[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 136 (Wednesday, July 15, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42914-42915]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-15300]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[18X LLUTC01000 L51010000 ER0000 LVRWJ18J4210; UTU-92733]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and 
To Initiate the Public Scoping Process for the Proposed Pine Valley 
Water Supply Project, Beaver and Iron County, UT

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: In compliance 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), intends to 
prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to consider a right-of-
way (ROW) application submitted by the Central Iron County Water 
Conservancy District (CICWCD), referred to as the Pine Valley Water 
Supply (PVWS) Project.

DATES: This Notice initiates the public scoping process. Scoping 
comments may be submitted in writing until August 14, 2020.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments related to the proposed 
actions at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/1503915/510, 
or by email at [email protected], or mail at Bureau of Land 
Management, Attn: PVWS, 176 DL Sargent Drive, Cedar City, Utah 84721.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michelle Campeau, Cedar City Field 
Office Realty Specialist, telephone (435) 865-3047; address 176 DL 
Sargent Dr., Cedar City, UT 84721; email [email protected]. Persons 
who use a telecommunications device for the

[[Page 42915]]

deaf may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to 
leave a message or question for the above individual. The FRS is 
available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or 
question. Replies are provided during normal business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BLM will announce date(s) and 
location(s) of any public involvement opportunities through a news 
release and the BLM website at: https://www.blm.gov/news/utah. In order 
to be considered during the preparation of the Draft EIS, all comments 
must be received prior to the close of the 30-day scoping period or 15 
days after the last public meeting, whichever is later. The BLM will 
provide additional opportunities for public participation upon 
publication of the Draft EIS.
    On June 15, 2017, CICWCD applied for a ROW grant for the PVWS 
Project on BLM-managed public land in western Iron and Beaver counties, 
Utah. The proposed project would include the development of a system 
for the extraction and transport of water, which the CICWCD holds 
rights to as permitted by the Utah Division of Water Resources, from 
Pine Valley to Cedar Valley.
    The EIS will analyze the development of 15 drilled production wells 
contained within above-ground well-houses, 10 of which are on BLM-
managed public lands, all within the Pine Valley in Beaver County. The 
project also includes the development of buried feeder pipelines, 
access roads, above-ground power distribution lines, a solar field (on 
private land), large underground storage tank (on private land), and a 
main buried pipeline to transport water to Iron County communities. All 
portions of the project located on non-Federal land will be analyzed in 
the EIS as connected actions. The CICWCD proposed a 66.31-mile long 
buried water transmission pipeline, including lateral lines to connect 
the wells to the main line, with a total of approximately 42.61 miles 
of buried pipeline crossing BLM-managed public land. The CICWCD also 
applied for a 50-foot-wide, 30-year, 250-acre ROW, and during 
construction, an additional 70-foot-wide temporary ROW totaling 
approximately 382 acres. The CICWCD is requesting an additional width 
of 70 feet for temporary use along the pipeline corridor during 
construction. The total combined ROW width (including the ROW and the 
temporary ROW) during construction would be 120 feet. The BLM will 
prepare an EIS to consider the CICWCD application and a reasonable 
range of alternatives.

NEPA Process

    The BLM will use an interdisciplinary approach to develop the EIS 
in order to consider the variety of resource issues and concerns 
identified during the scoping period. Potential direct, indirect, 
residual, and cumulative impacts from the proposed actions will be 
analyzed in the EIS.
    The purpose of the public scoping process is to identify relevant 
subject areas that will influence the scope of the environmental 
analysis, including potential alternatives, and guide the process for 
developing the EIS. At present, the BLM has identified the following 
preliminary subject areas: Impacts to ground water, threatened and 
endangered species, including the federally listed Utah prairie dog, 
greater sage-grouse, and socioeconomic factors.
    The BLM will follow the NEPA public participation requirements to 
satisfy the public involvement requirements under Section 106 of the 
National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) (16 U.S.C. 470(f)) pursuant 
to 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3). Any information about historic and cultural 
resources within the area potentially affected by the proposed project 
will assist the BLM in identifying and evaluating impacts to such 
resources in the context of both NEPA and Section 106 of the NHPA.
    The BLM will consult with Indian Tribes on a government-to-
government basis in accordance with Executive Order 13175 and other 
policies. Tribal concerns, including impacts on Indian trust assets and 
potential impacts to cultural resources, will be given due 
consideration. The BLM actively coordinates with other Federal, State, 
and local agencies, along with Tribes and other stakeholders that may 
be interested in or affected by the proposed PVWS Project.
    Before including your phone number, email address, or other 
personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware 
that your entire comment--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.

    Authority: 40 CFR 1502.9, 40 CFR 1506.6, 43 CFR 46.435, 43 CFR 
2800.

Anita Bilbao,
Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. 2020-15300 Filed 7-14-20; 8:45 am]
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