorological towers; (G) water 
collection and septic system; (H) temporary concrete batch plant; (I) 
temporary staging areas; (J) on-reservation portion of the generation 
tie line (gen-tie line); and (K) boulder brush facilities (components 
on private lands including a portion of the gen-tie line, a high-
voltage substation, a switchyard, and access roads).

III. Alternatives

    The following alternatives are considered in the DEIS:
    (1) Alternative 1, 252 MW--would include 60 turbines producing 
approximately 4.2 MW each, for a total production of approximately 252 
MW. Up to 76 possible turbine sites have been evaluated, of which only 
60 could be constructed under the lease. Total turbine height of 
approximately 586 feet.
    (2) Alternative 2, 202 MW--would include a reduction in the 
Project's footprint, number of turbines, and generating capacity of 
approximately 20%, with 48 turbines that would produce approximately 
4.2 MW each, for a total production of approximately 202 MW.
    (3) Alternative 3, No Action Alternative--would entail the BIA not 
approving the proposed lease agreement between the Tribe and Terra-Gen 
for the construction of a wind energy project on the Reservation.
    A wide range of additional alternatives were considered by the BIA 
but not carried forward for detailed analysis in the DEIS. The 
following alternatives were not analyzed in the DEIS because they 
either did not meet the purpose and need of the project or were not 
considered technically feasible or economically feasible or cost-
effective: Mixed renewable generation (wind and solar), minimal build-
out, off-reservation location, reduced capacity turbines, distributed 
generation.

IV. Environmental Impact Analysis

    The DEIS analyzes the potential environmental impacts to 13 
different resource categories, including:

 Land Resources
 Water Resources
 Air Quality
 Biological Resources
 GHG Emissions and Climate Change
 Cultural Resources
 Socioeconomic Conditions
 Resource Use Patterns
 Traffic and Transportation
 Noise
 Visual Resources
 Public Health and Safety
 Cumulative Scenario and Impacts.

V. Public Comment Procedures

    BIA solicits public comments on the Draft EIS, in accordance with 
the Council on Environmental Quality's regulations for implementing 
NEPA and the DOI's NEPA regulations. Comments should include the 
commenting party's name, return address, and the caption: ``DEIS 
Comments, Campo Wind Energy Project,'' on the first page of written 
comments. The comment period lasts 45 days. See the DATES section of 
this notice for the deadline and ADDRESSES section of this notice for 
where to send your comments.
    Public comment availability: Comments, including names and 
addresses of respondents, will be available for public review at the 
BIA address shown in the ADDRESSES section, during regular business 
hours, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. 
Commenting parties should be aware, before including their address, 
phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information 
in a comment, that comments may be made publicly available at any time. 
While a commenting party may request in its comment that identifying 
information be withheld from public review, the BIA cannot guarantee 
that this will occur.
    Public meeting: You may provide comments in person at the public 
meeting. The date and location of the public hearing will be announced 
at least 15 days in advance through a notice to be published in local 
newspapers (San Diego Union-Tribune and San Diego Business Journal) and 
online at: www.CampoWind.com.

VI. Authority

    This notice is published pursuant to Sec. 1503.1 of the Council of 
Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500 through 1508) and 
Sec. 46.305 of the Department of the Interior Regulations (43 CFR part 
46),

[[Page 24173]]

implementing the procedural requirements of the NEPA of 1969, as 
amended (42 U.S.C. 4371, et seq.), and is in the exercise of authority 
delegated to the Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs by 209 DM 8.

    Dated: May 17, 2019.
Tara Sweeney,
Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2019-10914 Filed 5-23-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4337-15-P