78980 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 242 / Friday, December 17, 2010 / Notices 

evaluated pursuant to DOE’s National 

Environmental Policy Act Implementing 

Procedures (10 CFR Part 1021) and after 

a determination is made by DOE that the 

proposed action will not adversely 

impact on the reliability of the U.S. 

electric power supply system. 

Copies of this application will be 

made available, upon request, for public 

inspection and copying at the address 

provided above, by accessing the 

program Web site at http:// 

www.oe.energy.gov/ 

permits_pending.htm, or by e-mailing 

Odessa Hopkins at 

Odessa.Hopkins@hq.doe.gov. 

Issued in Washington, DC, on December 

13, 2010. 

Anthony J. Como, 

Director, Permitting and Siting Office of 

Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability. 

[FR Doc. 2010–31745 Filed 12–16–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

[OE Docket No. EA–280–B] 

Application to Export Electric Energy; 

Direct Energy Marketing, Inc. 

AGENCY: Office of Electricity Delivery 

and Energy Reliability, DOE. 

ACTION: Notice of Application. 

SUMMARY: Direct Energy Marketing, Inc. 

(DEMI) has applied to renew its 

authority to transmit electric energy 

from the United States to Canada 

pursuant to section 202(e) of the Federal 

Power Act (FPA). 

DATES: Comments, protests, or requests 

to intervene must be submitted to DOE 

and received on or before January 3, 

2011. 

ADDRESSES: Comments, protests or 

requests to intervene should be 

addressed to: Christopher Lawrence, 

Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy 

Reliability, Mail Code: OE–20, U.S. 

Department of Energy, 1000 

Independence Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20585–0350. Because 

of delays in handling conventional mail, 

it is recommended that documents be 

transmitted by overnight mail, by 

electronic mail to 

Christopher.Lawrence@hq.doe.gov, or by 

facsimile to 202–586–8008. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Christopher Lawrence (Program Office) 

202–586–5260. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Exports of 

electricity from the United States to a 

foreign country are regulated by the 

Department of Energy (DOE) pursuant to 

sections 301(b) and 402(f) of the 

Department of Energy Organization Act 

(42 U.S.C. 7151(b), 7172(f)) and require 

authorization under section 202(e) of 

the FPA (16 U.S.C. 824a(e)). 

On November 5, 2003, DOE issued 

Order No. EA–280, which authorized 

DEMI to transmit electric energy from 

the United States to Canada for a twoyear term as a power marketer using 

existing international transmission 

facilities. DOE renewed the DEMI export 

authorization in Order No. EA–280–A 

on March 17, 2006. Order No. EA–280– 

A expired on November 5, 2010. On 

November 5, 2010, DEMI filed an 

application with DOE for renewal of the 

export authority contained in Order No. 

EA–280–A for an additional ten-year 

term. 

DEMI has requested expedited 

treatment of their application. DEMI 

states that due to recent personnel 

changes, the impending termination of 

their current export authorization was 

only recently discovered. Because that 

authorization has expired, DEMI wishes 

to have expedited treatment of this 

application in order to minimize the 

disruption to its electricity trade with 

Canadian interests. DEMI also indicated 

that it has not engaged in the export of 

electricity since its authorization 

expired and will not do so unless and 

until DEMI receives an Order granting 

renewal of its export authority in this 

proceeding. In response to DEMI’s 

request for expedited treatment, DOE 

has shortened the public comment 

period to 15 days. 

The electric energy that DEMI 

proposes to export to Canada would be 

surplus energy purchased from electric 

utilities, Federal power marketing 

agencies, and other entities within the 

United States. The existing international 

transmission facilities to be utilized by 

DEMI have previously been authorized 

by Presidential permits issued pursuant 

to Executive Order 10485, as amended, 

and are appropriate for open access 

transmission by third parties. 

Procedural Matters: Any person 

desiring to become a party to these 

proceedings or to be heard by filing 

comments or protests to this application 

should file a petition to intervene, 

comment, or protest at the address 

provided above in accordance with 

§§ 385.211 or 385.214 of the Federal 

Energy Regulatory Commission’s Rules 

of Practice and Procedures (18 CFR 

385.211, 385.214). Fifteen copies of each 

petition and protest should be filed with 

and received by DOE on or before the 

date listed above. 

Comments on the DEMI application to 

export electric energy to Canada should 

be clearly marked with Docket No. EA– 

280–B. Additional copies are to be filed 

directly with Judith Kim, FERC 

Attorney, Direct Energy, LP, 12 

Greenway Plaza, Suite 600, Houston, 

Texas 77046 and Katherine Krause, 

Director, U.S. Compliance, Direct 

Energy, LP, 12 Greenway Plaza, Suite 

600, Houston, Texas. A final decision 

will be made on this application after 

the environmental impacts have been 

evaluated pursuant to DOE’s National 

Environmental Policy Act Implementing 

Procedures (10 CFR Part 1021) and after 

a determination is made by DOE that the 

proposed action will not adversely 

impact on the reliability of the U.S. 

electric power supply system. 

Copies of this application will be 

made available, upon request, for public 

inspection and copying at the address 

provided above, by accessing the 

program Web site at http:// 

www.oe.energy.gov/ 

permits_pending.htm, or by e-mailing 

Odessa Hopkins at 

Odessa.Hopkins@hq.doe.gov. 

Issued in Washington, DC, on December 

13, 2010. 

Anthony J. Como, 

Director, Permitting and Siting Office of 

Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability. 

[FR Doc. 2010–31743 Filed 12–16–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[LLWO300000.L14300000] 

Notice of Availability of the Draft 

Programmatic Environmental Impact 

Statement for Solar Energy 

Development in Six Southwestern 

States and Notice of Public Meetings 

AGENCIES: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior; Department of Energy. 

ACTION: Notice of Availability. 

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM) and the Department 

of Energy (DOE) (the Agencies) as colead agencies announce the availability 

of the Draft Programmatic 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

for Solar Energy Development in Six 

Southwestern States (BLM/DES 10–59, 

DOE/EIS—0403). The BLM and the DOE 

have prepared this document in 

accordance with the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 

1969, as amended; the Council on 

Environmental Quality, the DOE, and 

the Department of the Interior (DOI) 

regulations implementing NEPA; and 

the Federal Land Policy and 

Management Act of 1976, as amended. 


emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 242 / Friday, December 17, 2010 / Notices 78981 

DATES: To ensure that comments will be 

considered in the Final Programmatic 

EIS, the Agencies must receive written 

comments on the Draft Programmatic 

EIS within 90 days following the date 

the Environmental Protection Agency 

publishes its Notice of Availability in 

the Federal Register. The BLM and the 

DOE will hold 14 public meetings on 

the Draft Programmatic EIS. The 

locations of scheduled public meetings 

are listed in the Supplementary 

Information section below. The public 

will also be notified of the dates and 

times of these meetings at least 15 days 

in advance via local media, the project 

Web site, and the DOE NEPA Web site. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit written 

comments related to the Draft 

Programmatic EIS by the following 

methods: 

• Web site: Using the online comment 

form available on the project Web site: 

http://solareis.anl.gov. This is the 

preferred method of commenting. 

• Mail: Addressed to: Solar Energy 

Draft Programmatic EIS, Argonne 

National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass 

Avenue—EVS/240, Argonne, Illinois 

60439. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Requests for additional information on 

the Draft Programmatic EIS should be 

directed to Linda Resseguie, BLM Solar 

Programmatic EIS Project Manager, BLM 

Washington Office, by e-mail at 

linda_resseguie@blm.gov, or by 

telephone at 202–912–7337; or to Jane 

Summerson, DOE Solar Programmatic 

EIS Document Manager, by e-mail at 

jane.summerson@ee.doe.gov, or by 

telephone at 202–287–6188. For general 

information regarding the BLM NEPA 

process, contact Shannon Stewart, 

Senior Planning and Environmental 

Analyst, BLM Washington Office, by email at shannon_stewart@blm.gov, or by 

telephone at 202–912–7219. For general 

information regarding the DOE NEPA 

process, contact Carol M. Borgstrom, 

Director, Office of NEPA Policy and 

Compliance, GC–54, U.S. Department of 

Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, 

SW., Washington, DC 20585, by 

telephone at 202–586–4600, or leave a 

message at 1–800–472–2756. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Draft 

Programmatic EIS, references, and 

additional information regarding solar 

energy development are available at the 

project Web site: http://solareis.anl.gov. 

An electronic copy of the Draft 

Programmatic EIS can be viewed in any 

BLM State Office public room in the 6- 

state study area and will be available 

through the BLM Web site at http:// 

www.blm.gov. A complete, printed copy 

is available for review at the following 

BLM offices: 

Arizona State Office, One North 

Central Avenue, Suite 800, Phoenix, 

Arizona 85004. 

Caliente Field Office, US Highway 93 

Building #1, Caliente, Nevada 89008. 

California Desert District, 22835 Calle 

San Juan De Los Lagos, Moreno Valley, 

California 92553. 

California State Office, 2800 Cottage 

Way, Suite W–1623, Sacramento, 

California 95825. 

Cedar City Field Office, 176 East D.L. 

Sargent Drive, Cedar City, Utah 84721. 

Lake Havasu Field Office, 2610 

Sweetwater Avenue, Lake Havasu City, 

Arizona 86406. 

Las Cruces District Office, 1800 

Marquess Street, Las Cruces, New 

Mexico 88005. 

Nevada State Office, 1340 Financial 

Boulevard, Reno, Nevada 89502. 

San Luis Valley Public Lands Center, 

1803 West Highway 160, Monte Vista, 

Colorado 81144. 

Southern Nevada District Office, 4701 

North Torrey Pines, Las Vegas, Nevada 

89130. 

Tonopah Field Office, 1553 South 

Main Street, Tonopah, Nevada 89049. 

Utah State Office, 440 West 200 

South, Suite 500, Salt Lake City, Utah 

84101. 

The Draft Programmatic EIS is also 

available on the DOE NEPA Web site at 

http://nepa.energy.gov. 

The BLM and the DOE will hold 14 

public meetings on the Draft 

Programmatic EIS to provide an 

overview of the document, respond to 

questions, and take public comments. 

The meetings will be announced 

through local news media, the project 

Web site (http://solareis.anl.gov), and 

the DOE NEPA Web site (http:// 

nepa.energy.gov), at least 15 days in 

advance. Public meetings are currently 

planned for the following locations: 

Alamosa, Colorado; Barstow, 

California; Caliente, Nevada; Cedar City, 

Utah; El Centro, California; Goldfield, 

Nevada; Las Cruces, New Mexico; Las 

Vegas, Nevada; Ontario, California; 

Palm Springs, California; Phoenix, 

Arizona; Salt Lake City, Utah; Tucson, 

Arizona; Washington, DC. 

At these meetings, the public will 

have an opportunity to provide oral and 

written comments. Oral and written 

comments from the meetings and 

additional written comments submitted 

during the comment period will be 

considered by the Agencies in preparing 

the Final Programmatic EIS. Comments 

submitted after the close of the 

comment period will be considered to 

the extent practicable. 

Background 

The BLM is considering taking further 

actions to facilitate solar energy 

development in compliance with 

various orders, mandates, and agency 

policies. For the BLM, these actions 

include the evaluation of a new Solar 

Energy Program applicable to utilityscale solar energy development on BLMadministered lands in 6 southwestern 

states (Arizona, California, Colorado, 

Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah). The 

DOE is considering taking actions to 

facilitate solar energy development in 

compliance with various orders, 

mandates, and agency policies. For the 

DOE, these actions include the 

evaluation of developing new program 

guidance relevant to DOE-supported 

solar energy projects. The BLM and the 

DOE are working jointly as lead 

Agencies to prepare this Programmatic 

EIS to evaluate the proposed BLM 

program and whether to develop the 

DOE guidance. The Draft Programmatic 

EIS assesses environmental, social, and 

economic impacts associated with the 

development and implementation of 

agency-specific programs that would 

facilitate environmentally responsible 

utility-scale solar energy development 

in 6 southwestern states. For the 

purposes of the Programmatic EIS, 

utility-scale solar technologies 

considered to be viable for deployment 

over the next 20 years include 3 

concentrating solar power technologies 

(i.e., parabolic trough, power tower, and 

dish engine systems), and photovoltaic 

technologies. Because the Programmatic 

EIS involves environmental effects over 

a broad geographic and time horizon, 

the depth and detail of the impact 

analysis is general, focusing on major 

impacts in a qualitative manner. The 

Programmatic EIS does not assess sitespecific issues associated with any 

future individual solar energy 

development projects. Future utilityscale solar energy development 

decisions will be subject to analysis 

under NEPA that may tier to the 

programmatic analysis. 

BLM-Specific Information 

The BLM has identified a need to 

respond in a more efficient and effective 

manner to the high interest in siting 

utility-scale solar energy development 

on public lands and ensure consistent 

application of measures to avoid, 

minimize, or mitigate the adverse 

impacts of such development. The BLM 

proposes to develop a new Solar Energy 

Program to further support utility-scale 

solar energy development on BLMadministered lands that would be 

applicable to all pending and future 


emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES
78982 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 242 / Friday, December 17, 2010 / Notices 

solar energy development applications 

upon execution of the Record of 

Decision for the Solar Programmatic 

EIS. 

The proposed Solar Energy Program 

has been designed to further the BLM’s 

ability to meet the requirements for 

facilitating solar energy development on 

BLM-administered lands established by 

the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Pub. L. 

109–58) and Secretarial Order 3285A1 

issued by the Secretary of the Interior. 

In particular, the proposed program has 

been designed to meet the requirements 

of Order 3285A1 to identify and 

prioritize solar energy development in 

locations best suited for such 

development, called solar energy zones 

(SEZ). 

The objectives of the BLM’s proposed 

Solar Energy Program include: 

• Facilitating near-term utility-scale 

solar energy development on public 

lands; 

• Minimizing potential negative 

environmental, social, and economic 

impacts; 

• Providing flexibility to consider a 

variety of solar energy projects (i.e., by 

location, facility size, or technology); 

• Optimizing existing transmission 

infrastructure and corridors; and 

• Standardizing and streamlining the 

authorization process for utility-scale 

solar energy development on BLMadministered lands. 

The anticipated elements of the 

BLM’s proposed Solar Energy Program 

include: 

• Identification of lands excluded 

from utility-scale solar energy 

development in the 6-state study area; 

• Identification of priority areas 

within the lands open to solar energy 

development that are best suited for 

utility-scale production of solar energy 

in accordance with the requirements of 

Secretarial Order 3285A1 (i.e., proposed 

SEZs); 

• Establishment of mitigation 

requirements for solar energy 

development on public lands to ensure 

the most environmentally responsible 

development and delivery of solar 

energy; and 

• Amendment of BLM land use plans 

in the 6-state study area to adopt those 

elements of the new Solar Energy 

Program that pertain to land use 

planning. 

A reasonably foreseeable development 

(RFD) scenario was developed as part of 

the Programmatic EIS to help define the 

potential magnitude of solar energy 

development that could occur within 

the 6-state study area over the next 20 

years. On the basis of the RFD scenario, 

the estimated amount of solar energy 

generation on BLM-administered lands 

in the study area over the 20-year study 

period is about 24,000 megawatts, with 

a corresponding dedicated use of about 

214,000 acres of BLM-administered 

lands. 

Through the Programmatic EIS, the 

BLM is evaluating 3 alternatives for 

managing utility-scale solar energy 

development on BLM-administered 

lands in the 6-state study area. These 

alternatives include two action 

alternatives—a solar energy 

development program alternative and a 

SEZ program alternative—and a no 

action alternative. 

Under the solar energy development 

program alternative, the BLM would 

establish a new Solar Energy Program of 

administration and authorization 

policies and required design features to 

replace certain elements of its existing 

solar energy policies. The lands that 

would be excluded from solar energy 

development include BLM-administered 

lands currently off-limits to solar energy 

development, including lands 

prohibited by law, regulation, 

presidential proclamation, or executive 

order (e.g., lands in the National 

Landscape Conservation System), along 

with lands that (1) have slopes greater 

than or equal to 5 percent; (2) have solar 

insolation levels (i.e., a measurement of 

the amount of sunlight that strikes the 

earth’s surface) below 6.5 kilowatt-hours 

per square meter per day; and (3) have 

known resources, resource uses, or 

special designations identified in local 

land use plans that are incompatible 

with solar energy development. On the 

basis of these exclusions, approximately 

22 million acres of BLM-administered 

lands would be available for right-ofway (ROW) application under this 

alternative. 

As part of the solar energy 

development program alternative, the 

BLM would also identify a number of 

SEZs within the lands available for 

ROW application. An SEZ is defined by 

the BLM as an area well suited to 

utility-scale energy production, with 

few impediments to facility 

construction and operation where BLM 

would prioritize solar energy and 

associated transmission infrastructure 

development. Approximately 677,400 

acres have been identified as proposed 

SEZs. The elements of the BLM’s new 

program under this alternative would be 

implemented through amendment of the 

land use plans within the 6-state area. 

Under the SEZ program alternative, 

the BLM would replace certain elements 

of its current solar energy policies with 

a program that would authorize utilityscale solar energy development only in 

the SEZs. Unlike the solar energy 

development program alternative, lands 

outside of SEZs would be excluded from 

utility-scale solar energy development 

ROW applications. Under this 

alternative, about 677,400 acres of BLMadministered lands have been identified 

as proposed SEZs and would be 

available for ROW application. Under 

the SEZ program alternative, the 

management of solar energy 

development on BLM-administered 

lands would be the same as described 

for the solar energy development 

program alternative. The BLM would 

establish comprehensive program 

administration and authorization 

policies and design features. The 

elements of the BLM’s new program 

under this alternative would be 

implemented through amendment of the 

land use plans within the 6-state area. 

Under the no action alternative, solar 

energy development would continue on 

BLM-administered lands in accordance 

with existing solar energy policies. The 

BLM would not implement a 

comprehensive Solar Energy Program to 

provide guidance to BLM field staff, 

developers, and other stakeholders in 

the 6-state study area. Specifically, the 

required program administration and 

authorization policies as well as design 

features and land use plan amendments 

proposed in the 2 action alternatives 

would not be implemented. Future solar 

energy projects and land use plan 

amendments would continue to be 

evaluated solely on an individual, caseby-case basis. 

DOE-Specific Information 

The DOE is required to take actions to 

meet mandates under Executive Order 

13212, ‘‘Actions to Expedite EnergyRelated Projects,’’ published in the 

Federal Register on May 22, 2001 (66 

FR 28357); Executive Order 13514, 

‘‘Federal Leadership in Environmental, 

Energy, and Economic Performance,’’ 

published in the Federal Register on 

October 5, 2009 (74 FR 52117); and 

Section 603 of the Energy Independence 

and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) (Pub. L. 

109–58). The DOE’s purpose and need 

is to satisfy both executive orders and 

comply with congressional mandates to 

promote, expedite, and advance the 

production and transmission of 

environmentally sound energy 

resources, including renewable energy 

resources and, in particular, costcompetitive solar energy systems at the 

utility scale. 

Specifically, the DOE proposes to 

further integrate environmental 

considerations into its analysis and 

selection of solar projects that it will 

support. In the Programmatic EIS, the 

DOE will build on the BLM’s analysis of 

potential impacts of utility-scale solar 


emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 242 / Friday, December 17, 2010 / Notices 78983 

development on the environment for all 

phases of development to provide a 

technical basis for the development of 

guidance. The DOE will consider, as 

appropriate, the relevance of the 

analytical results for all lands, not just 

BLM-administered lands in the six state 

area. 

The DOE would use this information 

to develop guidance for the 

development of solar energy projects. 

The DOE’s investment and deployment 

strategy would incorporate a decisionmaking framework of guidance for early 

consideration of sound environmental 

practices and potential mitigation 

measures for solar energy development. 

Development of a guidance framework, 

based on the analyses of the 

Programmatic EIS, would give the DOE 

the tools with which to make more 

informed, environmentally sound 

decisions at the outset, help to 

streamline future environmental 

analysis and documentation for DOEsupported solar projects, and support 

the DOE’s efforts to comprehensively (1) 

determine where to make technology 

and resource investments to minimize 

the environmental impacts of solar 

technologies and (2) establish 

environmental mitigation 

recommendations for financial 

assistance recipients to consider in 

project plans when applying for DOE 

funding. 

Through this Programmatic EIS, the 

DOE is evaluating 2 alternatives: an 

action alternative and a no action 

alternative. Under the action alternative, 

the DOE would develop programmatic 

guidance to further integrate 

environmental considerations into its 

analysis and selection of solar projects 

that it will support. The DOE would use 

the information about environmental 

impacts provided in this Programmatic 

EIS to appropriately amend its 

programmatic approaches to facilitate 

the advancement of solar energy 

development. Under the no action 

alternative, the DOE would continue to 

conduct environmental reviews of DOEfunded solar projects on a case-by-case 

basis. It would not develop 

programmatic guidance and explicit 

environmental guidelines and 

mitigation recommendations to apply to 

DOE-funded solar projects. 

DOE’s Western Area Power 

Administration (Western) markets and 

transmits wholesale electrical power 

through an integrated 17,000-circuit 

mile, high-voltage transmission system 

across 15 western states, including parts 

of the 6-state study area for this 

Programmatic EIS. Western’s purpose 

and need for participating in this 

Programmatic EIS is to identify 

potential transmission impacts and 

recommend mitigation measures for 

transmission lines associated with solar 

energy projects. Western anticipates 

using the transmission environmental 

impact and mitigation measures 

analyses in this Programmatic EIS to 

streamline its own NEPA documents 

once specific projects are identified and 

interconnection requests are filed with 

Western. With the Programmatic EIS 

providing the basis for this analysis, 

interconnection project-specific NEPA 

documents should be more concise and 

take less time to prepare, resulting in 

efficiencies for both Western and the 

project proponent. 

Preferred Alternative 

The solar energy development 

program alternative is the BLM 

preferred alternative. The DOE has not 

yet identified a preferred alternative. 

Public Participation 

A notice of intent to prepare this PEIS 

was published in the Federal Register 

on May 29, 2008 (73 FR 30908). This 

notice initiated the first scoping period, 

which lasted from May 29 to July 15, 

2008. During that period, the BLM and 

the DOE invited the public to provide 

comments on the scope and objectives 

of the Programmatic EIS, including 

identification of issues and alternatives 

that should be considered in the 

Programmatic EIS analyses. Public 

meetings were held at 11 locations 

across the 6 states. Comments were also 

collected via the project Web site and by 

mail. A second scoping period was 

announced through the ‘‘Notice of 

Availability of Maps and Additional 

Public Scoping’’ published in the 

Federal Register on June 30, 2009 (74 

FR 31307). This scoping period was 

initiated to solicit public comments on 

24 specific tracts of BLM-administered 

land proposed to receive in-depth study 

for solar development in the 

Programmatic EIS. Specifically, the 

Agencies solicited comments about 

environmental issues, existing resource 

data, and industry interest with respect 

to the 24 solar energy study areas. 

Public comments were collected via the 

project Web site and by mail. 

Approximately 15,900 individuals, 

organizations, and government agencies 

provided comments during the first 

scoping process, and approximately 300 

entities provided comments during the 

second scoping process. 

In addition to public scoping, the 

BLM initiated government-togovernment consultation with 316 

Native American Tribes, Chapters, and 

Bands with a potential interest in solar 

energy development on BLMadministered lands in the 6-state study 

area. The BLM is also coordinating with 

and soliciting input from the State 

Historic Preservation Offices (SHPO) in 

each of the 6 states in the study area and 

from the Advisory Council on Historic 

Preservation. In addition, the National 

Council of SHPOs, the National Trust 

for Historic Preservation, and tribal 

governments have been invited to 

consult on the Programmatic EIS and 

the preparation of a National 

Programmatic Agreement regarding 

solar energy development. 

The Draft Programmatic EIS consists 

of approximately 11,000 pages in 8 

volumes. All readers are encouraged to 

review the document electronically. The 

Executive Summary and Reader’s 

Guide, including a digital versatile disc 

(DVD) containing the entire document, 

is available upon request. The document 

is also available through the project Web 

site at http://solareis.anl.gov, the BLM 

Web site at http://www.blm.gov, and the 

DOE NEPA Web site at http:// 

nepa.energy.gov. 

Other Agency Involvement 

Cooperating Federal agencies on the 

Programmatic EIS include the 

Department of Defense; the U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service; the National Park 

Service; the Bureau of Reclamation; the 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 

Region 9; and the U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers, South Pacific Division. 

Other cooperating agencies on the 

Programmatic EIS include the Arizona 

Game and Fish Department; the 

California Energy Commission and 

Public Utilities Commission; the Nevada 

Department of Wildlife, the N–4 Grazing 

Board; the Utah Public Lands Policy 

Coordination Office; Clark, Esmeralda, 

Eureka, Lincoln, and Nye Counties, 

Nevada; Saguache County, Colorado; 

and Dona Ana County, New Mexico. 

Before including your address, phone 

number, e-mail 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. 


emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES
78984 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 242 / Friday, December 17, 2010 / Notices 

Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 1506.10, and 43 

CFR 1610.2 

Michael D. Nedd, 

Assistant Director, Minerals and Realty 

Management, Bureau of Land Management. 

Cathy Zoi, 

Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy, Department of Energy. 

[FR Doc. 2010–31725 Filed 12–16–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–84–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

[Project No. 13876–000] 

South Run Pumped Storage, LLC; 

Notice of Preliminary Permit 

Application Accepted for Filing and 

Soliciting Comments, Motions To 

Intervene, and Competing Applications 

December 13, 2010. 

On October 26, 2010, South Run 

Pumped Storage, LLC, Massachusetts, 

filed an application for a preliminary 

permit, pursuant to section 4(f) of the 

Federal Power Act (FPA), proposing to 

study the feasibility of the South Run 

Pumped Storage Project (South Run 

Project or project) to be located on 

South Run, near Norton, Medina and 

Summit counties, Ohio. The sole 

purpose of a preliminary permit, if 

issued, is to grant the permit holder 

priority to file a license application 

during the permit term. A preliminary 

permit does not authorize the permit 

holder to perform any land-disturbing 

activities or otherwise enter upon lands 

or waters owned by others without the 

owners’ express permission. 

The proposed project would consist 

of: (1) An excavated, diked, and asphaltlined 255-acre upper reservoir having a 

maximum water surface area of about 

195 acres and a total volume of 7,805 

acre-feet; (2) a 7,760-acre-foot capacity 

underground lower reservoir, 2,200 feet 

below ground surface, created by 

previous limestone mining activities; (3) 

a diversion channel around the west 

and south sides of the upper reservoir 

with sufficient capacity to carry a 100- 

year flood flow of 1,170 cubic feet per 

second; (4) a 28-foot-diameter, 7,000- 

foot-long, concrete-lined power tunnel 

located 300 feet below the ground 

surface that extends from the upper 

reservoir to two 17.5-foot-diameter, 

2,400-foot-long concrete-lined vertical 

shafts connecting the power tunnel with 

the underground powerhouse 

penstocks; (5) six 6-foot-3-inch 

diameter, 235-foot-long, steel-and 

concrete-lined penstocks; (6) an 

underground powerhouse containing six 

250-megawatt (MW) reversible pumpturbines; (7) an underground 

transformer gallery; (8) a 3-mile-long, 

345-kilovolt overhead transmission line; 

and (9) appurtenant facilities. The 

estimated annual generation of the 

South Run Project would be between 

1,300 and 2,000 gigawatt-hours, 

depending on utilization factors. There 

are no Federal or state lands associated 

with the project. 

Applicant Contact: Daniel R. Irvin, 

Free Flow Power Corporation, 33 

Commercial Street, Gloucester, MA 

01930; phone: (978) 252–7631. 

FERC Contact: Sergiu Serban; phone: 

(202) 502–6211. 

Deadline for filing comments, motions 

to intervene, competing applications 

(without notices of intent), or notices of 

intent to file competing applications: 60 

days from the issuance of this notice. 

Competing applications and notices of 

intent must meet the requirements of 18 

CFR 4.36. Comments, motions to 

intervene, notices of intent, and 

competing applications may be filed 

electronically via the Internet. See 18 

CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the 

instructions on the Commission’s Web 

site http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ 

efiling.asp. Commenters can submit 

brief comments up to 6,000 characters, 

without prior registration, using the 

eComment system at http:// 

www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ 

ecomment.asp. You must include your 

name and contact information at the end 

of your comments. For assistance, 

please contact FERC Online Support. 

Although the Commission strongly 

encourages electronic filing, documents 

may also be paper-filed. To paper-file, 

mail an original and seven copies to: 

Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal 

Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 

First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426. 

More information about this project, 

including a copy of the application, can 

be viewed or printed on the ‘‘eLibrary’’ 

link of Commission’s Web site at http: 

//www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp. 

Enter the docket number (P–13876–000) 

in the docket number field to access the 

document. For assistance, contact FERC 

Online Support. 

Kimberly D. Bose, 

Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2010–31708 Filed 12–16–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

[Project No. 13213–001] 

Lock 14 Hydro Partners; Notice of 

Intent To File License Application, 

Filing of Pre-Application Document, 

and Approving Use of the Traditional 

Licensing Process 

December 10, 2010. 

a. Type of Filing: Notice of Intent to 

File License Application and Request to 

Use the Traditional Licensing Process. 

b. Project No.: 13213–001. 

c. Dated Filed: October 12, 2010. 

d. Submitted By: Lock 14 Hydro 

Partners. 

e. Name of Project: Kentucky Lock 

and Dam 14 Project. 

f. Location: On the Kentucky River, in 

Lee County, Kentucky. 

g. Filed Pursuant to: 18 CFR 4.6 of the 

Commission’s regulations. 

h. Potential Applicant Contact: David 

Brown Kinloch, Soft Energy Associates, 

Agent for Lock 14 Hydro Partners, 414 

South Wenzel Street, Louisville, KY 

40204, (502) 589–0975. 

i. FERC Contact: Sean Murphy at 

(202) 502–6145; or e-mail at 

sean.murphy@ferc.gov. 

j. Lock 14 Hydro Partners filed its 

request to use the Traditional Licensing 

Process on October 11, 2010. Lock 14 

Hydro Partners provided public notice 

of its request on November 15, 2010. In 

a letter dated December 10, 2010, the 

Director of the Office of Energy Projects 

approved Lock 14 Hydro Partners’ 

request to use the Traditional Licensing 

Process. 

k. With this notice, we are initiating 

informal consultation with: (a) The U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service and/or NOAA 

Fisheries under section 7 of the 

Endangered Species Act and the joint 

agency regulations thereunder at 50 

CFR, part 402; (b) NOAA Fisheries 

under section 305(b) of the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and 

Management Act and implementing 

regulations at 50 CFR 600.920; and (c) 

the Kentucky State Historic Preservation 

Officer, as required by Section 106, 

National Historical Preservation Act, 

and the implementing regulations of the 

Advisory Council on Historic 

Preservation at 36 CFR 800.2. 

l. Lock 14 Hydro Partners filed a PreApplication Document (PAD; including 

a proposed process plan and schedule) 

with the Commission, pursuant to 18 

CFR 5.6 of the Commission’s 

regulations. 

m. A copy of the PAD is available for 

review at the Commission in the Public 


emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES