1802 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 8 / Wednesday, January 13, 2010 / Notices 

SUMMARY: In compliance with the 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA) of 1969, as amended, and the 

Federal Land Policy and Management 

Act of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of 

Land Management (BLM) Palm Springs 

South Coast Field Office, Palm Springs, 

California, intends to prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

for First Solar Inc.’s application for a 

right-of-way authorization to develop a 

solar photovoltaic generating facility. 

The EIS may also support an 

amendment to the California Desert 

Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan (1980), 

as amended; by this notice the BLM 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 and possible 

plan amendment. Comments on issues 

may be submitted in writing until 

February 12, 2010. The date(s) and 

location(s) of any scoping meetings will 

be announced at least 15 days in 

advance through the local media, and 

the BLM Web site at: http:// 

www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/ 

palmsprings.html. In order to be 

considered in the Draft EIS, all 

comments must be received prior to the 

close of the 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. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

on issues and planning criteria related 

to the First Solar Desert Sunlight Solar 

Farm Draft EIS/Plan Amendment by any 

of the following methods: 

• Web site: http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/ 

en/fo/palmsprings.html; 

• E-mail: CAPSSolarFirstSolar

DesertSunlight@blm.gov; 

• Fax: (760) 833–7199; or 

• Mail: Allison Shaffer, Project 

Manager, Palm Springs South Coast 

Field Office, BLM, 1201 Bird Center 

Drive, Palm Springs, California 92262. 

Documents pertinent to this proposal 

may be examined at the Palm Springs 

South Coast Field Office. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information or to have your 

name added to our mailing list, contact 

Allison Shaffer, BLM Project Manager, 

telephone (760) 833–7100; address Palm 

Springs South Coast Field Office, BLM, 

1201 Bird Center Drive, Palm Springs, 

California 92262; e-mail 

CAPSSolarFirstSolarDesertSunlight@

blm.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

applicant, First Solar Inc., has requested 

a right-of-way authorization to develop 

a solar photovoltaic generating facility 

with a proposed output of 550 

megawatts and a project footprint of 

approximately 4,410 acres. The 

proposed project would be located on 

BLM-administered lands in Riverside 

County approximately 6 miles north of 

the rural community of Desert Center, 

California. The overall site layout and 

generalized land uses would include a 

substation, an administration building, 

operations and maintenance facilities, a 

transmission line, and temporary 

construction lay down areas. The 

project’s 230-kilovolt (kV) generation 

interconnection transmission line also 

would be located on BLM-administered 

lands and would utilize a planned 230- 

to 500-kV substation (referred to as the 

Red Bluff substation). The Red Bluff 

substation would connect the project to 

the Southern California Edison regional 

transmission grid. Should the project be 

approved, the interconnection 

transmission line would be about 9 

miles to about 13 miles long, depending 

on the alternative selected. If approved, 

construction would begin in late 2010 

and would take approximately 41 

months to complete. 

The purpose of the public scoping 

process is to determine relevant issues 

that will influence the scope of the 

environmental analysis, including 

alternatives, and guide the process for 

developing the EIS. At present, the BLM 

has identified the following preliminary 

issues: Air quality, biological resources, 

recreation, cultural resources, water 

resources, geological resources, special 

management areas, land use, noise, 

paleontological resources, public health, 

socioeconomic, soils, traffic and 

transportation, visual resources, and 

other issues. Authorization of this 

proposal may require amendment of the 

CDCA Plan. By this notice, the BLM is 

complying with requirements in 43 CFR 

1610.2(c) to notify the public of 

potential amendments to land use plans, 

based on the findings of the EIS. If a 

land use plan amendment is necessary, 

the BLM will integrate the land use 

planning process with the NEPA 

process for this project. 

The BLM will use and coordinate the 

NEPA commenting process to satisfy the 

public involvement process for Section 

106 of the National Historic 

Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470f) as 

provided for in 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3). 

Native American tribal consultations 

will be conducted and tribal concerns, 

including impacts on Indian trust assets, 

will be given appropriate consideration. 

Federal, State, and local agencies— 

along with other stakeholders who 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, 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. 

Thomas Pogacnik, 

Deputy State Director, California. 

Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 43 CFR 

1610.2. 

[FR Doc. 2010–403 Filed 1–12–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–40–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

Termination of the Environmental 

Impact Statement for the General 

Management Plan, Gila Cliff Dwellings 

National Monument 

AGENCY: National Park Service, 

Department of the Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of termination of the 

Environmental Impact Statement for the 

General Management Plan, Gila Cliff 

Dwellings National Monument, New 

Mexico. 

SUMMARY: The National Park Service 

(NPS) is terminating the Environmental 

Impact Statement (EIS) for the Gila Cliff 

Dwellings General Management Plan 

because it has determined that an 

Environmental Assessment (EA) is the 

more appropriate National 

Environmental Policy Act compliance 

document. A Notice of Intent to prepare 

the EIS for the Gila Cliff Dwellings 

General Management Plan was 

published on April 16, 2008 (Federal 

Register Vol. 73, No. 74). Scoping 

conducted for the plan indicated that 

there were no significant impacts or 

controversy identified by the public. A 

preliminary impact analysis indicated 

that the alternatives have limited 

potential to result in significant/major 

effects on the human environment as 

they focus on different ways of 

protecting resources, providing 

appropriate visitor experiences, and 

addressing joint NPS/Forest Service 

operations. For these reasons the NPS 

determined the proposal would not 

require an EIS. 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 8 / Wednesday, January 13, 2010 / Notices 1803 

DATES: The request to terminate the 

Environmental Impact Statement and 

proceed with an Environmental 

Assessment was approved by the Chief 

of the NPS Environmental Quality 

Division on November 4, 2009. The 

draft general management plan and 

Environmental Assessment is expected 

to be distributed for a 30 day public 

comment period early in 2011 and a 

decision is expected be made in the fall 

of 2011. The NPS will notify the public 

by mail, Web site, and other means, and 

will include information on where and 

how to obtain a copy of the GMP/EA, 

how to comment on the plan, and the 

dates of the public comment period. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Steve Riley, Superintendent, Gila Cliff 

Dwellings National Monument, HC 68 

Box 100, Silver City, NM 88061. 

Telephone (575) 536–9461. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In place of 

the EIS, the NPS will prepare an 

Environmental Assessment (EA) that 

analyzes four alternatives (no-action and 

three action alternatives) that look at 

different ways of protecting resources, 

providing appropriate visitor 

experiences, and addressing joint NPS/ 

Forest Service operations: 

—Alternative 1 (No-Action) would 

continue the present management 

direction. 

—Alternative 2 would emphasize and 

expand high-quality visitor services 

and experiences by providing more 

comprehensive interpretation of the 

Gila Headwaters area and its 2,000 

years of human occupation. 

—Alternative 3 would enhance visitor 

understanding and enjoyment of the 

Gila Headwaters’ natural and cultural 

heritage by providing a more unified 

management approach to the two 

units of the monument. 

—Alternative 4 would forge more 

personal connections between visitors 

and the ancient cultures and 

wilderness character of the 

monument. 

Dated: November 12, 2009. 

Michael D. Snyder, 

Director, Intermountain Region, National 

Park Service. 

[FR Doc. 2010–443 Filed 1–12–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4312–FA–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–R4–R–2009–N162; 40136–1265–0000– 

S3] 

Lower Florida Keys Refuges, Monroe 

County, FL 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability: final 

Comprehensive Conservation Plan and 

finding of no significant impact. 

SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife 

Service (Service), announce our 

decision and the availability of the final 

CCP and finding of no significant 

impact (FONSI) for the Environmental 

Assessment for the Lower Florida Keys 

Refuges in accordance with the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 

requirements. We completed a thorough 

analysis of impacts on the human 

environment, which are included in the 

Environmental Assessment (Appendix 

N of the CCP). The CCP will guide us 

in managing and administering the 

Lower Florida Keys Refuges for the next 

15 years. 

ADDRESSES: You may obtain a copy of 

the CCP by writing to: Ms. Anne 

Morkill, Refuge Manager, Florida Keys 

National Wildlife Refuge Complex, 

28590 Watson Boulevard, Big Pine Key, 

FL 33043. You may also access and 

download the document from the 

Service’s Web site: http:// 

southeast.fws.gov/planning. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. 

Anne Morkill; telephone: 305/872–2239; 

or Mary Morris, Natural Resource 

Planner; telephone 850/567–6202. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Introduction 

With this notice, we finalize the CCP 

process for the Lower Florida Keys 

Refuges. We started this process through 

a notice in the Federal Register on May 

9, 2003 (68 FR 25058). 

The Lower Florida Keys Refuges 

includes three wildlife refuges—Key 

West National Wildlife Refuge (Key 

West NWR), Great White Heron 

National Wildlife Refuge (Great White 

Heron NWR), and National Key Deer 

Refuge in Monroe County, Florida. 

These are a collection of low-lying, 

subtropical islands between the Gulf of 

Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean that 

protect all the vital habitats 

representative of the Florida Keys 

ecosystem, including the globally 

imperiled pine rockland and tropical 

hardwood hammock. These geologically 

and climatically distinct islands provide 

a haven for a diversity of native flora 

and fauna, including endemic, 

threatened, endangered, and candidate 

species. 

Key West NWR 

Located west of Key West and 

accessible only by boat, the refuge 

consists of the Marquesas Keys and 13 

other keys distributed across over 375 

square miles of open water. Key West 

NWR is among the first refuges 

established in the United States. 

President Roosevelt created the refuge 

in 1908 as a preserve and breeding 

ground for colonial nesting birds and 

other wildlife. The refuge encompasses 

208,308 acres of land and water with 

only 1 percent (2,019 acres) being land. 

Most islands are dominated by 

mangrove plant communities. 

The refuge provides habitat and 

protection for Federally listed species, 

including piping plovers and roseate 

terns. The refuge harbors the largest 

wintering population of piping plovers 

and the largest colony of white-crowned 

pigeons in the Florida Keys. It is a 

haven for over 250 species of birds, 

including 10 wading-bird species that 

nest in the refuge. Other notable 

imperiled species include sea turtles. 

More loggerhead and green sea turtle 

nests are found each year in Key West 

NWR than in any area of the Florida 

Keys except the Dry Tortugas. Waters 

within the refuge’s administrative 

boundaries are important 

developmental habitat for these sea 

turtle species, as well as hawksbills and 

Kemp’s ridley sea turtles. In 1975, 

Public Law 93–632 designated all 

islands in Key West NWR, except 

Ballast Key, which is privately owned, 

as a part of the National Wilderness 

Preservation System. These islands total 

2,109 acres. 

Great White Heron NWR 

Great White Heron NWR was 

established in 1938, by Executive Order 

7993 signed by President Roosevelt, as 

a haven for great white herons, 

migratory birds, and other wildlife. The 

refuge encompasses 117,683 acres of 

land and water with 6,300 acres of land, 

including 1,900 land acres which were 

designated Wilderness Areas in 1975, 

also under Public Law 93–632. While 

the islands are primarily mangroves, 

some of the larger islands contain pine 

rockland and tropical hardwood 

hammock habitats. This vast area, 

known locally as the ‘‘backcountry,’’ 

provides critical nesting, feeding, and 

resting areas for more than 250 species 

of birds. We co-manage this area with 

the State through a ‘‘Management 

Agreement for Submerged Lands Within 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES