Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 44 / Friday, March 6, 2015 / Notices 12195 

• maintenance of access for various 

types of recreational, scientific and 

other uses; 

• access to private lands; 

• trespass; 

• regional connectivity; 

• improving GIS and on-the-ground 

information for the public; and 

• other implementation strategies 

such as signing, monitoring and law 

enforcement. 

In addition, a substantial number of 

comments indicated issues and needs 

associated with specific routes and 

route areas in the WEMO transportation 

system, and included recommendations 

on the designation of specific routes. A 

few comments were also received on 

grazing issues and the scope of the 

supplemental grazing program analysis. 

In response to court concerns and onthe-ground changes since 2006, NEPA 

considerations focused on cumulative 

effects of the transportation system 

alternatives to resource values, 

particularly air quality, soils, cultural 

resources, certain biological resources, 

and certain sensitive species, 

cumulative effects of grazing, and 

potential cumulative loss of recreational 

access opportunities. In response to 

public input, access considerations 

focused on maintaining a viable 

transportation network, diverse 

recreational opportunities, providing 

access for specific users, (including 

rock-hounders, motorcyclists, scientific 

and educational activities, and nonmotorized users), dealing with conflicts 

between users, and maintaining 

commercial access needs. 

Plan amendments would address 

specific CDCA Plan inconsistencies 

with regulation and BLM policies in the 

WEMO Planning Area; including 

amending language that limits the route 

network to routes that existed in 1980 

and travel management guidance for 

route designations. Changes are 

proposed to the existing land-use plan 

to address stopping, parking, and 

camping adjacent to routes in Limited 

Access Areas within the WEMO 

Planning Area, and to establish a 

regional minimization strategy for the 

travel route network. Changes are also 

proposed to the grazing program that 

would reallocate forage from livestock 

use to wildlife use and ecosystem 

function in desert tortoise habitat for 

inactive allotments or allotments that 

become vacant. In addition, the Draft 

considers plan level decisions 

modifying motorized use on four 

specific lakebeds, including Cuddeback 

Lake and competitive motorized use of 

routes. The Draft also considers various 

travel management implementation 

frameworks. Four alternatives are 

evaluated, including a No Action 

alternative. 

Finally, the Draft includes activitylevel specific route designation 

alternatives, based on the 43CFR 8342.1 

criteria and different thresholds for 

minimization or closure. The preferred 

alternative would designate 

approximately 10,300 miles of routes 

within the WEMO Planning Area as 

available for motorized use, 

approximately130 miles of routes would 

be available for either non-motorized or 

non-mechanized use, and 

approximately 4,400 miles of routes 

would be closed. 

The preferred alternative also 

includes a regional mitigation strategy 

that would limit the extent of off-route 

stopping and parking throughout the 

planning area to minimize impacts to 

undisturbed habitat, enhance 

watersheds, and protect adjacent 

sensitive resources. Other measures are 

based on proximity to sensitive 

resources, such as riparian systems, that 

would enhance these resources 

throughout the planning area. 

The preferred alternative provides for 

a limited number of designated camping 

and staging areas to direct intensive use 

to manageable locations. Finally, the 

preferred alternative proposes an 

integrated, community-based 

implementation strategy that addresses 

outreach, compliance and enforcement 

strategy in which partnerships with 

adjacent communities, users, local 

Friends and other interest groups, 

national and State recreational and 

conservation coalitions, and other 

interested citizens are a central 

component. 

Please note that public comments and 

information submitted including names, 

street addresses, and email addresses of 

persons who submit comments will be 

available for public review and 

disclosure at the above address during 

regular business hours (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.), 

Monday through Friday, except 

holidays. 

Before including your address, phone 

number, email 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 request to withhold your 

personal identifying information from 

public review, BLM cannot guarantee 

that we will be able to do so. 

Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10, 

43 CFR 1610.2. 

Thomas Pogacnik, 

Deputy State Director, Natural Resources. 

[FR Doc. 2015–05127 Filed 3–5–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–40–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[CACA 049397, LLCAD06000.

L51010000.ER0000.LVRWB09B2920.15X] 

Notice of Intent To Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

the Desert Quartzite Solar Project and 

a Possible Amendment to the 

California Desert Conservation Area 

Plan, Riverside County, California 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of intent. 

SUMMARY: In compliance with the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969, as amended (NEPA), and the 

Federal Land Policy and Management 

Act of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), the 

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 

Palm Springs/South Coast Field Office, 

Palm Springs, California, together with 

Riverside County, California, intend to 

prepare a joint Environmental Impact 

Statement (EIS) and Environmental 

Impact Report (EIR), which may include 

an amendment to the California Desert 

Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan, for the 

Desert Quartzite Solar Project (Project). 

By this notice, the BLM is announcing 

the beginning of the scoping process to 

solicit public comments and identify 

issues related to the EIS/EIR and Plan 

Amendment (PA). 

DATES: This notice initiates the public 

scoping process for the EIS/EIR and PA. 

Comments on issues may be submitted 

in writing until April 6, 2015. The 

date(s) and location(s) of any 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/fo/

cdd.html. In order to be included in the 

analysis, all comments must be received 

prior to the close of the 30-day scoping 

period or 15 days after the last public 

meeting, whichever is later. We will 

provide additional opportunities for 

public participation as appropriate. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

on issues and planning criteria related 

to the Project by any of the following 

methods: 

• email: blm_ca_desert_quartzite_

solar_project@blm.gov. 

• fax: (951) 697–5299. 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

12196 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 44 / Friday, March 6, 2015 / Notices 

• mail: ATTN: Cedric C. Perry, 

Project Manager, BLM California Desert 

District Office, 22835 Calle San Juan de 

Los Lagos, Moreno Valley, California 

92553–9046 

Documents pertinent to this project 

may be examined at the BLM California 

Desert District Office at the above 

address Monday through Friday 8:30 

a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Cedric C. Perry; telephone—(951) 697– 

5388; address—BLM California Desert 

District Office, 22835 Calle San Juan de 

Los Lagos, Moreno Valley, CA 92553– 

9046; Email—blm_ca_desert_quartzite_

solar_project@blm.gov. 

Persons who use a 

telecommunications device for the deaf 

(TDD) may call the Federal Information 

Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–(800)–877– 

8339 to contact the above individual 

during normal business hours. The FIRS 

is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a 

week, to leave a message or question 

with the above individual. You will 

receive a reply during normal business 

hours. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

applicant, Desert Quartzite Solar, LLC 

has requested a right-of-way (ROW) 

authorization to construct, operate, 

maintain and decommission a 300 MW 

alternating current (AC) solar 

photovoltaic energy-generating facility 

along with the necessary ancillary 

facilities including a project substation, 

access road, transmission lines, 

realignment of an existing route, 

operations and maintenance buildings, 

and lay down areas. The project is 

proposed on 4,845 acres of public land 

with the solar field occupying 

approximately 2,453 acres on lands 

within the Riverside East Solar Energy 

Zone (SEZ), southwest of Blythe, 

California. 

This document provides notice that 

the BLM Palm Springs/South Coast 

Field Office and the County of Riverside 

California intend to jointly prepare an 

EIS/EIR, which may include a potential 

CDCA Plan Amendment, for the Project. 

It also announces the beginning of the 

scoping process for this effort and seeks 

public input on environmental issues 

and potential planning criteria relevant 

to the Project and any potential plan 

amendments. The purpose of the public 

scoping process is to guide the planning 

process and determine the relevant 

issues that will influence the scope of 

the environmental analysis, including 

alternatives and mitigation measures. 

Preliminary issues for the 

environmental analysis and potential 

plan amendment have been identified 

by BLM; Federal, State, and local 

agencies; and, other stakeholders. These 

issues include: Air quality and 

greenhouse gas emissions; biological 

resources, including special status 

species; cultural resources; geology and 

soils; hazards and hazardous materials; 

hydrology and water quality; land use; 

lands with wilderness characteristics; 

noise; recreation; traffic; visual 

resources; cumulative effects; areas with 

high potential for renewable energy 

development; and, identification of 

opportunities to apply mitigation 

hierarchy strategies for on-site, regional, 

and compensatory mitigation, and, 

appropriate to the size of the project, 

landscape-level conservation and 

management actions to achieve resource 

objectives. 

You may submit comments on issues 

and planning criteria in writing to the 

BLM at any public scoping meeting, or 

by using one of the methods listed in 

the ADDRESSES section above. To be 

most helpful, you should submit 

comments by the close of the 30-day 

scoping period or within 15 days after 

the last public meeting, whichever is 

later. 

Before including your address, phone 

number, email 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. The minutes and list of attendees 

for each scoping meeting will be 

available to the public and open for 30 

days after the meeting to any participant 

who wishes to clarify the views he or 

she expressed. 

The BLM withdrew public lands, 

including those where the proposed 

Project is located, in the State of 

California on July 5, 2013, under Public 

Land Order 7818 for a period of 20 years 

for future solar energy development, 

subject to valid existing rights, from 

location and entry under the United 

States mining laws. The lands are open 

to mineral and geothermal leasing, and 

mineral material sales. 

The BLM will utilize and coordinate 

the NEPA scoping process to help fulfill 

the public involvement process under 

the National Historic Preservation Act 

(54 U.S.C. 306108) as provided in 36 

CFR 800.2(d)(3). The information about 

historic and cultural resources within 

the area potentially affected by the 

proposed action will assist the BLM in 

identifying and evaluating impacts to 

such resources. The BLM will also 

consult with Indian tribes on a 

government-to-government basis in 

accordance with Executive Order 13175 

and other policies. Tribal concerns, 

including impacts on Indian trust assets 

and potential impacts to cultural 

resources, will be given due 

consideration. Federal, State, and local 

agencies, along with tribes and other 

stakeholders that may be interested in or 

affected by the proposed action that the 

BLM is evaluating, are invited to 

participate in the scoping process and, 

if eligible, may request or be requested 

by the BLM to participate in the 

development of the environmental 

analysis as a cooperating agency. 

With respect to the potential land use 

plan amendment, the BLM will evaluate 

identified issues to be addressed in any 

potential plan amendment, and will 

place those issues into one of three 

categories: 

1. Issues to be resolved in the plan 

amendment; 

2. Issues to be resolved through policy 

or administrative action; or 

3. Issues beyond the scope of this plan 

amendment. 

The BLM will provide an explanation 

in the Draft EIS and PA as to why an 

issue was placed 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 BLM will use an interdisciplinary 

approach to develop the potential plan 

amendment in order to consider the 

variety of resource issues and concerns 

identified. Specialists with expertise in 

the following disciplines will be 

involved in the planning process: 

Rangeland management, minerals and 

geology, outdoor recreation, 

archaeology, paleontology, wildlife, 

lands and realty, hydrology, soils, 

sociology and economics. 

Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 43 CFR 

1610.2. 

Thomas Pogacnik, 

Deputy State Director, Natural Resources. 

[FR Doc. 2015–05290 Filed 3–5–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–40–P 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES