83 FR 10516 - Notice of Intent To Prepare a Joint Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report and Possible Land Use Plan Amendment for the Proposed RE Crimson Solar Project, Riverside County, CA

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 47 (March 9, 2018)

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) Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office, Palm Springs, CA, intends to prepare a joint Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)/Environmental Impact Report (EIR), including a potential amendment to the California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan, and by this Notice is announcing the beginning of the scoping process to solicit public comments and identify issues.

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 47 (Friday, March 9, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10516-10518]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-04691]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLCAD06000 L51010000.ER0000 17XL5017AP LVRWB17B5120 CACA 051967]


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Joint Environmental Impact 
Statement/Environmental Impact Report and Possible Land Use Plan 
Amendment for the Proposed RE Crimson Solar Project, Riverside County, 
CA

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)

[[Page 10517]]

Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office, Palm Springs, CA, intends to 
prepare a joint Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)/Environmental 
Impact Report (EIR), including a potential amendment to the California 
Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan, and by this Notice is announcing 
the beginning of the scoping process to solicit public comments and 
identify issues.

DATES: This Notice initiates the public scoping process for the EIS/EIR 
and possible plan amendments. Comments on issues may be submitted in 
writing until April 9, 2018. The date(s) and location(s) of any scoping 
meetings will be announced at least 15 days in advance through local 
media, newspapers, and the BLM website at: https://eplanning.blm.gov/.
    To be included in the Draft EIS/EIR, 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/EIR.

ADDRESSES: The public may submit comments related to the RE Crimson 
Solar Project by any of the following methods:
     Website: https://eplanning.blm.gov/ gov/.
     Email: [email protected].
     Fax: (541) 618-2400, ATTN: Miriam Liberatore, project 
manager, RE Crimson Solar.
     Mail: ATTN: Miriam Liberatore, project manager, RE Crimson 
Solar, Bureau of Land Management, 3040 Biddle Road, Medford, OR 97504.
    Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined at the BLM 
Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office located at 1201 Bird Center 
Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Miriam Liberatore, project manager, 
telephone (541) 618-2412; address Bureau of Land Management, 3040 
Biddle Road, Medford, OR 97504; email: [email protected]. Contact Ms. 
Liberatore to be added to the mailing list. Persons who use a 
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay 
Service at (800) 877-8339, to contact the above individual during 
normal business hours. The Service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days 
a week, to leave a message or question with the above individual. 
Telephone replies will be returned during normal business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Sonoran West Solar Holdings, LLC, a wholly 
owned subsidiary of Recurrent Energy LLC, has requested a right-of-way 
(ROW) authorization to construct, operate, maintain, and decommission a 
maximum 350 megawatt solar photovoltaic facility and necessary 
ancillary facilities, including battery storage, project substations, 
access roads, operations and maintenance buildings, and lay down areas.
    The Project site consists of about 2,700-acres of BLM-administered 
land within the Riverside East Solar Energy Zone (SEZ). The Desert 
Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) Land Use Plan Amendment also 
designated the area as a Development Focus Area (DFA).
    This document provides notice that the BLM Palm Springs-South Coast 
Field Office and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife intend 
to jointly prepare an EIS/EIR, which may include a CDCA Plan Amendment, 
for the Project. It also announces the beginning of the scoping process 
for this effort and seeks public input on environmental issues and 
potential planning criteria relevant to the Project and any potential 
plan amendments. The public scoping process guides the planning process 
and determines the relevant issues that will influence the scope of the 
environmental analysis, including alternatives and environmental 
consequences.
    Preliminary issues for the project have been identified by BLM 
personnel; Federal, State, and local agencies; and other stakeholders. 
The issues include: Air quality and greenhouse gas emissions; 
biological resources, including special status wildlife and vegetation 
species; cultural resources; geology and soils; hazards and hazardous 
materials; hydrology and water quality; lands and realty; mineral 
resources; noise; paleontological resources; recreation; socioeconomics 
and environmental justice; special designations; transportation and 
travel management; visual resources; wildland fire ecology; and areas 
with high potential for renewable energy development.
    Written comments may be submitted to the BLM at a scoping meeting, 
or via one of the methods listed in the addresses section above. Input 
must be received by the close of the 30-day scoping period or within 15 
days after the last public meeting, whichever is later.
    By this Notice, the BLM is complying with requirements in 43 CFR 
1610.2(c) to notify the public of potential amendments to the CDCA 
Plan, as amended, predicated on the findings in the EIS/EIR.
    If one or more land use plan amendments are necessary, the BLM will 
integrate the land use planning process with the NEPA process for the 
Project. A preliminary list of the potential planning criteria that 
will be used to help guide and define the scope of the plan amendment 
includes:
    1. The plan amendments will be completed in compliance with FLPMA, 
NEPA, and all other relevant Federal laws, executive orders, and BLM 
policies;
    2. Existing valid plan decisions will not be changed and any new 
plan decisions will not conflict with existing plan decisions; and
    3. The plan amendment(s) will recognize valid existing rights.
    The public may submit comments to the BLM on issues and planning 
criteria in writing at any public scoping meeting, or by using one of 
the methods listed in the ADDRESSES section above.
    The BLM will use and coordinate the NEPA scoping process to help 
fulfill the public involvement process 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 action 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 and other 
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 tribes 
and other stakeholders that may be interested in or affected by the 
proposed action 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. The minutes and list of attendees for each scoping 
meeting will be available to the public and open for 30 days after the 
meeting to any participant who wishes to clarify the views he or she 
expressed. With respect to the

[[Page 10518]]

potential land use plan amendment, the BLM will evaluate identified 
issues to be addressed in the plan amendment, and will place them into 
one of three categories:
    1. Issues to be resolved in the plan amendment;
    2. Issues to be resolved through policy or administrative action; 
or
    3. Issues beyond the scope of this plan amendment.
    The BLM will provide an explanation in the Draft EIS/EIR as to why 
an issue was placed in category two or three. The public is also 
encouraged to help identify any management questions and concerns that 
should be addressed in the EIS/EIR and potential land use plan 
amendments. The BLM will work collaboratively with interested parties 
to identify the management decisions that are best suited to local, 
regional, and national needs and concerns.
    The BLM will use an interdisciplinary approach to develop the EIS 
and potential land use plan amendments in order to consider the variety 
of resource issues and concerns identified. Specialists with expertise 
in the following disciplines will be involved in the planning process: 
Air, minerals and geology, outdoor recreation, archaeology, 
paleontology, wildlife and botany, lands and realty, hydrology, soils, 
sociology, and economics.

    Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 43 CFR 1610.2.

Danielle Chi,
BLM California Deputy State Director.
[FR Doc. 2018-04691 Filed 3-8-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-40-P