[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 188 (Friday, September 27, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51174-51175]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-20941]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLCAD06000 L51010000.ER0000 LVRWB09B2920 19X (MO#4500135014)]
Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact
Statement and Environmental Impact Report and Proposed Land Use Plan
Amendment to the California Desert Conservation Area Plan for the
Desert Quartzite Solar Project
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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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, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared
Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Proposed Land Use Plan
Amendment to the California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan for
the Desert Quartzite Solar Project, and by this notice is announcing
its availability. This document is also an Environmental Impact Report
(EIR) prepared by Riverside County under the California Environmental
Quality Act.
DATES: BLM planning regulations state that any person who meets the
conditions as described in the regulations may protest the BLM's
Proposed Land Use Plan Amendment and Final EIS. A person who meets the
conditions and files a protest must file the protest within 30 days of
the date that the Environmental Protection Agency publishes its Notice
of Availability in the Federal Register.
ADDRESSES: You may review the Final EIS and Proposed Land Use Plan
Amendment at https://tinyurl.com/yy8o33ld. Instructions for filing a
protest with the Director of the BLM regarding the Proposed RMP
Amendments may be found online at: https://www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/public-participation/filing-a-plan-protest and at 43
CFR 1610.6-2.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brandon G. Anderson, BLM Project
Manager, telephone (951) 697-5215; address Bureau of Land Management,
California Desert District Office, 22835
[[Page 51175]]
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 Relay
Service (FRS) at (800) 877-8339 to contact Mr. Anderson during normal
business hours. The FRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to
leave a message or question. You will receive a reply during normal
business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Desert Quartzite, LLC, a wholly owned
subsidiary of First Solar Inc., applied for a Right-of-Way (ROW) from
the BLM to construct, operate, maintain, and decommission a 450
megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) facility near the City of Blythe,
Riverside County, California. The proposed project includes
construction of a 2.8 mile, 230 kilovolt generation interconnection
(gen-tie) transmission line connecting the project to the Southern
California Edison Colorado River Substation. The BLM is also
considering an amendment to the CDCA Plan that would be necessary to
authorize the project.
On August 8, 2018, the BLM issued the Draft EIS/EIR and Draft Land
Use Plan Amendment, which analyzed the impacts of the Proposed Action
and two action alternatives, in addition to a No Action Alternative.
Alternative 2, Resource Avoidance Alternative, would be a 450 MW solar
PV array on about 2,800 acres. It reduces effects to portions of the
sand corridor and cultural resources. Alternative 3, Reduced Project
Alternative, would be a 285 MW solar PV project on about 2,100 acres.
Like the Proposed Action, under each of these alternatives, the BLM
would amend the CDCA Plan to allow the project. Under the No-Action
Alternative, the BLM would deny the ROW application, and would not
amend the CDCA Plan to allow the project.
The Draft EIS/EIR and Draft Land Use Plan Amendment included
analysis of the ROW application as it related to the following issues:
(1) Impacts to cultural resources and tribal concerns; (2) Impacts to
the sand transport corridor and Mojave fringe-toed lizard habitat and
washes; (3) Impacts to BLM sensitive plants; (4) Impacts to avian
species; (5) Impacts to visual resources; (6) Impacts to air and water
quality; and (7) The relationship between the proposed project and the
CDCA Plan, as amended.
The Draft EIS/EIR and Draft Land Use Plan Amendment was available
for a 90-day public comment period. The BLM held public meetings on
September 26, 2018, and September 27, 2018, in Palm Desert and Blythe,
California, respectively. Fourteen individuals attended the meeting on
September 26, 2018, and 19 individuals attended the meeting on
September 27, 2018. The BLM received 22 comment letters during the
comment period.
The BLM considered and incorporated, as appropriate, public
comments on the Draft EIS/EIR and Draft Land Use Plan Amendment and
internal agency review into the proposed plan amendment. Public
comments resulted in the addition of clarifying text, but did not
significantly change proposed land use plan decisions. Responses to the
substantive comments are included in the Final EIS/EIR and Proposed
Land Use Plan Amendment. The gen-tie alignment for Alternative 2 and
Alternative 3 was adjusted to avoid a potential conflict with another
proposed transmission line project. The adjustment does not
substantially change the environmental effects analysis. The BLM has
selected Alternative 2, the Resource Avoidance Alternative, as the
Agency Proposed Alternative in the Final EIS/EIR and Proposed Land Use
Plan Amendment.
All protests must be in writing and submitted, as set forth in the
DATES and ADDRESSES sections. The BLM Director will render a written
decision on each protest. The decision will be mailed to the protesting
party. The decision of the BLM Director shall be the final decision of
the Department of the Interior on each protest. Responses to protest
issues will be compiled and formalized in a Director's Protest
Resolution Report made available following issuance of the decisions.
Upon resolution of all protests, the BLM will issue a Record of
Decision, which will include information on any further opportunities
for public involvement. 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 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.
Danielle Chi,
Deputy State Director.
[FR Doc. 2019-20941 Filed 9-26-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-40-P