46786 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 175 / Friday, September 11, 2009 / Notices 

Dated: September 8, 2009. 

Rhea Suh, 

Assistant Secretary—Policy, Management 

and Budget. 

[FR Doc. E9–21930 Filed 9–10–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[LL91310000EI] 

Notice of Intent To Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

the Proposed Leasing of National 

System of Public Lands for 

Geothermal Resource Development in 

the Haiwee Geothermal Leasing Area 

Located in Inyo County, CA and To 

Amend the California Desert 

Conservation Area Plan of 1980 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of Intent. 

SUMMARY: In compliance with the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1976 (NEPA), as amended, and section 

202 of the Federal Land Policy and 

Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), as 

amended, the Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM) Ridgecrest Field 

Office intends to prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

to analyze the proposed leasing of 

approximately 22,060 acres of BLMmanaged public lands for geothermal 

exploration, development, and 

utilization in the Haiwee Geothermal 

Leasing Area located in Inyo County, 

California. The leasing of public lands 

for geothermal resources will require an 

amendment to the California Desert 

Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan of 1980. 

Comments are being solicited to help 

identify significant issues or concerns 

related to the proposed action, 

determine the scope of issues, and 

identify and refine alternatives to the 

proposed action. The BLM will also use 

and coordinate the NEPA commenting 

process to satisfy the requirements for 

public involvement in section 106 of the 

National Historic Preservation Act. 

DATES: This Notice initiates the public 

scoping process for the EIS and plan 

amendment. Comments on issues may 

be submitted in writing until October 

13, 2009. The date(s) and location(s) of 

the public scoping meetings will be 

announced at least 15 days in advance 

through local news media, newspapers 

and the BLM Web site at: http:// 

www.blm.gov/ca/st/en.html. In order to 

be included 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. We will provide additional 

opportunities for public participation 

upon publication of the Draft EIS. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

related to Geothermal Leasing in the 

Haiwee Geothermal Leasing Area 

located in Inyo County, California by 

any of the following methods: 

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

en.html. 

• E-mail: John_Dalton@ca.blm.gov. 

• Fax: (951) 697–5299. 

• Mail: Bureau of Land Management, 

California Desert District Office, Attn: 

John Dalton, Haiwee Geothermal 

Leasing Area Coordinator, 22835 Calle 

San Juan De Los Lagos, Moreno Valley, 

California 92553. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John 

Dalton at (951) 697–5311, 

John_Dalton@ca.blm.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BLM 

has received three noncompetitive 

geothermal lease applications for 4,460 

acres of public land within the Haiwee 

Geothermal Leasing Area in Inyo 

County, California. In addition, the BLM 

identified approximately 17,600 acres of 

public lands, also within the Haiwee 

Geothermal Leasing Area and adjacent 

to the three geothermal lease 

applications, which will be considered 

for competitive geothermal leasing 

under 43 CFR 3203.10(e). The proposed 

action is to amend the CDCA Plan to 

allocate project area lands as open or 

closed to consideration for geothermal 

leasing, with appropriate stipulations 

necessary to maintain and protect other 

resource values and uses, and to 

develop a Reasonably Foreseeable 

Development Scenario for geothermal 

resources development under the 

authority of the FLPMA and the 

Geothermal Steam Act of 1970, as 

amended (30 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.). 

Individual lease issuance decisions and 

parcels to be included in a sale will be 

considered in a manner consistent with 

the final plan as amended, as 

subsequent implementation decisions. 

The public lands being considered for 

geothermal leasing in the Haiwee 

Geothermal Leasing Area are located in 

sections 11–14, 23–26, 35, and 36 in 

Township 21 South, Range 37 East, 

sections 7–10, 15, 17–22, 27–34 in 

Township 21 South, Range 38 East, in 

sections 1 and 2 in Township 22 South, 

Range 37 East, and sections 5–8 in 

Township 22 South, Range 38 East, all 

within the San Bernardino and Base 

Meridian. Total acreage being 

considered for geothermal leasing is 

approximately 22,060 acres. 

Alternatives thus far identified for 

evaluation in the EIS will include the 

following: 

1. Proposed action. 

2. No action alternative (not leasing 

the lands for geothermal exploration, 

development, and utilization). 

3. Leasing fewer than the proposed 

22,060 acres of public land. 

The principal issues identified thus 

far for consideration in the EIS include 

Native American concerns; potential 

land use conflicts including recreation; 

cumulative impacts considering 

existing, proposed, and potential 

geothermal projects in the area; and 

potential impacts on cultural resources, 

wildlife, visual resources, and surface 

and groundwater resources. The EIS 

will also address other issues such as 

geology, mining, geothermal resources, 

vegetation, threatened or endangered 

species, air quality, noise, 

transportation, human health and safety, 

and social and economic issues, as well 

as any issues raised during the scoping 

process. 

The BLM will identify issues to be 

addressed in the Plan, and will place 

them into one of three categories: 

1. Issues to be resolved in the plan. 

2. Issues to be resolved through policy 

or administrative action. 

3. Issues beyond the scope of this 

plan. 

The BLM will provide an explanation 

in the plan as to why we placed an issue 

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 following Planning Criteria will 

be utilized during production of this 

document: 

• The plan will be completed in 

compliance with FLPMA, NEPA, and all 

other relevant Federal law, Executive 

Orders, and management policies of the 

BLM. 

• Where existing planning decisions 

are still valid, those decisions may 

remain unchanged and be incorporated 

into the plan amendment. 

• The plans will recognize valid 

existing rights. 

• Native American Tribal 

consultations will be conducted in 

accordance with policy and Tribal 

concerns will be given due 

consideration. The planning process 

will include the consideration of any 

impacts on Indian trust assets. 


cprice-sewell on DSKGBLS3C1PROD with NOTICES
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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