Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 175 / Friday, September 11, 2009 / Notices 46787 

• Consultation with the State Historic 

Preservation Officer will be conducted 

throughout the planning process. 

• Consultation with U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service will be conducted 

throughout the planning process, as 

necessary. 

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, 

predicated on the findings of the EIS. 

The BLM will utilize 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 in accordance with 

policy, and Tribal concerns will be 

given due consideration, including 

impacts on Indian trust assets. Federal, 

State, and local agencies, as well as 

individuals, organizations, or tribes 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, 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. 

Jack Hamby, 

Acting District Manager. 

[FR Doc. E9–21928 Filed 9–10–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–40–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[LLNVC0100000.L91310000.EJ0000.

LXSIGEOT0000; MO4500008734; NVN 

087795; 09–08807; TAS: 14X5575] 

Notice of Intent To Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

the Salt Wells Energy Projects, 

Churchill County, NE 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of Intent. 

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM) Stillwater Field 

Office, Carson City, Nevada, intends to 

prepare an Environmental Impact 

Statement (EIS) for the Salt Wells 

Energy Projects proposed by Sierra 

Pacific Power Company (Sierra), Ormat 

Technologies, Inc. (Ormat), and Vulcan 

Power Company (Vulcan) that are 

located in Churchill County, Nevada. 

Three separate projects are proposed 

that could result in seven 30–60 

megawatt (MW) geothermal power 

plants with 47 associated wells, 

pipelines and other facilities near 

Fallon, Nevada, and a 22-mile, fifty-footwide Right-of-Way (ROW) for a new 

transmission line with substations to 

support the existing and new Fallon 

geothermal power plants. The study 

area encompassed by the three projects 

together covers approximately 537 total 

acres. This notice announces the 

beginning of the scoping process and 

solicits input on the identification of 

issues. 

DATES: The public scoping period will 

close November 10, 2009. Any public 

meetings associated with the public 

scoping will be announced through the 

local news media and the BLM Web 

site: www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/ 

carson_city_field.html at least 15 days 

prior to each event. Additional formal 

opportunities for public participation in 

the EIS process will be provided 

through comment upon publication of 

the draft document. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be 

submitted by any of the following 

methods: 

• Mail: BLM Stillwater Field Office, 

Attn: Salt Wells Energy Projects, 5665 

Morgan Mill Road, Carson City, NV 

89701. 

• Fax: (775) 885–6147. 

• E-mail: saltwells_eis@blm.gov. 

Documents pertinent to this proposal 

may be examined at the Carson City 

District Office, 5665 Morgan Mill Road, 

Carson City, NV. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Desna Young (775) 885–6078; or e-mail 

saltwells_eis@blm.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BLM 

Stillwater Field Office received separate 

proposed geothermal utilization plans 

and applications for facilities 

construction permits from Ormat and 

Vulcan, and an electric transmission 

right-of-way (ROW) application from 

Sierra, for proposed energy projects 

covering a combined area of 

approximately 537 acres in the Salt 

Wells area about 15 miles east of Fallon, 

Nevada. Vulcan proposes the 

development of up to six geothermal 

power plants and facilities. Ormat 

proposes the development of one 

geothermal power plant and associated 

facilities. Sierra proposes 22 miles of 

above-ground electrical transmission 

lines, electrical substations, and 

switching facilities. The BLM 

determined that because of similar 

timing, geographic area, and type of 

action, the BLM will analyze the three 

proposals in one EIS. The BLM will 

issue a separate record of decision at the 

end of the process for each proposed 

project. The BLM will use information 

from this scoping process with the 

utilization plans and ROW proposals to 

facilitate public involvement and to 

identify the alternatives to be studied. 

All lands within the project area are 

already under lease. The proposed 

facilities would be sited on a 

combination of private property and 

public land managed by the BLM and 

the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BOR). 

Several proposed well sites are located 

on Federal geothermal leases in the 

Carson Lake and Pasture area, currently 

open to leasing and managed by the 

BOR, although these lands have been 

proposed to be transferred to the Nevada 

State Department of Wildlife. These 

activities are consistent with the 

applicable 2001 Carson City 

Consolidated Resource Management 

Plan as amended by the 2008 Record of 

Decision and Resource Management 

Plan Amendments for Geothermal 

Resource Leasing in the Western United 

States. The Fallon Naval Air Station is 

adjacent to the leased areas in Salt 

Wells. The Navy has concerns both 

related to its own geothermal resource 

program and also related to preserving 

its airspace for training, and community 

encroachment issues. The Ormat project 

proposal includes the construction and 

operation of a 40 MW binary air-cooled 

geothermal power plant, 20 geothermal 

production and injections wells, 

pipelines, a substation, connection lines 

to the proposed Sierra transmission line, 

and access roads on approximately 90 

acres of land. BLM has already 

completed a July 2008 Environmental 

Assessment in the Ormat Carson Lake 

Geothermal Exploration Project EA (EA– 

NV–030–07–006) and has approved 11 

of the wells estimated to be necessary 

for Ormat’s project. The Vulcan project 

proposal is to construct up to six 30–60 

MW binary or double-flash geothermal 

power plants and associated facilities on 

approximately 160 acres of land, which 

could require an estimated 27 

geothermal production and injection 

wells. Each site includes production 

and injection wells, pipelines, a 

substation, connection lines to the 

proposed Sierra transmission line, and 

access roads. Twenty of these wells 

have already been approved via two 

Environmental Assessments for ten 


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46788 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 175 / Friday, September 11, 2009 / Notices 

wells each in the Salt Wells Geothermal 

Drilling EA, EA–NV–030–07–05 of 

February 2007, and in the Salt Wells 

Geothermal Drilling Program EA, DOI– 

BLM–NV–C010–2009–0006–EA of April 

2009. The Sierra fifty-foot-wide ROW 

proposal covers approximately 287 

acres and includes construction of a 

new substation, 22 miles of singlecircuit 230 kV transmission line, four 

230 kV switching stations, and two 60 

kV transmission lines connecting the 

proposed new substation to the existing 

Fallon substation. 

The EIS will analyze the direct, 

indirect, and cumulative impacts of the 

three proposed projects, alternatives, 

and a no action alternative. The EIS will 

also identify specific mitigation. The 

EIS will address issues brought forth 

through scoping and will be evaluated 

by an interdisciplinary team of 

specialists. This EIS is also intended to 

cover the impacts of operation of the 

plants and facilities, and thus should be 

able to support issuance of the site 

license required under 43 CFR subpart 

3273 as well as remaining drilling 

approvals under 43 CFR subpart 3261, 

and the utilization plans and facility 

construction permits under 43 CFR 

subpart 3272. Key issues likely to be 

considered in analyzing each proposal 

and alternatives include: Water 

resources (including surface and ground 

water quality, floodplains, wetlands and 

riparian areas); geology and minerals; 

air quality; soils; vegetation; wildlife 

and wildlife habitat (especially related 

to migratory shorebirds utilizing Carson 

Lake to the west of the project area); 

special-status species; range resources; 

land use and access; recreation; 

aesthetics (noise and visual; especially 

in areas of high cultural sensitivity such 

as the Grimes Point Archeological Site 

to the north and the Pony Express Trail 

to the south of the project area); social 

and economic values; cultural 

resources; Native American religious 

concerns (consultation with the Fallon 

Paiute-Shoshone Tribe has been ongoing 

to avoid cultural sites that have been 

identified by the tribe); hazardous 

materials; and noxious weeds. Native 

American tribal consultations will be 

conducted in accordance with policy. 

Evaluation of cumulative impacts will 

take into consideration the recentlyconstructed Enel North America 

geothermal power plant adjacent to the 

project area to the south. 

Federal, state, and local agencies and 

other entities that may be affected by the 

decisions to be made on the proposed 

projects 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. 

Written comments may be provided to 

the BLM at public scoping meetings or 

may be submitted to the BLM using one 

of the methods listed in the ADDRESSES

section. 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. 

(Authority: 43 CFR 3200 and 43 CFR 2800). 

Teresa J. Knutson, 

Manager, Stillwater Field Office, BLM Carson 

City District. 

[FR Doc. E9–21925 Filed 9–10–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–HC–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Minerals Management Service 

[Docket No. MM–2008–MRM–0018] 

Major Portion Prices and Due Date for 

Additional Royalty Payments on Indian 

Gas Production in Designated Areas 

Not Associated With an Index Zone 

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service 

(MMS), Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of major portion prices 

for calendar year 2007. 

SUMMARY: Final regulations for valuing 

gas produced from Indian leases, 

published August 10, 1999, require 

MMS to determine major portion prices 

and notify industry by publishing the 

prices in the Federal Register. The 

regulations also require MMS to publish 

a due date for industry to pay additional 

royalty based on the major portion 

prices. This notice provides the major 

portion prices for the 12 months of 

2007. 

DATES: The due date to pay additional 

royalties based on the major portion 

prices is November 10, 2009. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John 

Barder, Indian Oil and Gas Compliance 

and Asset Management, MMS; 

telephone (303) 231–3702; FAX (303) 

231–3755; e-mail to 

John.Barder@mms.gov; or Mike Curry, 

Indian Oil and Gas Compliance and 

Asset Management, MMS; telephone 

(303) 231–3741; FAX (303) 231–3755; 

e-mail to Michael.Curry@mms.gov. 

Mailing address: Minerals Management 

Service, Minerals Revenue Management, 

Compliance and Asset Management, 

Indian Oil and Gas Compliance and 

Asset Management, P.O. Box 25165, MS 

396B2, Denver, Colorado 80225–0165. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On 

August 10, 1999, MMS published a final 

rule titled ‘‘Amendments to Gas 

Valuation Regulations for Indian 

Leases,’’ (64 FR 43506) with the 

effective date January 1, 2000. The gas 

regulations apply to all gas production 

from Indian (tribal or allotted) oil and 

gas leases, except leases on the Osage 

Indian Reservation. 

The rule requires that MMS publish 

major portion prices for each designated 

area not associated with an index zone 

for each production month beginning 

January 2000, along with a due date for 

additional royalty payments. See 30 

CFR 206.174(a)(4)(ii) (2008). If 

additional royalties are due based on a 

published major portion price, the 

lessee must submit an amended Form 

MMS–2014, Report of Sales and Royalty 

Remittance, to MMS by the due date. If 

additional royalties are not paid by the 

due date, late payment interest, under 

30 CFR 218.54, will accrue from the due 

date until payment is made and an 

amended Form MMS–2014 is received. 

The table below lists the major portion 

prices for all designated areas not 

associated with an index zone. The due 

date is 60 days after the publication date 

of this notice. 

GAS MAJOR PORTION PRICES ($/MMBTU) FOR DESIGNATED AREAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH AN INDEX ZONE

MMS-designated areas Jan 2007 Feb 2007 Mar 2007 Apr 2007 

Blackfeet Reservation ...................................................................................................... 5.96 5.86 6.39 6.11 

Fort Belknap .................................................................................................................... 6.01 6.42 6.24 6.17 

Fort Berthold .................................................................................................................... 5.93 7.35 6.16 6.66 

Fort Peck Reservation ..................................................................................................... 6.64 8.92 9.47 9.19 

Navajo Allotted Leases in the Navajo Reservation ......................................................... 5.87 6.84 6.77 6.20 

Rocky Boys Reservation ................................................................................................. 4.87 5.38 5.30 5.22 

Ute Allotted Leases in the Uintah and Ouray Reservation* ............................................ 3.98 6.29 6.33 3.72 


cprice-sewell on DSKGBLS3C1PROD with NOTICES