[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 70 (Friday, April 10, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20297-20298]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-07533]


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

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLNMA00000 L51010000.ER0000 LVRWG19G1360 19XL5017AP; NMNM 136976]


Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement and Proposed Land Use Plan Amendment for the Borderlands Wind 
Project in Catron County, New Mexico

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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

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 (FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has 
prepared a Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed 
Borderlands Wind Project (Project) and proposed Socorro Field Office 
Resource Management Plan Amendment (RMPA) for the BLM Socorro Field 
Office, and by this Notice is announcing its availability.

DATES: This Notice initiates the 30-day protest period for a proposed 
plan amendment. Protests may be submitted in writing until May 11, 
2020.

ADDRESSES: All protests must be submitted in writing and mailed to one 
of the following addresses:
    Mail: Director (210), Attn: Protest Coordinator, P.O. Box 261117, 
Lakewood, CO 80226; or Overnight Delivery: Director (210), Attn: 
Protest Coordinator, 2850 Youngfield Street, Lakewood, CO 80215.
    You may submit protests electronically through the BLM ePlanning 
project website: https://eplanning.blm.gov/epl-front-office/eplanning/planAndProjectSite.do?methodName=renderDefaultPlanOrProjectSite&projectId=116245&dctmId=0b0003e88126486a and at 43 CFR 1610.5-2. Protests 
submitted electronically by any means other than the ePlanning project 
website protest section will be invalid unless a protest is also 
submitted in hard copy. Protests submitted by fax will also be invalid 
unless also submitted either through ePlanning project website protest 
section or in hard copy. The Final EIS is available on line on the 
ePlanning website at: https://eplanning.blm.gov/epl-front-office/eplanning/planAndProjectSite.do?methodName=renderDefaultPlanOrProjectSite&projectId=116245&dctmId=0b0003e88126486a. Hard copies are available for viewing 
at the BLM Socorro field office and the BLM New Mexico State Office in 
Santa Fe.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Virginia Alguire, BLM Socorro Field 
Office, 901 S Hwy 85, Socorro, New Mexico 87801; phone 575-838-1290, or 
email to [email protected]. Persons who use a telecommunications device 
for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FRS) 
at 1-800-877-8339 to contact Ms. Alguire during normal business hours. 
The FRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message 
or question with the above individual. You will receive a reply during 
normal business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to BLM's planning regulations at 43 
CFR 1610.5-2, any person who participated in the planning process for 
this Proposed RMP and Integrated RMP and has an interest which is or 
may be adversely affected by the planning decisions may protest 
approval of the planning decisions contained therein.
    The regulations specify the required elements of your protest. Take 
care to document all relevant facts. As much as possible, reference or 
cite the planning documents or available planning records (e.g. meeting 
minutes or summaries, correspondence, etc.).
    Instructions for filing a protest with the Director of the BLM 
regarding the Final EIS/RMPA may be found online at https://www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/public-participation/filing-a-plan-protest and at 43 CFR 1610.5-2. All protests must be in writing 
and mailed to the appropriate address, as set forth in the ADDRESSES 
section.
    Borderlands Wind, LLC, submitted an application to the BLM 
requesting authorization to construct, operate, maintain, and terminate 
an up-to-100 megawatt commercial wind energy generation facility, the 
Borderlands Wind Project (NMNM136976), in Catron County, New Mexico, 
within a boundary that encompasses land managed by the BLM, the New 
Mexico State Land Office, and private landowners. The project would be 
located south of U.S. Route 60 in Catron County near Quemado, New 
Mexico, and the Arizona-New Mexico border. Authorization of this 
proposal requires amendments to the 2010 Socorro Field Office RMP to 
modify the visual resource management class in the project area and to 
modify a right-of-way avoidance area.
    The Final EIS analyzed the direct, indirect, and cumulative 
environmental impacts of the Proposed Action, Alternative 1 (optimize 
the proposed wind facility components in order to minimize potential 
environmental impacts), Alternative 2 (change in the turbine generation 
types), and the No Action Alternative. Alternatives 1 and 2 would be 
constructed, operated, and maintained with the same project area. The 
Proposed Action and Alternative 1 would construct 40 turbines. However, 
because of the difference in the types of turbines, Alternative 2, the 
BLM Preferred Alternative, would only construct 34 turbines instead of 
40 turbines within the same area as Alternative 1. The No Action 
Alternative would be a continuation of existing conditions.
    A Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS for the proposed Borderlands 
Wind Project was published in the Federal Register on November 9, 2018 
(83 FR 56097). The public scoping period closed on December 10, 2018. 
The BLM held one public scoping meeting on November 14, 2018. The BLM 
received 51 public scoping comment submission during the 45-day scoping 
period. The

[[Page 20298]]

scoping comments focused on wildlife; visual and cultural resources; 
light pollution, human health, local economic benefits; and property 
values.
    A Notice of Availability to publish the Draft EIS and RMP Amendment 
for the proposed Borderlands Wind Project was published in the Federal 
Register on August 9, 2019 (84 FR 39366). The BLM held one public 
comment meeting. The public comment period closed November 7, 2019. The 
BLM received 39 letters/comment forms/emails and 247 individual 
comments during the 90-day public comment period. The comments focused 
on effects to sensitive wildlife species specifically avian and bats, 
change to visual resource management class as a result of the impacts 
to visual resources and change to the existing rural landscape 
character; groundwater level changes during construction, lack of 
benefit to the local area, and decreased property value concerns. 
Comments on the Draft EIS and RMP Amendment were considered and 
incorporated as appropriate into the Final EIS and Proposed RMP 
Amendment. Public comments did not result in the addition of 
substantive revisions to the Draft EIS and RMP Amendment that were 
published in August 2019. Responses to all comments are in Appendix H 
of the Final EIS.
    The BLM has used and coordinated the NEPA scoping and comment 
process to help fulfill the public involvement requirements under the 
National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) (54 U.S.C. 306108) as 
provided in 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3.) The information about historic and 
cultural resources within the area potentially affected by the proposed 
project has assisted the BLM in identifying and evaluating impacts to 
such resources in the context of both NEPA and the NHPA.
    The BLM has consulted, and will continue to consult, with Indian 
tribes on a government-to-government basis in accordance with Executive 
Order 13175 and other policies. Tribal concerns, including impacts to 
Indian trust assets and potential impacts to cultural resources have 
been analyzed in the Final EIS.
    Before including your address, phone number, email address, or 
other personal identifying information in your protest, be advised that 
your entire protest--including your personal information--may be made 
publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your protest to 
withhold from public review your personal identifying information, we 
cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
    The BLM Director will make every attempt to promptly render a 
decision on each protest. The decision will be in writing and will be 
sent to the protesting party by certified mail, return receipt 
requested. 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.

    Authority:  40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10.

Timothy R. Spisak,
BLM New Mexico State Director.
[FR Doc. 2020-07533 Filed 4-9-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE P