[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 13 (Friday, January 19, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3686-3687]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-00942]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[BLM_NV_FRN_MO#4500176350]


Notice of Intent To Amend the Carson City Field Office 
Consolidated Resource Management Plan and Prepare an Associated 
Environmental Assessment for the Dodge Flat II Solar Energy Center in 
Washoe County, NV

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 (FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Nevada 
State Director intends to prepare a resource management plan (RMP) 
amendment with an associated Environmental Assessment for the Dodge 
Flat II Solar Energy Center and by this notice is announcing the 
beginning of the scoping period to solicit public comments and identify 
issues, and is providing the planning criteria for public review.

DATES: The BLM requests the public submit comments concerning the scope 
of the analysis, potential alternatives, and identification of relevant 
information and studies by February 20, 2024. To afford the BLM the 
opportunity to consider issues raised by the public, please ensure your 
comments are received prior to the close of the 30-day scoping period.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on issues and planning criteria 
related to the Dodge Flat II Solar Energy Center by any of the 
following methods:
     Website: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2027081/510.
     Email: [email protected].
     Mail: BLM, Carson City District Office, Attn: Dodge Flat 
II Solar Energy Center, 5665 Morgan Mill Rd., Carson City, NV 89701.
    Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined online at 
https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2027081/510 and at the 
Carson City District Office.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Katy Paiva, Realty Specialist, 
telephone (775) 885-6034; address 5665 Morgan Mill Rd., Carson City, NV 
89701; email [email protected]. Contact Katy Paiva to have your name added 
to our mailing list. Individuals in the United States who are deaf, 
deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 
(TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services. 
Individuals outside the United States should use the relay services 
offered within their country to make international calls to the point-
of-contact in the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This document provides notice that the BLM 
Nevada State Director intends to prepare an RMP amendment with an 
associated Environmental Assessment for the Dodge Flat II Solar Energy 
Center, announces the beginning of the scoping process, and seeks 
public input on issues and planning criteria. The RMP amendment is 
being considered to allow the BLM to evaluate the use of approximately 
71 acres of public land that are identified as ``exclusion lands'' in 
the 2012 ``Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Solar 
Energy Development in Six Southwestern States (Arizona, California, 
Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah)'' (Solar Programmatic EIS) 
Record of Decision due to slope criteria. The use of these exclusion 
lands for solar power generation would require amending the existing 
2001 Carson City Field Office Consolidated Resource Management Plan, as 
amended by the Solar Programmatic EIS Record of Decision. The planning 
area is located in Washoe County, Nevada, and encompasses approximately 
700 acres of public land. The scope of this land use planning process 
does not include addressing the evaluation or designation of Areas of 
Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs), and the BLM is not considering 
ACEC nominations as part of this process.

Purpose and Need

    The BLM's purpose for this Federal action is to respond to the 
right-of-way application submitted under Title V of the FLPMA (43 
U.S.C. 1761), and to amend the slope management direction in the 2001 
Carson City Field Office

[[Page 3687]]

Consolidated Resource Management Plan in compliance with the BLM right-
of-way regulations (43 CFR 2800) and other applicable Federal and State 
laws and policies. In accordance with FLPMA, there is a need to 
consider the long-term needs of future generations for renewable and 
non-renewable resources in the context of the multiple resource 
objectives in the 2001 Carson City Field Office Consolidated Resource 
Management Plan planning area.

Preliminary Alternatives

    Under the No Action alternative, the BLM would not approve the 
proposed Dodge Flat II Solar Energy Center on public lands that are 
currently excluded from utility-scale solar energy development due to 
slopes exceeding 5 percent and would not amend the slope management 
direction in the 2001 Carson City Field Office Consolidated Resource 
Management Plan. Under the proposed action alternative, the BLM would 
change the slope management direction in the 2001 Carson City Field 
Office Consolidated Resource Management Plan to allow for the Dodge 
Flat II Solar Energy Center to be developed as currently proposed. The 
BLM welcomes comments and suggestions for additional alternatives.

Planning Criteria

    The planning criteria guide the planning effort and lay the 
groundwork for effects analysis by identifying the preliminary issues 
and their analytical frameworks. Preliminary issues for the planning 
area have been identified by BLM personnel and from early engagement 
conducted for this planning effort with Federal, State, and local 
agencies; Tribes; and other stakeholders. The BLM has identified 10 
preliminary issues for this planning effort's analysis. The planning 
criteria are available for public review and comment on the National 
NEPA Register website (see ADDRESSES).

Public Scoping Process

    This notice of intent initiates the scoping period and public 
review of the planning criteria, which guide the development and 
analysis of the RMP amendment and associated Environmental Assessment. 
The BLM will be holding one virtual scoping meeting. The specific date 
and time of the scoping meeting will be announced at least 15 days in 
advance through the National NEPA Register project web page https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2027081/510.

Interdisciplinary Team

    The BLM will use an interdisciplinary approach to develop the plan 
amendment in order to consider the variety of resource issues and 
concerns identified. Specialists with expertise in the following 
disciplines will be involved in this planning effort: air quality, 
cultural resources, botany, climate change (greenhouse gases), 
environmental justice, grazing, human health and safety, land use and 
authorizations, migratory birds, noise impacts, socioeconomics, 
transportation, visual resources, water quality, and wildlife.

Additional Information

    The BLM will identify, analyze, and consider mitigation to address 
the reasonably foreseeable impacts to resources from the proposed plan 
amendment and all analyzed reasonable alternatives and, in accordance 
with 40 CFR 1502.14(e), include appropriate mitigation measures not 
already included in the proposed plan amendment or alternatives. 
Mitigation may include avoidance, minimization, rectification, 
reduction or elimination over time, and compensation; and may be 
considered at multiple scales, including the landscape scale.
    The BLM will utilize and coordinate the NEPA and land use planning 
processes for this planning effort to help support compliance with 
applicable procedural requirements under the Endangered Species Act (16 
U.S.C. 1536) and section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act 
(54 U.S.C. 306108) as provided in 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3), including public 
involvement requirements of section 106. The information about historic 
and cultural resources and threatened and endangered species within the 
area potentially affected by the proposed plan amendment will assist 
the BLM in identifying and evaluating impacts to such resources.
    The BLM will consult with Indian Tribes on a government-to-
government basis in accordance with Executive Order 13175, BLM MS 1780, 
and other Departmental policies. Tribal concerns, including impacts on 
Indian trust assets and potential impacts to cultural resources, will 
be given due consideration. Federal, State, and local agencies, along 
with Indian Tribes and other stakeholders that may be interested in or 
affected by the proposed Dodge Flat II Solar Energy Center project that 
the BLM is evaluating, are invited to participate in the scoping 
process and, if eligible, may request or be requested by the BLM to 
participate in the development of the environmental analysis as a 
cooperating agency.
    Before including your address, 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 1501.7 and 43 CFR 1610.2)

Jon K. Raby,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 2024-00942 Filed 1-18-24; 8:45 am]
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