[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 27 (Monday, February 10, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7579-7580]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-02669]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs

[189A2100DD/AAKC001030/A0A501010.999900 253G]


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

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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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 Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) 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 FEIS is now publicly available for 30 days.

DATES: The waiting period on the FEIS ends on March 11, 2020. The FEIS 
is available online at: www.CampoWind.com.

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 FEIS 
is available for review online at www.CampoWind.com and 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. A Notice of 
Availability (NOA) that the Draft EIS had been prepared was published 
in the Federal Register on May 24, 2019. The 45-day public review 
period on the Draft EIS began on May 24, 2019 and ended on July 8, 
2019. A public meeting was noticed and held on June 19, 2019 at 6 p.m. 
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 EIS:
    (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 EIS. The following 
alternatives were not analyzed in the EIS 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 EIS 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 is noticing the 30-day waiting period for the Final EIS, in 
accordance with the Council on Environmental Quality's regulations for 
implementing

[[Page 7580]]

NEPA and the DOI's NEPA regulations. Comments should include the 
commenting party's name, return address, and the caption: ``FEIS 
Comments, Campo Wind Energy Project,'' on the first page of written 
comments. 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.

VI. Authority

    This notice is published pursuant to Sec. 1506.10(a)(2) 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), 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: February 4, 2020.
Tara Sweeney,
Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2020-02669 Filed 2-7-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4337-15-P