83 FR 4921 - Notice of Intent To Amend the California Desert Conservation Area, Bakersfield, and Bishop Resource Management Plans and Prepare Associated Environmental Impact Statements or Environmental Assessments

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 23 (February 2, 2018)

On September 14, 2016, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued the Record of Decision (ROD) for the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan Land Use Plan Amendment (DRECP), which amended the California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan, Bishop Resource Management Plan (RMP), and the Bakersfield RMP in the Mojave and Colorado/Sonoran Desert regions of southern California. On March 28, 2017, the President issued Executive Order 13783, ``Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth,'' which directs all Federal agencies to review all actions that could ``potentially burden the development or use of domestically produced energy resources.'' To facilitate the BLM's review of the DRECP, including potential burdens on domestic renewable energy production in California, the BLM, by this notice, is announcing the beginning of the scoping process to solicit public comments and identify issues.

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 23 (Friday, February 2, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4921-4922]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-02098]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLCA930000 L13400000.XM0000.18XL1109AF]


Notice of Intent To Amend the California Desert Conservation 
Area, Bakersfield, and Bishop Resource Management Plans and Prepare 
Associated Environmental Impact Statements or Environmental Assessments

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: On September 14, 2016, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 
issued the Record of Decision (ROD) for the Desert Renewable Energy 
Conservation Plan Land Use Plan Amendment (DRECP), which amended the 
California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan, Bishop Resource 
Management Plan (RMP), and the Bakersfield RMP in the Mojave and 
Colorado/Sonoran Desert regions of southern California. On March 28, 
2017, the President issued Executive Order 13783, ``Promoting Energy 
Independence and Economic Growth,'' which directs all Federal agencies 
to review all actions that could ``potentially burden the development 
or use of domestically produced energy resources.'' To facilitate the 
BLM's review of the DRECP, including potential burdens on domestic 
renewable energy production in California, the BLM, 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 
potential plan amendments and associated National Environmental Policy 
Act (NEPA) documents. Comments on issues may be submitted in writing 
until March 19, 2018. The dates and locations of any scoping meetings 
will be announced at least 15 days in advance through local news media, 
newspapers and the BLM website at www.blm.gov/california/drecp. In 
order to be included in the analysis, all comments must be received 
prior to the close of the scoping period or 15 days after the last 
public meeting, whichever is later. We will provide additional 
opportunities for public participation upon publication of the Draft 
Plan Amendment and NEPA document.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on issues and planning criteria to 
the BLM-California State Director, 2800 Cottage Way, Rm W-1623, 
Sacramento, CA 95825 or electronically to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeremiah Karuzas, Renewable Energy 
Lead, 916-978-4644, 2800 Cottage Way, Rm W-1623, Sacramento, CA 95825; 
email: [email protected]. Documents relevant to this planning process 
can be found at the above address. Persons who use a telecommunications 
device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 
1-800-877-8339 to reach the BLM contact person. 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 July 29, 2011, the BLM and the Fish and 
Wildlife Service initiated a process to jointly prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) under the NEPA for the DRECP. 
After the BLM prepared an EIS, on September 14, 2016, it issued a DRECP 
ROD that amended the CDCA Plan, Bishop RMP, and Bakersfield RMP in the 
Mojave and Colorado/Sonoran Desert regions of southern California. The 
DRECP Planning Area covered approximately 22,587,000 acres of both 
Federal and non-Federal land--including portions of seven counties 
(Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San 
Diego). The BLM manages approximately 10.8 million acres of the DRECP 
planning area.
    The BLM's DRECP makes available just over 800,000 acres (7%) of the 
10.8 million acres of land potentially available for renewable energy 
development, of which 388,000 acres (4%) were designated as Development 
Focus Areas, considered to be areas with substantial renewable energy 
potential and low resource conflict. The ROD allocated a total of 6.5 
million acres (60%) as conservation areas, to include California Desert 
National Conservation Lands, Areas of Critical Environmental Concern, 
wildlife allocations, and National Scenic and Historic Trail 
corridors--which limit or are closed to renewable energy. The ROD also 
designated a little over 3.5 million acres (33%) as Special Recreation 
Management Areas and Extensive Recreation Management Areas--which the 
ROD states are also generally closed to renewable energy.
    As a result of concerns voiced by multiple parties throughout the 
public comment periods of the DRECP planning process, the BLM seeks 
additional comment on the DRECP ROD, including the renewable energy and 
conservation designations made through that decision. In 2008, Governor 
Schwarzenegger signed an executive order that required that 33 percent 
of California's energy production be via renewable energy in 2020. In 
October 2015, Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. signed into law a measure 
which requires retail sellers and publicly owned utilities to procure 
50 percent of their electricity from renewable energy resources by 
2030. And, on March 28, 2017, the President issued Executive Order 
13783, ``Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth,'' which 
directs all Federal agencies to review all actions that could 
``potentially burden the development or use of domestically produced 
energy resources.'' In recognition of these goals and direction, BLM 
seeks comment on the potential impacts that land use

[[Page 4922]]

designations contained in the amended RMPs will have on commercial-
scale renewable energy projects, including wind, solar and geothermal. 
In particular, the BLM seeks comment on the Areas of Critical 
Environmental Concern that were designated, including where private 
lands lie within the external boundaries of such designations, as well 
as comments on increasing opportunities for increased renewable energy 
development, recreational and off-highway vehicle (OHV) access, mining 
access, and grazing.
    Finally, on January 8, 2018, the President signed an Executive 
Order on Streamlining and Expediting Requests to Locate Broadband 
Facilities in Rural America, which directs Federal agencies: ``. . . to 
reduce barriers to capital investment, remove obstacles to broadband 
services, and more efficiently employ Government resources'' in order 
to foster rural broadband infrastructure projects. Therefore, the BLM 
also seeks comment on the impact that land use designations, land 
disturbance limits (or ``caps''), and visual management classifications 
contained in the amended RMPs may have on the deployment of future 
communications infrastructure.
    You may submit comments in writing to the BLM at any public scoping 
meeting, or you may submit them to the BLM using the method listed in 
the ADDRESSES section. To be most helpful, you should submit comments 
by the close of the 45-day scoping period or within 15 days after the 
last public meeting, whichever is later.
    The BLM will utilize and coordinate the NEPA scoping process to 
help fulfill the public involvement process under the National Historic 
Preservation Act (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. The 
BLM will evaluate identified issues to be addressed in the plan, 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 Plan Amendment and 
NEPA document 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 plan. 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 plan amendment in order to consider the variety of resource issues 
and concerns identified.

    Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 43 CFR 1610.2.

Jerome E. Perez,
California State Director.
[FR Doc. 2018-02098 Filed 2-1-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-40-P