Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 225 / Friday, November 21, 2014 / Notices 69521 

would continue to maintain open water 

habitat for waterfowl use. Under this 

alternative, the public use program 

would be similar to alternative A; 

however, under this alternative, we 

would eliminate less used or dead-end 

trails in the wilderness area. 

Alternative D (Focus on Expansion of 

Priority Public Uses) 

Alternative D emphasizes expanding 

wildlife-dependent priority public uses 

on the refuge. Public use and access 

would be maximized to the greatest 

extent practical, while minimizing 

impacts to wildlife. We would expand 

refuge infrastructure, including 

construction of new trails, observation 

towers, signage, and parking lots; 

expand hunting; and allow fishing in 

select areas of the refuge. This 

alternative would maximize public 

outreach, enhance and develop new 

environmental interpretation and 

education programs, aggressively 

expand partnerships, and increase staff 

presence at programs and events. In 

general, refuge habitats would be 

managed similarly to alternative B; 

however, this alternative would increase 

open water habitat to improve public 

viewing opportunities. 

Comments 

We solicited comments on the draft 

CCP/EA from May 14 to June 30, 2014 

(79 FR 27634). During the comment 

period, we received 80 written 

responses. We evaluated all of the 

substantive comments we received, and 

include a summary of those comments, 

and our responses to them, as appendix 

G in the final CCP. 

Selected Alternative 

After considering the comments we 

received on our draft CCP/EA, we made 

minor changes to alternative B, 

including not moving forward on the 

proposed parking area and wildlife 

observation opportunity on White 

Bridge Road, and correcting minor 

editorial, formatting, and typographical 

errors. These changes are described in 

the FONSI (appendix E in the final CCP) 

and in our response to public comments 

(appendix G in the final CCP). 

We have selected alternative B to 

implement for Great Swamp NWR, with 

these minor changes, for several 

reasons. Alternative B comprises a mix 

of actions that, in our professional 

judgment, work best towards achieving 

the refuge’s purposes, vision, and goals, 

NWRS policies, and the goals of other 

State and Regional conservation plans. 

We also believe that alternative B most 

effectively addresses key issues raised 

during the planning process. The basis 

of our decision is detailed in the FONSI 

(appendix E in the final CCP). 

Public Availability of Documents 

You can view or obtain the final CCP, 

including the FONSI, as indicated under 

ADDRESSES. 

Dated: October 6, 2014. 

Deborah Rocque, 

Acting Regional Director, Northeast Region. 

[FR Doc. 2014–27590 Filed 11–20–14; 8:45 a.m.] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Indian Affairs 

[AAK6006201 134A2100DD 

AOR3B30.999900] 

Intent To Prepare a Programmatic 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

the Proposed Integrated Resource 

Management Plan for the Colville 

Reservation in Okanogan and Ferry 

Counties, WA 

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: This notice advises the public 

that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), 

in cooperation with the Confederated 

Tribes of the Colville Reservation 

(Tribes), intends to gather information 

necessary to prepare a programmatic 

environmental impact statement 

(Programmatic EIS) for the proposed 

Integrated Resource Management Plan 

(IRMP) for the Colville Reservation in 

Okanogan and Ferry Counties, 

Washington. This notice also announces 

public scoping meetings to identify 

potential issues and content for 

inclusion in the Programmatic EIS. 

DATES: The dates and locations of public 

scoping meetings will be published in 

the Omak-Okanogan County Chronicle, 

the Statesman Examiner, the Star, and 

the Tribal Tribune. Additional 

information will also be posted at the 

Tribes’ Web site: 

www.colvilletribes.com. Written 

comments must arrive within 30 days 

following the public scoping meetings. 

ADDRESSES: Comments may be 

submitted by mail, email, hand carry or 

fax to: Dr. BJ Howerton, Environmental 

Services Manager, BIA Northwest 

Regional Office, 911 NE 11th Avenue, 

Portland, OR 97232–4169, Phone: (503) 

231–6749, Fax: (503) 231–2275, Email: 

bj.howerton@bia.gov; or Debra Wulff, 

BIA Superintendent, Colville Agency, 

Bureau of Indian Affairs, P.O. Box 111, 

Nespelem, WA 99155–0111, Phone: 

(509) 634–2316, Fax: (509) 634–2355, 

Email: debra.wulff@bia.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. 

BJ Howerton at (503) 231–6749 or 

bj.howerton@bia.gov or Debra Wulff at 

(509) 634–2316 or debra.wulff@bia.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

proposed action is the preparation of an 

IRMP for the Colville Reservation and 

the BIA approval of long-term natural 

resource planning goals and objectives 

for the Colville Reservation. The Tribes 

may use the Programmatic EIS for 

tiered, project-specific environmental 

assessments to cover specific actions as 

the IRMP is implemented. 

The Tribes have managed their 

natural resources under the goals and 

objectives of an IRMP from 2000 to 

2014. The new IRMP will replace the 

expiring plan. The Programmatic EIS 

will consider a proposed strategy in the 

IRMP that enhances the existing plan, 

where timber harvesting and livestock 

grazing levels remain at the existing 

levels with improved scheduling based 

on more accurate mapping data, open 

ground modeling and current forest 

inventory data. The strategy would 

include improved management 

practices to reduce erosion from forest 

roads, increase enforcement of livestock 

rotation requirements, and provide a 

formal project review process to ensure 

compliance with the IRMP and tribal 

resource codes. 

Other alternative forest management 

strategies to be considered include: (1) 

A forest restoration strategy to 

emphasize thinning through the forest 

to return to historic conditions with a 

reduced harvest level, (2) an accelerated 

harvest strategy intended to maximize 

revenue to the Tribes, and (3) a No 

Forest Management strategy that would 

end timber harvesting. 

Rangeland management alternatives 

include: (1) A strategy to rest and rotate 

range units on a yearly basis, (2) a 

strategy to increase livestock grazing by 

allowing additional grazing by offreservation cattle ranchers, and (3) a 

strategy to eliminate livestock grazing 

altogether. 

No Action or continuation of the 

current IRMP goals and objectives will 

also be considered along with any 

additional strategies or alternatives that 

may be developed as a result of public 

scoping. 

Significant issues to be covered 

during the scoping process may include, 

but will not be limited to air quality, 

geology and soils, surface and 

groundwater resources, wildlife habitat, 

threatened and endangered species, 

cultural resources, socioeconomic 

conditions, land use, aesthetics, and 

Indian trust resources. 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

69522 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 225 / Friday, November 21, 2014 / Notices 

Directions for Submitting Public 

Comments 

Please include your name, return 

address, and the caption ‘‘Programmatic 

EIS, Colville Reservation IRMP’’ on the 

first page of any written comments you 

submit. You may also submit comments 

at the public scoping meetings. 

The public scoping meetings will be 

held to seek comments from the Tribal 

Business Council, resource managers, 

agency representatives, and community 

members concerning the planning and 

environmental issues surrounding the 

use of natural resources of the Colville 

Reservation. The meetings will be held 

at various Colville Reservation 

communities and notices will be 

published in Omak-Okanogan County 

Chronicle, the Statesman Examiner, the 

Star, and the Tribal Tribune. Additional 

information will also be posted at the 

Tribe’s Web site: 

www.colvilletribes.com. 

Public Availability of Comments 

Comments, including names and 

addresses of respondents, will be 

available for public review at the BIA 

address shown in the ADDRESSES section 

of this notice, during regular business 

hours, 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 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 

This notice is published in 

accordance with sections 1503.1 of the 

Council on Environmental Quality 

Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500 through 

1508) and Sec. 46.305 of the Department 

of the Interior Regulations (43 CFR Part 

46), implementing the procedural 

requirements of NEPA, as amended (42 

U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), and is in the 

exercise of authority delegated to the 

Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs, by 

part 209 of the Departmental Manual. 

Dated: November 10, 2014. 

Kevin Washburn, 

Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs. 

[FR Doc. 2014–27682 Filed 11–20–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–W7–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Indian Affairs 

[AAK6006201 145A2100DD 

AOR3030.999900] 

Notice of Intent To Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

Aiya Solar Project on the Moapa River 

Indian Reservation, Clark County, NV 

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In order to comply with the 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA), the Bureau of Indian Affairs 

(BIA), as lead agency in cooperation 

with the Moapa Band of Paiute Indians 

(Moapa Band), the Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM), and other Federal 

agencies, intend to prepare an 

environmental impact statement (EIS) 

that will evaluate a photovoltaic solar 

energy generation project on the Moapa 

River Indian Reservation and a 

transmission line located on tribal 

lands, private lands and Federal lands 

administered and managed by BLM in 

Clark County, Nevada. 

This notice announces the beginning 

of the scoping process to solicit public 

comments and identify potential issues 

related to the EIS. It also announces that 

two public scoping meetings will be 

held in Nevada to identify potential 

issues, alternatives, and mitigation to be 

considered in the EIS. 

DATES: The dates and locations of the 

public scoping meetings will be 

published in the Las Vegas Sun, Las 

Vegas Review-Journal, and Moapa 

Valley Progress 15 days before the 

scoping meetings. Written comments on 

the scope of the EIS or implementation 

of the proposal must arrive by December 

22, 2014. 

ADDRESSES: You may mail, email, or 

hand carry written comments to either 

Mr. Paul Schlafly, Natural Resource 

Specialist, Bureau of Indian Affairs, 

Southern Paiute Agency, 180 North 200 

East Suite 111, P.O. Box 720, St. George, 

Utah 84770; telephone: (435) 674–9720; 

email: paul.schlafly@bia.gov, or Mr. 

Chip Lewis, Acting Regional 

Environmental Compliance Officer, BIA 

Western Regional Office, 2600 North 

Central Avenue, 4th Floor Mailroom, 

Phoenix, Arizona 85004; telephone: 

(602) 379–6782; email: chip.lewis@

bia.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

proposed Federal action, taken under 25 

U.S.C. 415, is BIA’s approval of a solar 

energy ground lease and associated 

agreements entered into by the Moapa 

Band with a subsidiary of First Solar, 

Inc. (First Solar) to provide for 

construction and operation of an up-to 

100 megawatt (MW) alternating current 

solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity 

generation facility located entirely on 

the Moapa River Indian Reservation and 

specifically on lands held in trust by 

BIA for the Moapa Band. The proposed 

230 kilovolt (kV) generation-tie 

transmission line required for 

interconnection may be located on 

Tribal lands, private lands and/or 

Federal lands administered and 

managed by BLM. First Solar has 

accordingly requested that the BIA and 

BLM additionally approve right-of-ways 

(ROWs) authorizing the construction 

and operation of the transmission line. 

Together, the proposed solar energy 

facility, transmission line, and other 

associated facilities will make up the 

proposed Moapa River Solar Project 

(Project). 

The Project would be located in 

Township 14 South, Range 66 East, 

Sections 29, 30, 31, and 32 Mount 

Diablo Meridian, Nevada. The 

generation facility would generate 

electricity using First Solar’s PV panels. 

Also included would be inverters, a 

collection system, an on-site substation 

to step-up the voltage to transmissionlevel voltage at 230 kV, an operations 

and maintenance building, and other 

related facilities. A single overhead 230 

kV generation-tie transmission line, 

approximately 1.5 to 3 miles long, 

would connect the solar project to either 

NV Energy’s Reid-Gardner 230kV 

substation or the proposed Reid Gardner 

Collector Substation, which is under 

development by NV Energy. 

Construction of the Project is 

expected to take approximately 12 to 15 

months. First Solar is expected to 

operate the energy facility for 30 years, 

with two options to renew the lease for 

an additional 10 years, if mutually 

acceptable to the Moapa Tribe and First 

Solar. The Project is expected to be built 

in one phase of up to 100 MW, per the 

demand of potential off-takers or 

utilities. During construction, the PV 

panels will be placed on top of fixed-tilt 

and/or single-axis tracking mounting 

systems that are set on steel posts 

embedded in the ground. Other 

foundation design techniques may be 

used depending on the site topography 

and conditions. No water will be used 

to generate electricity during operations. 

Water will be needed during 

construction for dust control and a 

minimal amount will be needed during 

operations for landscape irrigation and 

administrative and sanitary water use 

on site. The water supply required for 

the Project would be leased from the 

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