55602 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 176 / Monday, September 13, 2010 / Notices 

DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[LLCOF0000 L14300000.FX0000] 

Notice of Intent To Prepare an 

Environmental Assessment To Amend 

the Resource Management Plan for the 

San Luis Resource Area for 

Geothermal Leasing in Colorado’s San 

Luis Valley 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of Intent. 

SUMMARY: In compliance with the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969 (NEPA), as amended, and the 

Federal Land Policy and Management 

Act (FLPMA) of 1976, as amended, the 

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) San 

Luis Valley Public Lands Center, Monte 

Vista, Colorado, intends to prepare an 

Environmental Assessment (EA) and by 

this notice is announcing the beginning 

of the scoping process to solicit public 

comments and identify issues. 

The EA will analyze the BLM 

proposal to amend the San Luis 

Resource Area (SLRA) Resource 

Management Plan (RMP) of September 

1991, to allocate lands as closed and 

open to consideration for geothermal 

leasing and under what conditions. 

DATES: This notice initiates the public 

scoping process for the EA and RMP 

amendment. Comments on issues may 

be submitted in writing by October 13, 

2010. The date(s) and location(s) of any 

scoping meetings will be announced at 

least 15 calendar days in advance, 

through local media, newspaper, and 

the BLM Web site at: http://www.blm.

gov/co/st/en/fo/slvplc/Geothermal_

Leasing.html. In order to be included in 

the EA and RMP amendment, all 

comments must be received prior to the 

close of the scoping period or 30 days 

after the last public meeting, whichever 

is later. We will provide additional 

opportunities for public participation 

upon publication of the EA and RMP 

amendment. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

related to the EA and proposed RMP 

amendment for Geothermal Leasing in 

the BLM SLRA in Colorado’s San Luis 

Valley by any of the following methods. 

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

en/fo/slvplc/GeothermallLeasing.html. 

• E-mail: slvplc_comments@blm.gov. 

• Fax: (719) 852–6250. 

• Mail: BLM, San Luis Valley Public 

Lands Center, 1803 West Highway 160, 

Monte Vista, Colorado 81144. 

Documents pertinent to this proposal 

may be examined at the San Luis Valley 

Public Lands Center. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Joseph Vieira, Renewable Energy Team 

Project Manager, telephone (719) 852– 

6213; address BLM, San Luis Valley 

Public Lands Center, 1803 West 

Highway 160, Monte Vista, Colorado 

81144; e-mail 

slvplc_comments@blm.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Programmatic Environmental Impact 

Statement (EIS) for Geothermal Leasing 

in the Western United States analyzed 

geothermal potential, leasing 

alternatives, and leasing stipulations for 

subsurface mineral estate administered 

by the BLM in Colorado, including 

lands within the SLRA RMP. The 

Record of Decision (ROD) for 

Geothermal Leasing in the Western 

United States amended 14 RMPs in 

Colorado, but did not amend the SLRA 

RMP due to an administrative oversight. 

The ROD for the Programmatic EIS can 

be found at the following Web site: 

http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/frog/

energy/geothermal/geothermal.

nationwide. The BLM proposes to 

amend the SLRA RMP using the NEPA 

analysis in the Programmatic EIS to 

support its decision. Review and 

amendment of the SLRA RMP is also 

necessary due to new information 

concerning sensitive species that are not 

analyzed in the existing RMP. This EA 

will inform the BLM SLRA RMP 

amendment decisions to establish 

resource management consistency, 

including stipulations and Best 

Management Practices, in future 

geothermal leasing in the SLRA. 

While there is a history of geothermal 

leasing on lands administered by the 

BLM in the SLRA, the San Luis Valley 

Public Lands Center has not received 

any new nominations for competitive 

geothermal leasing to date. 

Under the 1991 SLRA RMP, 617,380 

acres of the mineral estate within the 

SLRA were identified as having 

potential for geothermal resources and 

allocated as open to consideration for 

geothermal leasing. Additionally, under 

the 1991 SLRA RMP the BLM 

established the following 

nondiscretionary closures, denying the 

development of fluid minerals, 

including geothermal resources: 

• 320 acres within the town of Del 

Norte. 

• 40 acres within the town of South 

Fork. 

• 360 acres under the Recreation and 

Public Purpose lease to the City of 

Monte Vista for a city park. 

• 840 acres within the Pike Stockade 

Historic Site. 

• 3,300 acres designated as BLM 

wilderness. 

• 16,794 acres within BLM 

wilderness study areas. 

There are no Federal geothermal 

leases in effect in the planning area at 

this time. The issuance of a geothermal 

lease does not authorize any land 

disturbance, development, or use of the 

surface of the leased lands without 

further application, environmental 

review, and approval by the BLM at 

each stage. Rather, a lease provides a 

non-exclusive right to future exploration 

and an exclusive right to produce and 

use the geothermal resources within the 

lease area, subject to existing laws, 

regulations, formal orders, terms, 

conditions, and stipulations in or 

attached to the lease form, or included 

as conditions of approval to permits. 

The purpose of this public scoping 

process is to determine relevant issues 

that will influence the scope of the 

environmental analysis, including 

alternatives, and guide the process for 

amending the RMP to adopt new 

stipulations and other conservation 

measures, and deciding whether, and 

under what conditions, to issue 

geothermal leases in the SLRA. This EA 

and RMP amendment will also serve to 

correct an administrative error in which 

the BLM SLRA was not included in the 

2008 ROD document associated with the 

Programmatic EIS for geothermal leasing 

in the Western United States. This EA 

and RMP amendment will specifically 

address development of adequate 

protective measures and stipulations for 

the following: 

• Geothermal resources and existing 

uses. 

• Water resources. 

• Cultural resources. 

• Federally listed threatened and 

endangered species as well as candidate 

species for Federal listing. 

• Species included in the BLM 

Colorado sensitive species list (which 

includes the State of Colorado, 

Department of Natural Resources 

threatened and endangered species). 

• Other species of concern. 

Currently, the BLM has identified the 

following preliminary issues: 

• Impacts to water resources. 

• Impacts to private and commercial 

geothermal uses. 

• Necessary conservation measures 

for listed and sensitive plant and animal 

species and habitats. 

• Necessary stipulations and 

potential impacts to cultural resources. 

• Impacts to known geothermal 

resources and features in and near the 

potential lease areas. 

• Demand for renewable energy and 

local economic impacts. 

• Access to and across private lands. 

• Impacts to critical big game winter 

range and other wildlife habitat. 

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Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 176 / Monday, September 13, 2010 / Notices 55603 

• Visual impacts from potential 

development. 

• Cumulative impacts associated with 

geothermal leasing, including the 

potential for exploration and 

development operation. 

The BLM will use a combination of 

scoping periods, public meetings, and 

the NEPA process to satisfy the public 

involvement process required by 

Section 106 of the National Historic 

Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470(f)) 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, along with 

other stakeholders 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 contacted 

by the BLM to participate as a 

cooperating agency. Agencies or 

organizations with technical expertise 

or jurisdictional authority will be 

invited to participate as cooperating 

agencies during the NEPA analysis and 

environmental review. 

The BLM will use an interdisciplinary 

approach to develop the plan 

amendment in order to consider the 

resource issues and concerns identified 

during public scoping. The planning 

process will include specialists with 

expertise in rangeland management, 

minerals and geology, forestry, outdoor 

recreation, law enforcement, 

archaeology, botany, wildlife, fisheries, 

lands and realty, hydrology, soils, 

vegetation, and fire. Notification of the 

planning process will be sent to the 

Governor of Colorado, county 

commissioners, local tribes and 

potentially affected members of the 

public. The public is encouraged to help 

identify questions and concerns during 

the scoping phase. 

By this notice, the BLM is complying 

with requirements in 43 CFR 1610.2(c) 

to notify the public of potential 

amendments to the existing SLRA RMP. 

The BLM land use planning regulations 

require the BLM to publish, and provide 

for public review of, the proposed 

planning criteria that will guide the 

RMP amendment process. Planning 

criteria are the constraints, standards, 

and guidelines that determine what the 

BLM will or will not consider during its 

planning process. As such, they 

establish parameters and help focus 

analysis of the issues identified in 

scoping and structure the preparation of 

the EA and proposed RMP amendment. 

The BLM welcomes public comment on 

the following proposed planning 

criteria, 

1. The BLM will continue to manage 

the SLRA in accordance with FLPMA 

(43 U.S.C. 1701. et seq.), other 

applicable laws and regulations, and all 

existing public land laws. 

2. The BLM will use a collaborative, 

multi-jurisdictional approach with 

local, state, tribal, and Federal agencies 

to jointly determine the desired future 

condition of public lands and provide 

consistency with their existing plans 

and policies, to the extent that those 

plans and policies are consistent with 

Federal law governing the 

administration of public land. 

3. The BLM will limit its amendment 

of the RMP to geothermal resource 

leasing and development issues and will 

not address management of other 

resources. The BLM will consider and 

analyze the impacts from this increased 

use on other BLM-managed resource 

values. 

4. The BLM will address the 

socioeconomic impacts of the 

alternatives. 

5. The amendment process will follow 

the FLPMA planning process and 

include an EA that will comply with 

NEPA standards, and an EIS, if a 

Finding of No Significant Impact cannot 

be reached. 

6. The BLM will consider 

environmental protection and energy 

production as both are desirable and 

necessary objectives of sound land 

management practices and not to be 

considered mutually exclusive 

priorities. 

7. The BLM will prepare the EA in 

compliance with the Geothermal Steam 

Act, as amended, and the legislative 

directives set forth in the Energy Policy 

Act of 2005. 

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: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 43 CFR 

1610.2. 

John Mehlhoff, 

Acting State Director. 

[FR Doc. 2010–22737 Filed 9–10–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–JB–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[LLCAD01000 L12200000.AL 0000] 

Meeting of the California Desert 

District Advisory Council 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given, in 

accordance with Public Laws 92–463 

and 94–579, that the California Desert 

District Advisory Council to the Bureau 

of Land Management, U.S. Department 

of the Interior, will participate in a field 

tour of BLM-administered public lands 

on Friday, October 1, 2010, from 8 a.m. 

to 4:30 p.m. and will meet in formal 

session on Saturday, October 2, 2010, 

from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the BLM 

Needles Field Office, 1303 S Highway 

95, Needles, CA 92363. 

Agenda topics will include updates 

by Council members and reports from 

the BLM District Manager and five field 

office managers. Final agenda items, 

including details of the field tour, will 

be posted on the BLM California state 

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

en/info/rac/dac.html. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: All Desert 

District Advisory Council meetings are 

open to the public. Public comment for 

items not on the agenda will be 

scheduled at the beginning of the 

meeting Saturday morning. Time for 

public comment may be made available 

by the Council Chairman during the 

presentation of various agenda items, 

and is scheduled at the end of the 

meeting for topics not on the agenda. 

While the Saturday meeting is 

tentatively scheduled from 8 a.m. to 

4:30 p.m., the meeting could conclude 

prior to 4:30 p.m. should the Council 

conclude its presentations and 

discussions. Therefore, members of the 

public interested in a particular agenda 

item or discussion should schedule 

their arrival accordingly. 

Written comments may be filed in 

advance of the meeting for the 

California Desert District Advisory 

Council, c/o Bureau of Land 

Management, External Affairs, 22835 

Calle San Juan de Los Lagos, Moreno 

Valley, CA 92553. Written comments 

also are accepted at the time of the 

meeting and, if copies are provided to 

the recorder, will be incorporated into 

the minutes. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

David Briery, BLM California Desert 

District External Affairs (951) 697–5220. 

Dated: August 31, 2010. 

Teresa A. Raml, 

District Manager. 

[FR Doc. 2010–22678 Filed 9–10–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–40–P 

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