Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 170 / Thursday, September 1, 2011 / Notices 54453 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Department of the Army; Corps of 

Engineers 

Availability of the Proposed Report of 

the Chief of Engineers and the Final 

Joint Environmental Impact Statement/ 

Environmental Impact Report Within 

the City of San Clemente Extending 

3,412 ft (1,040 m) From Linda Lane to 

T Street 

AGENCY: Department of the Army. U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers, DoD. 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: This announces the 

availability of the Proposed Report of 

the Chief of Engineers and the Final 

Joint Environmental Impact Statement/ 

Environmental Impact Report (FEIS/R) 

which analyzes the potential 

environmental effects associated with 

the proposed action and alternatives for 

providing shoreline protection to 

approximately 3,412 feet ([ft], 1,040 

meters [m]) of the San Clemente 

shoreline from coastal storms. 

Maintaining the beach is needed to 

prevent the beach erosion that results 

from winter storms and to prevent 

damage to adjacent commuter and 

national defense rail line that runs along 

the beach through the City. In addition, 

the loss of sand at the beach would have 

an impact on City beachfront structures 

and beach recreation, which contributes 

to the local economy, and would reduce 

the ecological functioning of the sand 

beach/littoral zone. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Andrea E. Walker, CECW–PC–3H21, 

Headquarters, U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers, 441 G Street, NW., 

Washington, DC 20314. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

1. Without-Project Conditions and 

Damages. Prior to urban development in 

the 1990s, the beaches within the study 

area remained relatively stable because 

of a balanced sediment supply delivered 

from the San Juan Creek to the 

Oceanside littoral cell. However, 

documented historical beach widths 

above the Mean Sea Level (MSL) line 

between T Street and Mariposa Point 

were as narrow as 82 ft (25 m) in the 

winter months during this time period. 

As a consequence, storm damages 

occurred in the past (e.g. 1964, 1983, 

1988 and 1993), as the protective buffer 

beach width was narrow, particularly in 

the winter season. 

Since the 1990s, the project area has 

experienced chronic, mild, long-term 

erosion. Shoreline retreat is a result of 

the decrease of fluvial sand supply 

resulting from the concreting of creeks 

and rivers, upstream dams, and urban 

development. Continued future 

shoreline retreat is expected to result in 

storm waves breaking directly upon the 

railroad ballast, which significantly 

threatens the operation of the rail 

corridor. Continued future shoreline 

retreat also will subject public facilities 

to storm wave-induced damages. These 

facilities, maintained by the City of San 

Clemente, include the Marine Safety 

Building, public restroom facilities 

located on the beach, and lifeguard 

stations. If no action is taken, public 

properties and structures are expected 

to be susceptible to damages caused by 

erosion (including land loss and 

undermining of structures), inundation 

(structures), and wave attack (structures, 

railroad). 

2. Railroad Damages. The Los Angeles 

to San Diego (LOSSAN) railroad line, 

separating the active coastline from the 

coastal bluff and adjacent backshore 

development, has experienced railway 

traffic service delays as a result of the 

narrowing shorelines. These delays 

occur when storm wave run-up exceeds 

the elevation of the Southern California 

Regional Railroad Authority (SCRRA) 

protective revetments or the crest of the 

railroad ballast in the without-revetment 

segments. Two service disruption 

incidents of approximately 24 hours 

occurred in the 1960s and 1970’s at 

Mariposa Point (north of the Pier) and 

at a location south of the Pier, 

respectively. In response, the SCRRA 

and Orange County Transportation 

Authority have constructed unengineered riprap revetment in areas 

where the railroad ballast and tracks are 

vulnerable to storm wave-induced 

damages. Over the past ten years, storm 

wave attack in the study area has 

restricted train services periodically and 

during the 1998 El Nino, the protective 

revetment structure sustained severe 

damage that significantly slowed train 

speeds. The railroad line is used to 

service various national defense 

facilities between Los Angeles and San 

Diego. 

3. Coastal Storm Damages. Public 

beach facilities located have 

experienced damages from storms, as 

the existing beach has historically acted 

as a buffer against storm wave attack but 

has been narrowed. These facilities 

include the Marine Safety Building, 

public restroom facilities located on the 

back beach, lifeguard stations, parking 

areas, and paving near the Pier. The 

1983 El Nino storm season resulted in 

an estimated damage of $3,277,000 to 

public beach facilities in the study area. 

If no action is taken, the City of San 

Clemente’s properties and structures 

will be susceptible to future damages 

caused by erosion (including loss of 

land and of properties), inundation, and 

wave attack. The majority of the 

National Economic Development (NED) 

damages/costs are related to LOSSAN 

railroad protection/construction and 

O&M costs. On an annual basis, the 

LOSSAN costs are $1,280,000 and the 

annualized value of all damage is 

$1,424,000. 

4. Internet. The FEIS is also available 

for review on the following Web sites: 

Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District 

Internet site: http://www.spl.usace.

army.mil/cms/index.php. City of San 

Clemente’s Web site is: http://sanclemente.org/sc/News.aspx?PageID=1. 

5. The Record of Decision (ROD) will 

be issued no sooner than 30 days after 

publication of the notice of availability 

in the Federal Register by the U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency. 

Brenda S. Bowen, 

Army Federal Register Liaison Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2011–22386 Filed 8–31–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3720–58–P 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Department of the Army; Corps of 

Engineers 

Request for Comments on the Notice 

of Intent To Prepare a Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

the Skagit River General Investigation 

Study (Previously Advertised as the 

Skagit River Flood Damage Reduction 

Study), Skagit County, WA 

AGENCY: Department of the Army, Army 

Corps of Engineers, DoD. 

ACTION: Extension of comment period. 

SUMMARY: The Corps of Engineers is 

extending the comment period for the 

Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare a Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement for the 

Skagit River General Investigation Study 

(previously advertised as the Skagit 

River Flood Damage Reduction Study), 

Skagit County, Washington. This 

extension will provide interested 

persons with additional time to prepare 

comments on the NOI. 

DATES: Consideration will be given only 

to comments that are received on or 

before September 9, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: Comments on the proposed 

project should be sent to: Hannah 

Hadley, Study Environmental 

Coordinator, Seattle District, U.S. Army 

Corps of Engineers, P.O. 3755, Seattle, 

WA 98124–3755, Attn: CENWS–PM–ER; 

telephone (206) 764–6950; fax (206) 

764–4470; or e-mail 

Hannah.F.Hadley@usace.army.mil. 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
54454 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 170 / Thursday, September 1, 2011 / Notices 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

General questions concerning the 

proposed action and the DEIS can be 

directed to: Hannah Hadley, Study 

Environmental Coordinator (see 

ADDRESSES) or Daniel Johnson, Project 

Manager, Seattle District, U.S. Army 

Corps of Engineers, P.O. 3755, Seattle, 

WA 98124–3755, ATTN: CENWS–EN– 

CM–CJ; telephone (206) 764–3423; fax 

(206) 764–4470; or e-mail 

Daniel.E.Johnson@usace.army.mil. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NOI 

to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact 

Statement for the Skagit River General 

Investigation Study (previously 

advertised as the Skagit River Flood 

Damage Reduction Study), Skagit 

County, Washington was published in 

the July 29, 2011 Federal Register (76 

FR 45543) for review and comment. 

Comments regarding the NOI were 

required to be received on or before 

August 29, 2011. During the comment 

period, requests to extend the comment 

period were received. 

In response to these requests, the 

comment period for the NOI has been 

extended through September 9, 2011. 

Brenda S. Bowen, 

Army Federal Register Liaison Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2011–22389 Filed 8–31–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3720–58–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Issuance of Loan Guarantee to 

Genesis Solar, LLC, for the Genesis 

Solar Energy Project 

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy. 

ACTION: Record of Decision. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of 

Energy (DOE) announces its decision to 

issue a loan guarantee under Title XVII 

of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 

2005) to Genesis Solar, LLC, for 

construction and startup of the Genesis 

Solar Energy Project (GSEP), a 250- 

megawatt (MW) nominal capacity solar 

power generating facility on 

approximately 1,950 acres, all of which 

is administered by the U.S. Department 

of the Interior, Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM), in Riverside 

County, California. The environmental 

impacts of constructing and operating 

this project were analyzed pursuant to 

the National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA) in Plan Amendment/Final 

Environmental Impact Statement for the 

Genesis Solar Energy Project, Riverside 

County, California (75 Federal Register 

[FR] 52736; August 27, 2010) (Final 

EIS), prepared by the BLM Palm 

Springs-South Coast Field Office with 

DOE as a cooperating agency. BLM 

consulted DOE during preparation of 

the EIS, DOE provided comments, and 

BLM addressed those comments in the 

Final EIS. DOE subsequently 

determined that its own NEPA 

procedures had been satisfied and 

adopted the Final EIS. (75 FR 78993; 

December 17, 2010) 

ADDRESSES: Copies of this Record of 

Decision (ROD) and the Final EIS may 

be obtained by contacting Matthew 

McMillen, NEPA Compliance Officer, 

Environmental Compliance Division, 

Loan Programs Office (LP–10), U.S. 

Department of Energy, 1000 

Independence Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20585; telephone 202– 

586–7248; or e-mail 

Matthew.Mcmillen@hq.doe.gov. The 

Final EIS and this ROD are also 

available on the DOE NEPA Web site at: 

http://nepa.energy.gov, and on the Loan 

Programs Web site at: http:// 

www.loanprograms.energy.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information about this ROD, 

contact Matthew McMillen, as indicated 

in the ADDRESSES section above. For 

general information about the DOE 

NEPA process, contact Carol Borgstrom, 

Director, Office of NEPA Policy and 

Compliance (GC–54), U.S. Department 

of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, 

SW., Washington, DC 20585; telephone 

202–586–4600; leave a message at 800– 

472–2756; or e-mail 

AskNEPA@hq.doe.gov. Information 

about DOE NEPA activities and access 

to DOE NEPA documents are available 

through the DOE NEPA Web site at 

http://nepa.energy.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The GSEP is a proposed concentrating 

solar electrical generating facility using 

parabolic trough technology with a drycooling system and associated facilities 

located on approximately 1,950 acres of 

BLM-administered Federal land in 

Riverside County, California, 

approximately 27 miles east of the 

unincorporated community of Desert 

Center and 25 miles west of the 

Arizona-California border city of Blythe. 

The GSEP will consist of two 

independent solar electric generating 

facilities with a net electrical output of 

125 MW each, resulting in a total net 

electrical output of 250 MW. In addition 

to the generating facility, the project 

includes a distribution line, a 14-mile 

electrical transmission line, fiber-optic 

lines, a natural-gas pipeline, and a 6.5- 

mile access road. A double-circuit 230- 

kilovolt (kV) transmission line will be 

constructed to connect to the Southern 

California Edison Colorado River 

substation via the existing Blythe 

Energy Project Transmission Line 

between the Julian Hinds and Buck 

substations. The linear facilities will 

encompass approximately 90 acres 

outside the proposed project site. 

On January 31, 2007, BLM’s Palm 

Springs-South Coast Field Office 

received an application pursuant to 

Title V of the Federal Land Policy and 

Management Act (43 United States Code 

[U.S.C.] 1761) for a right-of-way (ROW) 

to construct, operate, maintain, and 

decommission a project identified as the 

NextEra Ford Dry Lake Solar Power 

Plant on BLM-administered Federal 

land in Riverside County, California. In 

June 2009, the applicant notified BLM 

that the company name was being 

changed to Genesis Solar, LLC, and the 

project became known as the Genesis 

Solar Energy Project (GSEP). The BLM 

California Desert Conservation Area 

(CDCA) Plan requires that all sites 

associated with power generation or 

transmission not identified in the CDCA 

Plan be considered through the plan 

amendment process. BLM approved the 

Proposed Plan Amendment to the CDCA 

Plan to allow the GSEP and approved a 

solar energy ROW to Genesis Solar, LLC, 

for the project; on November 4, 2010, 

the Secretary of the Interior approved 

these decisions. 

In June 2010, Genesis Solar, LLC 

applied to DOE for a loan guarantee 

under Title XVII of EPAct 2005, as 

amended by Section 406 of the 

American Recovery and Reinvestment 

Act of 2009. (Recovery Act) On 

September 1, 2010, DOE invited the 

applicant to submit a Part II application 

in accordance with the DOE Federal 

Loan Guarantee Solicitation for 

Commercial Technology Renewable 

Energy Generation Projects under the 

Financial Institution Partnership 

Program, No. DE–FOA–0000166. On 

November 17, 2010, Genesis Solar, LLC 

submitted its Part II application for an 

$800 million loan guarantee to support 

the financing of the GSEP. 

NEPA Review 

BLM was the lead Federal agency in 

the preparation of the Genesis Solar 

Energy Project EIS, and DOE was a 

cooperating agency pursuant to a 

Memorandum of Agreement between 

DOE and BLM signed in January 2010. 

DOE reviewed the content of the draft 

EIS and provided comments to BLM to 

ensure that the DOE NEPA regulations 

(10 Code of Federal Regulations part 

1021) were satisfied. 

On November 23, 2009, the BLM 

published the ‘‘Notice of Intent to 

Prepare an Environmental Impact 


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