83 FR 11559 - Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and a Possible Land Use Plan Amendment for the Proposed Crescent Peak Wind Project, West of Searchlight in Clark County, Nevada; and a Notice of Public Lands Segregation

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 51 (March 15, 2018)

As requested by Crescent Peak Renewables, LLC, and in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Las Vegas Field Office will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which may include a Plan Amendment to the 1998 Las Vegas Resource Management Plan (RMP) or subsequent RMP, for a proposed wind energy project located on public lands 10 miles west of Searchlight in Clark County, Nevada. Publication of this Notice initiates the scoping process and opens a 90-day public comment period. The BLM is considering a Plan Amendment to change the Visual Resource Management classification of the project area. Through a separate ongoing process, the 1998 Las Vegas RMP is being revised. If the BLM issues a Record of Decision (ROD) before the RMP revision is completed, and a change to the plan is determined to be necessary, then the ROD would amend the 1998 RMP. If the ROD comes after RMP revision is completed, and a change to the plan is necessary, then the ROD would amend the revised RMP. Publication of this Notice serves to segregate the public lands from appropriation under the public land laws, including location under the Mining Law, but not the Mineral Leasing Act or the Materials Act, subject to valid existing rights. This Notice initiates the public scoping process and the segregation.

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 51 (Thursday, March 15, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11559-11561]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-05273]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLNVS01000. L51010000.PQ0000. LVRWF09F1840; N-094470; MO#4500108571; 
TAS: 14X5017]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and 
a Possible Land Use Plan Amendment for the Proposed Crescent Peak Wind 
Project, West of Searchlight in Clark County, Nevada; and a Notice of 
Public Lands Segregation

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

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: As requested by Crescent Peak Renewables, LLC, and in 
compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as 
amended (NEPA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Las Vegas Field 
Office will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which may 
include a Plan Amendment to the 1998 Las Vegas Resource Management Plan 
(RMP) or subsequent RMP, for a proposed wind energy project located on 
public lands 10 miles west of Searchlight in Clark County, Nevada. 
Publication of this Notice initiates the scoping process and opens a 
90-day public comment period. The BLM is considering a Plan Amendment 
to change the Visual Resource Management classification of the project 
area. Through a separate ongoing process, the 1998 Las Vegas RMP is 
being revised. If the BLM issues a Record of Decision (ROD) before the 
RMP revision is completed, and a change to the plan is determined to be 
necessary, then the ROD would amend the 1998 RMP. If the ROD comes 
after RMP revision is completed, and a change to the plan is necessary, 
then the ROD would amend the revised RMP. Publication of this Notice 
serves to segregate the public lands from appropriation under the 
public land laws, including location under the Mining Law, but not the 
Mineral Leasing Act or the Materials Act, subject to valid existing 
rights. This Notice initiates the public scoping process and the 
segregation.

DATES: Comments on issues may be submitted in writing until June 13, 
2018. The date(s) and location(s) of the scoping meetings will be 
announced at least 15 days prior in a news release and on the BLM 
website at: http://bit.ly/2tkVGC5.
    Comments must be received prior to the close of the scoping period 
or no later than 15 days after the last public

[[Page 11560]]

meeting, whichever is later, to be included in the Draft EIS. The BLM 
will provide additional opportunities for public participation upon 
publication of the Draft EIS.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments related to the project by any of the 
following methods:
     Email: [email protected].
     Fax: (702) 515-5155, attention Gayle Marrs-Smith.
     Mail: BLM, Las Vegas Field Office, Attn: Gayle Marrs-
Smith, 4701 North Torrey Pines Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89130-2301.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information and/or to have 
your name added to the mailing list, send requests to: Gayle Marrs-
Smith, Field Manager, at telephone (702) 515-5199; or address 4701 
North Torrey Pines Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89130-2301; or email 
[email protected]. Persons who use a telecommunications 
device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 
1-800-877-8339 to contact the above individual 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: On November 16, 2015, Crescent Peak 
Renewables, LLC, submitted an application to BLM requesting 
authorization to construct, operate, maintain, and terminate an up-to-
500 megawatt wind energy generation facility--Crescent Peak Renewables 
(N-94470). It would be located on four sites and constructed in two 
phases. The project area is 22 miles long (north and south) and 5 miles 
wide (east and west), covers 32,531 acres of public land and is located 
10 miles west of Searchlight, Nevada.
    Due to the size and potential impacts of the Crescent Peak wind 
project, the BLM is preparing an EIS. The purpose of the public scoping 
process is to identify relevant issues that will influence the scope of 
the environmental analysis, including alternatives, and to guide the 
process for developing the potential Plan Amendment. The BLM has 
identified the following preliminary issues: biological resources, 
visual resources, cultural resources, tribal interests, recreation, and 
cumulative impacts.
    The BLM will use the NEPA public commenting process to satisfy the 
public involvement process for Section 106 of the National Historic 
Preservation Act (NHPA) (54 U.S.C. 306108), as provided for in 36 CFR 
800.2(d)(3). The information about historic and cultural resources 
within the area potentially affected by the 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 Native American tribes on a government-
to-government basis in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, 
Executive Order 13175, and other policies. Tribal concerns will be 
given due consideration, including impacts on Indian Trust assets. The 
Federal, State, and local agencies, along with other stakeholders that 
may be interested or affected by the BLM's decision on this project, 
are invited to participate in the scoping process and, if eligible, may 
request or be requested by the BLM to participate 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.

Segregation of the Public Lands

    In 2013, the BLM published a Final Rule, Segregation of Lands--
Renewable Energy (78 FR 25204), that amended the regulations found in 
43 CFR 2090 and 2800. The provisions of the Final Rule allow the BLM to 
temporarily segregate public lands within a solar or wind application 
area from the operation of the public land laws, including the Mining 
Law, by publication of a Federal Register Notice. This temporary 
segregation does not affect valid existing rights of mining claims 
located before this segregation notice. The purpose of this temporary 
segregation is to allow for the orderly administration of the public 
lands associated with the BLM's consideration of this renewable energy 
ROW. Licenses, permits, cooperative agreements, or discretionary land 
use authorizations of a temporary nature will not impact lands 
identified in this Notice and may be allowed with the approval of the 
authorized officer of the BLM. The lands segregated under this Notice 
are legally described as follows:

Mount Diablo Meridian, Clark County, Nevada

Mount Diablo Meridian, Nevada

T. 27 S., R. 61 E.,
    Sec. 27, E\1/2\, E\1/2\NW\1/4\, and E\1/2\SW\1/4\;
    Sec. 33, SE\1/4\NE\1/4\, E\1/2\SE\1/4\, and S\1/2\SW\1/4\;
    Sec. 34.
T. 28 S., R. 60 E.,
    Sec. 1, lot 4, S\1/2\NW\1/4\, SW\1/4\, and S\1/2\SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 12;
    Sec. 13, except Patented Mineral Survey No. 2594.
T. 28 S., R. 61 E.,
    Secs. 3 and 4;
    Sec. 5, lot 1 and SE\1/4\NE\1/4\;
    Sec. 6, S\1/2\SE\1/4\;
    Secs. 7, 8, and 9;
    Sec. 10, N\1/2\NE\1/4\, N\1/2\NW\1/4\, and SE\1/4\SW\1/4\;
    Sec. 13 and 14, except Patented Mineral Survey No. 4490 and 
4579;
    Sec. 15, SE\1/4\NE\1/4\, SE\1/4\SW\1/4\, and SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 16, N\1/2\NE\1/4\ and N\1/2\NW\1/4\;
    Sec. 17;
    Sec. 18, except Patented Mineral Survey No. 2594;
    Sec. 22, except Patented Mineral Survey No. 2945 and 2940;
    Sec. 23, except Patented Mineral Survey No. 2776, 4799, and 
4579;
    Sec. 24, except Patented Mineral Survey No. 4579;
    Sec. 25, except Patented Mineral Survey No. 2632;
    Sec. 26, except Patented Mineral Survey No. 2939, 2687, and 
4799;
    Sec. 27, except Patented Mineral Survey No. 2939, 2687, and 
2945;
    Sec. 33, E\1/2\NE\1/4\ and E\1/2\SE\1/4\;
    Secs. 34 and 35, except Patented Mineral Survey No. 2687;
    Sec. 36.
T. 28 S., R. 62 E.,
    Secs. 18, 19, and 30;
    Sec. 31, lots 5 thru 12, NE\1/4\, and E\1/2\NW\1/4\.
T. 29 S., R. 61 E.,
    Sec. 1, lots 1 thru 4, S\1/2\NE\1/4\, and S\1/2\NW\1/4\, except 
Patented Mineral Survey No. 3580;
    Sec. 2, lots 1 thru 4, S\1/2\NE\1/4\, and S\1/2\NW\1/4\;
    Sec. 3, lots 1 thru 4, S\1/2\NE\1/4\, and S\1/2\NW\1/4\;
    Secs. 10 thru 15 and secs. 22 thru 26.
T. 29 S., R. 62 E.,
    Sec. 6, lots 3 thru 7, SE\1/4\NW\1/4\, and E\1/2\SW\1/4\;
    Sec. 32, SE\1/4\SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 33, NW\1/4\NE\1/4\, NE\1/4\NW\1/4\, S\1/2\NE\1/4\, S\1/
2\NW\1/4\, and S\1/2\.
T. 30 S., R. 62 E.,
    Secs. 3 and 4;
    Sec. 5, except Patented Mineral Survey No. 4803;
    Secs. 6, 8, 9, and 10;
    Sec. 15, except Patented Mineral Survey No. 2652;
    Secs. 16, 22 thru 26, and 36.
T. 30 S., R. 63 E.,
    Secs. 30 and 31.
T. 31 S., R. 63 E.,
    Sec. 6.

    As provided in the Final Rule, the segregation of lands in this 
Notice will not exceed two years from the date of publication of this 
Notice, though it can

[[Page 11561]]

be extended for up to two additional years through publication of a new 
notice in the Federal Register. Termination of the segregation occurs 
on the earliest of the following dates: upon issuance of a decision by 
the authorized officer granting, granting with modifications, or 
denying the application for a right-of-way; automatically at the end of 
the segregation; or upon publication of a Federal Register Notice of 
termination of the segregation.
    Upon termination of segregation of these lands, all lands subject 
to this segregation will automatically reopen to appropriation under 
the public land laws.

(Authority: 43 CFR 2800 and 2090)

Gayle Marrs-Smith,
Las Vegas Field Manager.
[FR Doc. 2018-05273 Filed 3-14-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-HC-P