Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 129 / Wednesday, July 8, 2009 / Notices 32641 

cockaded woodpecker (Picoides 

borealis), interior least tern (Sterna 

antillarum), Barton Springs salamander 

(Eurycea sosorum), Houston toad (Bufo 

houstonensis), Texas blind salamander 

(Typholomolge rathbuni), fountain 

darter (Etheostoma fonticola), San 

Marcos gambusia (Gambusia gorgei), 

Peck’s Cave amphipod (Stygobromus 

pecki), Comal Springs dryopid beetle 

(Stygoparnus comalensis), Comal 

Springs riffle beetle (Heterlmis 

comalensis), ground beetle (Rhadine 

exilis), ground beetle (Rhadine 

infernalis), Helotes mold beetle 

(Batrisodes venyivi), Cokendolpher Cave 

harvestman (Texella cockendolpheri), 

Robber Baron Cave meshweaver 

(Cicurina baronia), Madla Cave 

meshweaver (Circurina madla), Braken 

Bat Cave meshweaver (Circurina venii), 

Government Canyon Bat Cave 

meshweaver (Cicurina vespera), 

Government Canyon Bat Cave spider 

(Neoleptoneta microps), Tooth Cave 

spider (Leptoneta myopica), Bee Creek 

Cave harvestman (Texella reddelli), 

Bone Cave harvestman (Texella reyesi), 

Kretschmarr Cave mold beetle 

(Batrisodes texanus), and Tooth Cave 

pseudoscorpion (Tartarocreagris 

texana) within Texas, Oklahoma, New 

Mexico, Louisiana, and Mississippi. 

Permit TE–217655 

Applicant: Rachel Barlow, Austin, 

Texas. Applicant requests a new permit 

for research and recovery purposes to 

conduct presence/absence surveys of 

the following species: Ground beetle 

(Rhadine exilis), ground beetle (Rhadine 

infernalis), Helotes mold beetle 

(Batrisodes venyivi), Cokendolpher Cave 

harvestman (Texella cockendolpheri), 

Robber Baron Cave meshweaver 

(Cicurina baronia), Madla Cave 

meshweaver (Circurina madla), Braken 

Bat Cave meshweaver (Circurina venii), 

Government Canyon Bat Cave 

meshweaver (Cicurina vespera), 

Government Canyon Bat Cave spider 

(Neoleptoneta microps), Tooth Cave 

spider (Leptoneta myopica), Bee Creek 

Cave harvestman (Texella reddelli), 

Bone Cave harvestman (Texella reyesi), 

Kretschmarr Cave mold beetle 

(Batrisodes texanus), Tooth Cave 

pseudoscorpion (Tartarocreagris 

texana), Tooth Cave spider (Neolptoneta 

myopica), Tooth Cave ground beetle 

(Rhadine persephone), and Coffin Cave 

mold beetle (Batrisodes texanus) within 

Texas 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq. 

Dated: June 19, 2009. 

Brian A. Millsap, 

Acting Regional Director, Southwest Region, 

Fish and Wildlife Service. 

[FR Doc. E9–16137 Filed 7–7–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[LLAZP02000.L51010000.ER0000.

LVRWA09A2400; AZA–34187] 

Notice of Intent To Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

the Proposed Sonoran Solar Energy 

Project, Maricopa County, AZ 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of Intent. 

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM), Phoenix District 

Office, Lower Sonoran Field Office 

intends to prepare an Environmental 

Impact Statement (EIS) to address 

potential effects of a proposed solar 

energy project by Boulevard Associates, 

LLC and by this notice is announcing 

the beginning of the scoping process 

and soliciting input on the 

identification of issues. 

DATES: The BLM will announce public 

scoping meetings to identify relevant 

issues through news media, 

newspapers, and BLM’s Web site 

(http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en.html) at 

least 15 days prior to each meeting. We 

will provide additional opportunities 

for public participation upon 

publication of the Draft EIS, including a 

45-day public comment period. 

ADDRESSES: Comments may be 

submitted by either of the following 

methods: 

• Mail: Sonoran Solar Energy Project, 

• ATTN: Joe Incardine, National 

Project Manager, BLM Phoenix District 

Office, Lower Sonoran Field Office, 

21605 North 7th Avenue, Phoenix, 

Arizona 85027–2929. 

• Electronic Mail: 

sonoransolar@blm.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

information regarding the BLM process 

or to have your name added to the 

mailing list, send requests to: ATTN: 

Sonoran Solar Energy Project, BLM 

Phoenix District Office, Lower Sonoran 

Field Office, 21605 North 7th Avenue, 

Phoenix, Arizona 85027–2929, or call 

Joe Incardine, 801–524–3833, or e-mail: 

Joe_Incardine@blm.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

purpose of the public scoping process is 

to determine relevant issues that will 

influence the scope of the 

environmental analysis, including 

alternatives, and guide the planning 

process. Boulevard Associates, LLC has 

applied to BLM for a right of way (ROW) 

on public lands to construct a 

concentrated solar thermal (CST) power 

plant, a 500 kilovolt (kV) transmission 

line, water supply facilities, a natural 

gas pipeline, an access road, and other 

related facilities in the Little Rainbow 

Valley, east of State Route 85, and south 

of the Buckeye Hills and the town of 

Buckeye in Maricopa County, Arizona. 

The facility would be expected to 

operate for approximately 30 years. A 

ROW grant for the construction, 

operation, and maintenance of this 

Project would be required from BLM. 

Additional applicable permits from 

Federal, State and local agencies may 

also be required. 

Boulevard Associates, LLC would 

construct up to 375 megawatts (MW) of 

solar thermal electrical generation with 

options for natural gas backup and/or 

thermal storage capabilities. The solar 

facility would consist of solar fields 

made up of single-axis-tracking 

parabolic trough solar collectors. Each 

collector contains a linear parabolicshaped reflector (glass mirrors) that 

focuses the sun’s direct radiation on a 

heat collection element located at the 

focal point of the parabola. The 

collectors would track the sun from east 

to west during the day to ensure the sun 

is continuously focused on the linear 

receiver. A heat transfer fluid would be 

heated as it passes through the receivers 

and then circulated through a series of 

heat exchangers to generate highpressure superheated steam. The steam 

would power a conventional steam 

turbine generator which produces 

electricity. The plant would be made up 

of one or more power blocks. Each 

power block would be located near the 

center of its respective solar field and 

would contain multiple feedwater 

heaters, steam generators, steam 

superheaters, and feedwater pumps. 

To optimize the output capacity of the 

project, both natural gas backup and/or 

thermal energy storage would be used as 

needed. Natural gas backup would 

include the addition of a partial or full 

load burner arrangement that would 

generate additional steam when solar 

energy is absent or insufficient by itself. 

Annual output from natural gas would 

be limited to 25 percent of annual 

capacity to ensure that the plant 

remains predominantly a solar powered 

facility. Thermal energy storage would 

provide the option of transferring some 

or all of the solar energy into molten salt 

contained in insulated tanks. Using heat 

exchangers and pumps designed for 

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32642 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 129 / Wednesday, July 8, 2009 / Notices 

molten salt, the heat could later be 

extracted to provide generation when 

the demand for power exceeds the 

available generation from solar energy, 

essentially time shifting the solar power 

to respond to electric demands. 

Wet cooling technology would be 

used for cooling the power generating 

equipment. Recirculating wet cooling 

systems use about 6 to 13 acre-feet per 

year per MW for a system with 3 hours 

of thermal storage. A mechanical draft 

cooling tower, cooling water circulating 

pumps, circulating water piping, valves, 

and instrumentation would also be 

located within the facility. Multiple 

evaporation ponds would be 

constructed to hold discharge from the 

cooling towers and steam cycle that can 

no longer be recycled back into the 

plant. 

The Project would be connected to the 

electrical grid using a newly 

constructed, 3 to 4 mile, 500 kV 

generation tie-line with a point of 

interconnection at the existing Jojoba 

Substation, west of the proposed Project 

site and operated by the Salt River 

Project. If any upgrades would be 

required to the Jojoba Substation as a 

result of this Project, those upgrades 

would be included in the EIS analysis 

and ROW grant. The new transmission 

line and other related facilities that 

would be developed specifically for this 

Project would be included in the EIS 

analysis and included in the ROW grant 

as appropriate. 

The EIS for the Project will analyze 

the site-specific impacts related to air 

quality, biological resources, cultural 

resources, water resources, geological 

resources and hazards, and hazardous 

materials handling. The EIS will also 

analyze land use, noise, paleontological 

resources, socioeconomics, soils, traffic 

and transportation, visual resources, 

waste management, wildlife corridors, 

health and human safety, and fire 

protection. Additionally, information on 

facility design engineering, efficiency, 

reliability, transmission system 

engineering and transmission line safety 

and nuisance will be included in the 

EIS. 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. It is anticipated that 

the EIS process will be completed by 

December 2010. 

To be most helpful, you should 

submit comments within 30 days after 

the last public meeting. 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 the public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

If the ROW were to be approved by 

BLM, the concentrated solar thermal 

power plant facility on public lands 

would be authorized in accordance with 

Title V of the Federal Land Policy and 

Management Act of 1976 and the 

Federal Regulations at 43 CFR part 

2800. 

(Authority: 43 CFR part 2800) 

Helen M. Hankins, 

Acting State Director. 

[FR Doc. E9–15974 Filed 7–7–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–32–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[LLWYP00000–L13200000–EL0000, 

LLWYP00000–L51100000–GA0000– 

LVEMK09CK320, LLWYP00000–L51100000– 

GA0000–LVEMK09CK340, LLWYP00000– 

L51100000–GA0000–LVEMK09CK370; 

WYW164812, WYW174596, WYW172388, 

WYW172685, WYW173408, WYW176095] 

Notice of Availability and Notice of 

Hearing for the Wright Area Coal Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement That 

Includes Four Federal Coal Lease-byApplications, WY 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of Availability. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969 (NEPA) and the Federal Land 

Policy and Management Act of 1976 

(FLPMA), the Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM) has prepared a Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) 

for the Wright Area Coal project that 

contains four Federal coal Lease-byApplications (LBAs), and by this Notice 

is announcing a public hearing 

requesting comments on the DEIS, on 

the Maximum Economic Recovery 

(MER), and on the Fair Market Value 

(FMV) of the Federal coal resources. 

DATES: To ensure comments will be 

considered, the BLM must receive 

written comments on the Wright Area 

Coal DEIS, MER, and FMV within 60 

days following June 26, 2009, the date 

the Environmental Protection Agency 

published the Notice of Availability in 

the Federal Register [74 FR 30570]. The 

public hearing will be held at 7 p.m. 

MST, on July 29, 2009, at the Clarion 

Inn, 2009 S. Douglas Hwy., Gillette, 

Wyoming. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by any of the following methods: 

• E-mail: casper_wymail@blm.gov. 

Please include ‘‘Wright Area Coal 

DEIS—Sarah Bucklin’’ in the subject 

line. 

• Fax: 307–261–7587, Attn: Sarah 

Bucklin. 

• Mail: Wyoming High Plains District 

Office, Bureau of Land Management, 

Attn: Sarah Bucklin, 2987 Prospector 

Drive, Casper, Wyoming 82604. 

• Written comments may also be 

hand-delivered to the BLM Wyoming 

High Plains District Office in Casper. 

Copies of the DEIS are available at the 

following BLM office locations: BLM 

Wyoming State Office, 5353 

Yellowstone Road, Cheyenne, Wyoming 

82009; and BLM Wyoming High Plains 

District Office, 2987 Prospector Drive, 

Casper, Wyoming 82604. The DEIS is 

available electronically at the following 

Web site: http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/ 

info/NEPA/cfodocs/WrightCoal.html. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Sarah Bucklin or Mike Karbs, BLM 

Wyoming High Plains District Office, 

2987 Prospector Drive, Casper, 

Wyoming 82604. Ms. Bucklin or Mr. 

Karbs may also be reached at (307) 261– 

7600 or by e-mail at 

casper_wymail@blm.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DEIS 

analyzes the potential impacts of issuing 

leases for six Federal coal maintenance 

tracts serialized as WYW164812 (North 

Hilight Field Tract), WYW174596 

(South Hilight Field Tract), 

WYW172388 (West Hilight Field Tract), 

WYW172685 (West Jacobs Ranch Tract), 

WYW173408 (North Porcupine Tract), 

and WYW176095 (South Porcupine 

Tract) in the decertified Powder River 

Federal Coal Production Region, 

Wyoming. The BLM is considering 

issuing these six coal leases as a result 

of four applications filed in accordance 

with 43 CFR part 3425 between October 

2005 and September 2006. 

Supplementary information by tract is 

as follows: 

North and South Hilight Field Tracts 

On October 7, 2005, Ark Land 

Company applied for Federal coal 

reserves in two maintenance tracts 

encompassing approximately 4,590.19 

acres and 588.2 million tons of coal as 

estimated by the applicant. The tracts 

are adjacent to the Black Thunder Mine 

operated by Thunder Basin Coal 

Company. BLM determined that the 

application would be processed as two 

separate tracts. The tracts are referred to 

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