31306 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 124 / Tuesday, June 30, 2009 / Notices 

will serve as a comprehensive 

‘‘blueprint’’ sufficient to guide future 

management of the Merced River 

corridor in Yosemite National Park. 

Background: In 1987, Congress 

designated 122 miles of the Merced 

River and its South Fork as Wild and 

Scenic, including the 81 miles within 

Yosemite National Park and the El 

Portal Administrative Site. The National 

Park Service (NPS) completed the 

Merced Wild and Scenic River 

Comprehensive Management Plan/Final 

Environmental Impact Statement in 

August 2000. Soon after, two citizens’ 

groups filed suit in the U.S. District 

Court for the Eastern District of 

California, resulting in the production of 

the Merced Wild and Scenic River 

Revised Comprehensive Management 

Plan/Supplemental Environmental 

Impact Statement (MCMP/SEIS) in 

2005. Subsequent court proceedings 

culminated in a 2006 U.S. District Court 

decision that invalidated the park’s 

MCMP/SEIS and ordered the NPS to 

prepare a new comprehensive 

management plan. On January 9, 2007, 

the NPS proposed a 33-month timeline 

to the court for the preparation of the 

NMRP/EIS, which would result in a 

Record of Decision on September 30, 

2009. The NPS initiated public scoping 

for the NMRP on March 28, 2007; a 

Notice of Intent to prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement was 

published on April 11, 2007 in the 

Federal Register (public scoping lasted 

74 days, closing on June 10, 2007). 

Concurrently, the NPS appealed U.S. 

District Court’s decision that the 2005 

MCMP/SEIS was invalid. On March 27, 

2008 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 

Ninth Circuit (Ninth Circuit) issued an 

opinion affirming the judgment of the 

District Court and expanding the scope 

of what the NPS had previously 

understood must be included in a 

legally valid Merced Wild and Scenic 

River Comprehensive Management Plan. 

Consequently the NPS is reopening 

public scoping for the NMRP/EIS so as 

to provide additional opportunity for 

public involvement in developing a new 

plan. 

The NMRP/EIS will address: resource 

protection; existing and potential 

development of lands and facilities; user 

capacities; and the kinds and amounts 

of use which the river area can sustain 

without impacting values for which it 

was designated. It will identify specific 

management measures that will be used 

to protect and enhance the 

outstandingly remarkable values (ORVs) 

for each of the river segments, including 

the scenic, recreational, geological, fish 

and wildlife, historic, cultural or other 

similar values. In addition, the NMRP/ 

EIS will address the quantity and 

mixture of recreation and other public 

uses that may be permitted without 

adverse impact to the ORVs, including 

a discussion of the maximum number of 

people that may be received at the river 

while protecting and enhancing the 

values for which the Merced and South 

Fork Merced were included in the Wild 

and Scenic Rivers system. 

Scoping and Public Meetings: The 

purpose of re-opening scoping is to 

receive any new public comments about 

issues and concerns that should be 

addressed in the New MRP/EIS, 

including a suitable range of 

alternatives, appropriate mitigation 

measures, and the nature and extent of 

potential environmental impacts. Given 

that all prior scoping comments remain 

under consideration, at this time only 

pertinent information or concerns not 

previously provided need to be 

submitted. Broad participation of 

interested individuals and organizations 

is important to the planning and 

analysis process. During this concluding 

phase, the public is invited to share new 

concerns that should be considered in 

the development of the draft NMRP/EIS. 

Yosemite National Park will also further 

consult tribal, federal, state, and local 

governments. The renewed opportunity 

for scoping will be posted on the park 

Web site, and press releases will be 

distributed to local and regional media. 

Dates, times, specific locations, and 

additional information will be released 

through regional and local news 

sources, and updates will be posted at 

www.nps.gov/yose/planning/mrp. In 

addition, updates regarding future 

public involvement opportunities, 

including workshops for alternatives 

formulation and later release of the draft 

NRMP/EIS for public review, will be 

similarly announced in regional news 

media and on the park’s Web site, and 

through direct mailings. 

Written comments should be 

addressed to the Superintendent, Attn: 

Merced River Plan, Yosemite National 

Park, PO Box 577, Yosemite National 

Park, CA 95389, or faxed to (209) 379– 

1294, and must be postmarked or 

transmitted not later than 60 days from 

the publication date of this NOI in the 

Federal Register (immediately upon 

confirmation of this date it will be 

posted on the park’s Web site and 

announced via local and regional press). 

Before including your address, phone 

number, e-mail address, or other 

personal identifying information in your 

comment, be advised 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 from public review your 

personal identifying information, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

Decision Process: At this time it is 

expected that following due 

consideration of all comments on the 

draft NRMP/EIS as may be received, the 

final NMRP/EIS would be made 

available during spring-summer 2012, 

with preparation of a Record of Decision 

anticipated during September, 2012. As 

a delegated EIS the official responsible 

for final approval of the NMRP/EIS is 

the Regional Director, Pacific West 

Region. Subsequently the official 

responsible for implementing the 

approved new Merced Wild and Scenic 

River Comprehensive Management Plan 

would be the Superintendent, Yosemite 

National Park. 

Dated: March 10, 2009. 

Jonathan B. Jarvis, 

Regional Director, Pacific West Region. 

[FR Doc. E9–15429 Filed 6–29–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4312–FY–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[LLNVS0100.L51010000.ER0000.

LVRWF09F8770; NVN–085077 and NVN– 

085801; 09–08807; TAS: 14X5017] 

Notice of Intent To Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

the Proposed NextLight Renewable 

Power, LLC, Silver State North Solar 

Project and Silver State South Solar 

Project, Primm, NV 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of intent. 

SUMMARY: In compliance with the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969, as amended (NEPA), the Bureau of 

Land Management (BLM), Las Vegas 

Field Office, will prepare one 

environmental impact statement (EIS) 

for two proposed solar energy projects 

located on public lands in Clark County, 

Nevada. Publication of this notice 

initiates the beginning of the scoping 

process to solicit public comments and 

identify issues. 

DATES: This notice initiates the public 

scoping process. Comments on issues 

may be submitted in writing until July 

30, 2009. The date(s) and location(s) of 

any scoping meetings will be 

announced at least 15 days in advance 

through local news media and the BLM 

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

en/fo/lvfo.html. 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES6
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 124 / Tuesday, June 30, 2009 / Notices 31307 

ADDRESSES: Submit comments related to 

the project by any of the following 

methods: 

• E-mail: 

Nextlight_Primm_NV_SEP@blm.gov 

• Fax: (702) 515–5010, attention 

Gregory Helseth. 

• Mail: BLM, Las Vegas Field Office, 

Attn: Gregory Helseth, 4701 North 

Torrey Pines Drive, Las Vegas, NV 

89130–2301. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information and/or to have your 

name added to the mailing list, contact 

Gregory Helseth, Renewable Energy 

Project Manager, at (702) 515–5173; or 

e-mail at 

Nextlight_Primm_NV_SEP@blm.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NextLight 

Renewable Power, LLC, has submitted 

two applications for rights-of-way for 

the construction, operation, 

maintenance, and termination of two 

solar energy generation sites. The two 

applications are identified as NVN– 

085077 Silver State South Solar Project, 

and NVN–085801 Silver State North 

Solar Project. The proposed projects 

would consist of photovoltaic panels 

and related right-of-way appurtenances, 

including a substation and switchyard 

facilities. The proposed projects, 

combined, would produce 

approximately 400 megawatts of 

electricity, and would be located on 

approximately 7,840 acres of public 

lands east of Primm, Nevada. 

Issues that are anticipated to be 

addressed in this EIS include threatened 

and endangered species impacts, visual 

impacts, socioeconomic impacts, and 

cumulative impacts. The EIS will 

analyze the site-specific impacts on air 

quality, biological resources, cultural 

resources, water resources, geological 

resources and hazards, hazardous 

materials handling, land and airspace 

use, noise, paleontological resources, 

public health, socioeconomics, soils, 

traffic and transportation, visual 

resources, waste management, worker 

safety, and fire protection, as well as 

facility design engineering, efficiency, 

reliability, transmission system 

engineering, transmission line safety, 

and nuisance. 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 or 

organizations that may be interested in 

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. 

Documents pertinent to this project 

may be examined at the Las Vegas Field 

Office. Additional opportunities for 

public participation will be provided 

upon publication of the draft EIS. 

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: 43 CFR Part 2800) 

Robert B. Ross Jr., 

Las Vegas Field Manager. 

[FR Doc. E9–15470 Filed 6–29–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–HC–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[LLWO350000.L14300000] 

Notice of Availability of Maps and 

Additional Public Scoping for 

Programmatic Environmental Impact 

Statement To Develop and Implement 

Agency-Specific Programs for Solar 

Energy Development; Bureau of Land 

Management Approach for Processing 

Existing and Future Solar Applications 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of Availability. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Energy 

(DOE) and the Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM) (the Agencies) are 

announcing the availability of maps 

depicting solar energy study areas to be 

analyzed in their joint Programmatic 

Environmental Impact Statement to 

Develop and Implement AgencySpecific Programs for Solar Energy 

Development (Solar PEIS) and the 

opportunity for additional public 

scoping. The BLM is issuing this Notice 

to inform the public of the availability 

of the solar energy study area maps; to 

solicit public comments for 

consideration in identifying 

environmental issues, existing resource 

data, and industry interest with respect 

to the solar energy study areas in 

particular; and to explain how the BLM 

will address existing and future solar 

energy development applications on 

BLM-administered lands. 

DATES: The time period for public 

comments starts with the publication of 

this notice in the Federal Register and 

will continue through July 30, 2009. 

Comments received or postmarked after 

that date will be considered to the 

extent practicable. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit written 

comments by the following methods: 

• Electronically, using the online 

comment form available on the project 

Web site: http://solareis.anl.gov. This is 

the preferred method of commenting. 

• In writing, addressed to: Solar 

Energy PEIS, Argonne National 

Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Avenue—EVS/ 

900, Argonne, IL 60439. 

Availability of Maps: Maps of the 

solar energy study areas are available 

electronically from the project Web site: 

http://solareis.anl.gov. The maps may 

also be obtained from the following 

BLM offices: 

Arizona State Office, One North Central 

Avenue, Suite 800, Phoenix, AZ 

85004. 

California State Office, 2800 Cottage 

Way, Suite W–1623, Sacramento, CA 

95825. 

Colorado State Office, 2850 Youngfield 

Street, Lakewood, CO 80215. 

Nevada State Office, 1340 Financial 

Blvd., Reno, NV 89520. 

New Mexico State Office, 1474 Rodeo 

Road, Santa Fe, NM 87505. 

Utah State Office, 440 West 200 South, 

Suite 500, Salt Lake City, UT 84101. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information contact: Linda 

Resseguie, BLM Washington Office, 

linda_resseguie@blm.gov, 202–452– 

7774; or Lisa Jorgensen, Department of 

Energy, Golden Field Office, 

lisa.jorgensen@go.doe.gov, 303–275– 

4906. You may also visit the Solar PEIS 

Web site at http://solareis.anl.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 

29, 2008, the Agencies published a 

Notice of Intent to Prepare a 

Programmatic Environmental Impact 

Statement to Evaluate Solar Energy 

Development (73 FR 30908). 

Subsequently, the Agencies held a series 

of public scoping meetings, received 

public comments, and published a 

scoping summary report, available at 

http://solareis.anl.gov. 

On March 11, 2009, the Secretary of 

the Interior issued Secretarial Order No. 

3285, which announced a policy goal of 

identifying and prioritizing specific 

locations best suited for large-scale 

production of solar energy. Also, the 

BLM received funding from the 

American Recovery and Reinvestment 

Act to accelerate permitting of 

renewable energy projects on public 

lands. A portion of that funding is being 

used to enhance the Solar PEIS by 

enabling in-depth environmental 

analysis of 24 specific tracts of public 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES6