[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 11 (Thursday, January 16, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2758-2759]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-00611]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLCAD06000 L51010000.ER0000 LVRWB09B2920 19X; MO 4500140990]


Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the Desert 
Quartzite Solar Photovoltaic Project, Riverside County, CA

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 (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a 
Record of Decision (ROD) to Authorize a Right-of-Way (ROW) and amend 
the California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan for the Desert 
Quartzite Solar Photovoltaic Project, and by this Notice is announcing 
its availability. This decision is subject to appeal under Departmental 
regulations.

DATES: The Acting Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management 
signed the ROD on January 9, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the ROD are available for public inspection at the 
BLM-Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office at 1201 Bird Center Dr., Palm 
Springs, CA 92262, and at the BLM-California Desert District Office, 
22835 Calle San Juan de Los Lagos, Moreno Valley, CA 92553. Interested 
persons may also review the ROD on the internet at: https://tinyurl.com/yy8o33ld.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brandon G. Anderson, BLM Assistant 
District Manager, Project Support, telephone (951) 697-5215; address, 
Bureau of Land Management, California Desert District, 22835 Calle San 
Juan De Los Lagos, Moreno Valley, CA 92553; or email 
[email protected]. Persons who use a 
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay 
Service at (800) 877-8339 to contact Mr. Anderson 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 ROW from the BLM to 
construct, operate, maintain, and decommission a 450-megawatt (MW) 
solar photovoltaic facility near the City of Blythe, Riverside County, 
California. The proposed project footprint is about

[[Page 2759]]

3,800 acres. The proposed project also includes construction of a 2.7 
mile 230 kilovolt generation interconnection (gen-tie) transmission 
line connecting the project to the Southern California Edison (SCE) 
Colorado River Substation. The BLM also considered an amendment to the 
CDCA Plan that would be necessary to authorize the project. This is a 
joint Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/
EIR) for compliance with NEPA and the California Environmental Quality 
Act (CEQA). Riverside County is the lead agency under CEQA.
    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 
Photovoltaic (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) Impact to air and water 
quality; and (7) 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, 
CA respectively. Fourteen individuals attended the meeting on September 
26, 2018, and 19 individuals attended the meeting on September 27, 
2018. The BLM received two verbal comments during the September 27, 
2018, public meeting and 22 comment letters during the comment period.
    Comments on the Draft EIS/EIR and Draft Land Use Plan Amendment 
received from the public and internal agency review were considered and 
incorporated, as appropriate, into the Final EIS/EIR and Proposed Land 
Use Plan Amendment. Public comments resulted in the addition of 
clarifying text, but did not significantly change proposed land use 
plan decisions. A response to substantive comments is included in the 
Final EIS/EIR and Proposed Land Use Plan Amendment. Under Alternative 2 
and Alternative 3, the gen-tie alignment was adjusted to avoid a 
potential conflict with a 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.
    The publication of the Desert Quartzite Final EIS/EIR and Proposed 
Land Use Amendment initiated a 30-day protest period, which closed on 
October 28, 2019. The BLM received two protests. The BLM has considered 
and resolved the protests on the Desert Quartzite Solar Project Final 
EIS/EIR and Proposed Land Use Amendment. The BLM's protest resolution 
report to those protests can be found at https://www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/public-participation/protest-resolution-reports.
    In accordance with the regulations at 43 CFR 1610.3-2(e), the BLM 
submitted the Final EIS/EIR and Proposed Land Use Amendment for a 60-
day Governor's Consistency Review on September 27, 2019. The Governor 
did not respond with any findings of inconsistency.
    With this ROD, the BLM adopts the Agency Preferred Alternative and 
amends the CDCA Plan. Approval of these decisions constitutes the final 
decision of the Department of the Interior and, in accordance with the 
regulations at 43 CFR 4.410(a)(3), is not subject to appeal under 
Departmental regulations at 43 CFR part 4. Any challenge to these 
decisions, including the BLM Authorized Officer's issuance of the 
right-of-way as approved by this decision, must be brought in the 
Federal district court.

 Joe Stout,
Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. 2020-00611 Filed 1-15-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-40-P