[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 217 (Wednesday, November 10, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65215-65216]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-24988]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Proposed Desert Rock Energy Project, San Juan County, NM

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that the Bureau of Indian 
Affairs (BIA), in cooperation with the Navajo Nation, intends to gather 
the information necessary for preparing an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) for the proposed approval of a lease to Sithe Global 
Power, LLC, to construct, operate and maintain a coal-fired, electric 
power-generating plant on approximately 600 acres of land held in trust 
by the United States for the benefit of the Navajo Nation in San Juan 
County, New Mexico. The purpose of the proposed action is to help meet 
the economic development needs of the Navajo Nation and the growing 
energy needs of the western United States. This notice also announces 
public scoping meetings to identify potential issues and content for 
inclusion in the EIS.

DATES: Written comments on the scope of the EIS or implementation of 
the proposal must arrive by December 17, 2004. The public scoping 
meetings will be held Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 
December 6, 7, 8, and 9, 2004, starting at 6:30 p.m.

ADDRESSES: You may mail or hand carry written comments to Eloise 
Chicharello, Director, Navajo Regional Office, Bureau of Indian 
Affairs, PO Box 1060, Gallup, New Mexico 87305.
    The addresses for the public scoping meetings are as follows:
    December 6, 2004--Central High School Cafeteria, 4525 North Central 
Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona.
    December 7, 2004--Farmington Civic Center, Exhibit Hall One, 20 
West Arrington, Farmington, New Mexico.
    December 8, 2004--Western New Mexico University, 2055 State Road 
602, Gallup, New Mexico.
    December 9, 2004--Flagstaff High School, 400 West Elm Street, 
Flagstaff, Arizona.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Loretta A.W. Tsosie, (505) 863-8296.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Sithe Global Power, LLC, a privately held, 
independent power company, and Din[eacute] Power Authority, an 
enterprise of the Navajo Nation established by the Navajo Nation 
Council to promote the development of energy resources, have entered 
into a joint agreement to support the development of a coal-fired 
electric power-generating plant capable of producing as much as 1,500-
megawatt (MW), and associated facilities, to be operated by Sithe 
Global.
    The proposed 600-acre site for the project is located approximately 
30 miles southwest of Farmington, New Mexico, adjacent to the Navajo 
Mine, which would provide the low-sulfur coal to generate the power. 
The primary components of the proposed project include two 750-MW coal-
fired units that, together, would generate as much as 1,500 MW; and 
associated facilities and operations, including a plant cooling system, 
a fuel supply system, waste management operations, safety systems 
(e.g., lighting, fire protection), water system infrastructure, 
transportation access roads, power transmission interconnection 
facilities, and construction staging areas.
    The proposed project would interconnect with the existing 500-kV 
transmission system operated by Arizona Public Service through the 
construction of approximately 25 miles of new transmission line to 
either the existing Four Corners Substation or a new substation that 
would be constructed just west of the Four Corners Power Plant. The 
project proposes to use existing utility corridors and roads for the 
majority of the interconnect system, but some new utility corridors and 
roads may need to be built. The project design incorporates appropriate 
measures to minimize the effects of the proposed project on the quality 
of the environment.
    The purpose of and need for the proposed project is to generate and 
distribute electricity in western United States markets using capacity 
on existing and proposed transmission lines to:
    (1) Improve and enhance the existing electrical power system in the 
West and deliver competitively priced power to these markets;
    (2) Generate electricity from a low-sulfur coal source that would 
reduce electrical output demands on natural gas and older coal-fired 
units; and
    (3) Support the Navajo Nation's objective for economic development 
in the region by providing employment and revenue generated by the 
proposed project.
    The scoping process for the EIS will include: (1) Identification of 
issues; (2) identification of sensitive or critical environmental 
effects; (3) identification of reasonable alternatives; and (4) 
coordinating with the Navajo Nation Council, governmental and non-
governmental agencies and the public. Written comments should address: 
(1) Issues to be considered; (2) reasonable and feasible alternatives; 
or (3) information bearing on the EIS.
    Resources so far identified for analysis in the EIS include air, 
geology, soils, water, vegetation, wildlife, special status species, 
land use, access, visual resources, noise, social and economic 
conditions, environmental justice, hazardous materials, and cultural 
and paleontological resources. Analyses will address requirements of 
the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, Endangered Species Act, National 
Historic Preservation Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, 
Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act and 
others, as needed. Alternatives to be analyzed include, at a minimum, 
the proposed action and no action. The range of issues and alternatives 
to be addressed may be expanded based on comments received during the 
scoping process.

Public Comment Availability

    Comments, including names and addresses of respondents, will be 
available for public review at the mailing address shown in the 
ADDRESSES section, during regular business hours, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except holidays. Individual respondents may 
request confidentiality. If you wish us to withhold your name and/or 
address from public review or from disclosure under the Freedom of 
Information Act,

[[Page 65216]]

you must state this prominently at the beginning of your written 
comment. Such requests will be honored to the extent allowed by law. We 
will not, however, consider anonymous comments. All submissions from 
organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying 
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or 
businesses, will be made available for public inspection in their 
entirety.

Authority

    This notice is published in accordance with section 1503.1 of the 
Council on Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR Parts 1500 through 
1508) implementing the procedural requirements of the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), 
and the Department of the Interior Manual (516 DM 1-6), and is in the 
exercise of authority delegated to the Assistant Secretary--Indian 
Affairs by 209 DM 8.

    Dated: May 3, 2004.
David W. Anderson,
Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 04-24988 Filed 11-9-04; 8:45 am]
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