Notice2023-24884
Notice of Intent To Amend the Resource Management Plan and Prepare an Associated Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Esmeralda Solar Projects, Esmeralda County, Nevada
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Published
November 13, 2023
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentLand Management Bureau
Abstract
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) Nevada State Director intends to prepare a Resource Management Plan (RMP) amendment with an associated Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for public lands in Esmeralda County, Nevada, and by this notice is announcing the beginning of the scoping period to solicit public comments and identify issues, providing the planning criteria for public review, and announcing a comment period of 30 days.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 217 (Monday, November 13, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 217 (Monday, November 13, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 77605-77607]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-24884]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[BLM_NV_FRN_MO4500174054]
Notice of Intent To Amend the Resource Management Plan and
Prepare an Associated Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for
the Esmeralda Solar Projects, Esmeralda County, Nevada
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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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)
[[Page 77606]]
Nevada State Director intends to prepare a Resource Management Plan
(RMP) amendment with an associated Programmatic Environmental Impact
Statement (PEIS) for public lands in Esmeralda County, Nevada, and by
this notice is announcing the beginning of the scoping period to
solicit public comments and identify issues, providing the planning
criteria for public review, and announcing a comment period of 30 days.
DATES: The BLM requests that the public submit comments concerning the
scope of the analysis, potential alternatives, and identification of
relevant information and studies by December 13, 2023. To afford the
BLM the opportunity to consider issues raised by commenters in the
Draft RMP Amendment/PEIS, please ensure your comments are received
prior to the close of the 30-day scoping period or 15 days after the
last public meeting, whichever is later.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on issues and planning criteria
related to the RMP Amendment and associated PEIS by any of the
following methods:
<bullet> <a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2020804/510">https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2020804/510</a>.
<bullet> Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#95f2fdf0f9e6f0e1fdd5f7f9f8bbf2fae3"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="1f78777a736c7a6b775f7d737231787069">[email protected]</span></a>.
<bullet> Fax: 775-482-7810.
<bullet> Mail: BLM, Tonopah Field Office, P.O. Box 911,1553 South
Main Street, Tonopah, NV 89049.
Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined online at <a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2020804/510">https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2020804/510</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information and/or to have
your name added to the mailing list, send requests to: Perry B.
Wickham, Field Manager, at telephone (775) 482-7801; address P.O. Box
911, 1553 South Main Street, Tonopah, NV 89049; or email
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#8efef9e7ede5e6efe3ceece2e3a0e9e1f8"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7202051b11191a131f32101e1f5c151d04">[email protected]</span></a>. Individuals in the United States who are deaf,
deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711
(TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services.
Individuals outside the United States should use the relay services
offered within their country to make international calls to the point-
of-contact in the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This document provides notice that the BLM
Nevada State Director intends to prepare an RMP amendment with an
associated PEIS for the Esmeralda Solar Projects in Esmeralda County,
Nevada, announces the beginning of the scoping process, and seeks
public input on issues and planning criteria. The RMP amendment would
change the existing 1997 Tonopah Field Office Record of Decision and
Approved RMP. The RMP amendment is being considered in order to change
the management direction for visual resources and slope in order to
allow for the consideration of the proposed solar development projects.
The planning area is in Esmeralda County, Nevada, and encompasses
approximately 118,630.90 acres of public land.
Purpose and Need
The BLM's purpose for this Federal action is to respond to the
solar project FLPMA right-of-way applications submitted under Title V
of FLPMA (43 U.S.C. 1761) and to amend the visual and slope management
direction in the Tonopah RMP in compliance with the FLPMA BLM right-of-
way regulations (43 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 2800) and other
applicable Federal and State laws and policies. In accordance with
FLPMA, there is a need to consider the long-term needs of future
generations for renewable and non-renewable resources in the context of
the multiple resource objectives in the Tonopah RMP planning area.
Preliminary Alternatives
Under the No Action alternative, the BLM would not amend the visual
and slope management direction in the Tonopah RMP and would not
consider design features for use in solar development projects in the
planning area. Under the proposed action alternative, the BLM would
change the visual and slope management direction in the Tonopah RMP
Amendment and consider design features for use in future analyses of
the individual solar projects in the planning area. The BLM welcomes
comments and suggestions for additional alternatives.
Planning Criteria
The planning criteria guide the planning effort and lay the
groundwork for effects analysis by identifying the preliminary issues
and their analytical frameworks. The planning criteria are available
for public review and comment at the ePlanning website (see ADDRESSES).
Summary of Expected Impacts
Through this RMP Amendment and PEIS, the BLM would change the
visual and slope management direction in the Tonopah RMP Amendment and
consider best management practices for use in future analyses of the
individual projects. Prior to implementation of the individual solar
projects, site-specific NEPA analysis would be required. Preliminary
issues for the planning area have been identified by BLM personnel and
from feedback received during early engagement conducted for this
planning effort with Federal, State, and local agencies; Tribes; and
stakeholders. The PEIS will analyze the effects of the proposed changes
in RMP management direction, the cumulative effects of the seven
proposed solar projects, and the implementation of design features on:
<bullet> Air Resources
<bullet> Biological Resources
<bullet> Cultural and Native American Concerns
<bullet> Hydrologic Resources
<bullet> Socioeconomics and Environmental Justice
<bullet> Visual Resources
Schedule for the Decision-Making Process
The BLM will provide additional opportunities for public
participation consistent with the NEPA and land use planning processes,
including a 90-day comment period on the Draft RMP Amendment/PEIS and
concurrent 30-day public protest period and 60-day Governor's
consistency review on the Proposed RMP Amendment. The Draft RMP
Amendment/PEIS is anticipated to be available for public review in the
winter of 2024 and the Proposed RMP Amendment/Final PEIS is anticipated
to be available for public protest in the summer of 2024 with an
Approved RMP Amendment and Record of Decision in late December 2024.
Public Scoping Process
Two virtual public meetings will be held. The dates of the meetings
and information on how to participate will be announced at least 15
days in advance through the ePlanning page (see ADDRESSES) and
applicable local newspapers.
This notice of intent initiates the scoping period and public
review of the planning criteria, which guide the development and
analysis of the Draft RMP Amendment/PEIS.
Through the scoping process the BLM is requesting input on the
scope of the environmental analysis, alternatives that should be
considered, issues that should be analyzed, measures to minimize and/or
avoid adverse environmental impacts, and any other information relevant
to the proposed area of effect.
Lead and Cooperating Agencies
The BLM Battle Mountain District Office is the lead agency for this
RMP Amendment and PEIS. The BLM has initially identified the following
agencies and organizations as potential cooperating agencies: Bureau of
Indian Affairs, Department of the Air Force,
[[Page 77607]]
Department of Defense, National Park Service, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency Region 9, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest
Service, Nevada Department of Transportation, Nevada Department of
Wildlife, Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, Nevada Division
of Minerals, Nevada Division of State Lands, Nevada State Historic
Preservation Office, Esmeralda County, and Nye County. Additional
agencies and organizations may be identified as potential cooperating
agencies to participate in the environmental analysis for the RMP
Amendment/PEIS.
Responsible Official
The Nevada State Director is the deciding official for this
planning effort.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The nature of the decision to be made will be the Nevada State
Director's selection of land use planning decisions for managing BLM-
administered lands under the principles of multiple use and sustained
yield in a manner that best addresses the purpose and need.
Interdisciplinary Team
The BLM will use an interdisciplinary approach to develop the 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 this planning effort: geology and
soils, vegetation and noxious and invasive species, wildlife,
hydrology, air quality, minerals, paleontology, visual resources,
cultural resources, socioeconomics, public health and safety, land use
and recreation, special designations, and others deemed necessary based
on the results of the scoping process.
Additional Information
The BLM will identify, analyze, and consider mitigation to address
the reasonably foreseeable impacts to resources from the proposed plan
amendment and all analyzed reasonable alternatives and, in accordance
with 40 CFR 1502.14(e), include appropriate mitigation measures not
already included in the proposed plan amendment or alternatives.
Mitigation may include avoidance, minimization, rectification,
reduction or elimination over time, and compensation; and may be
considered at multiple scales, including the landscape scale.
The BLM will utilize and coordinate the NEPA and land use planning
processes for this planning effort to help support compliance with
applicable procedural requirements under the Endangered Species Act (16
U.S.C. 1536) and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act
(54 U.S.C. 306108) as provided in 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3), including public
involvement requirements of Section 106. The information about historic
and cultural resources and threatened and endangered species within the
area potentially affected by the proposed plan will assist the BLM in
identifying and evaluating impacts to such resources.
The BLM will consult with Indian Tribes on a government-to-
government basis in accordance with Executive Order 13175, BLM MS 1780,
and other Departmental 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 Indian Tribal Nations and other stakeholders that may be
interested in or affected by the proposed RMP Amendment and PEIS 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. The BLM intends to hold a series of government-to-
government consultation meetings. The BLM will send invites to
potentially affected Tribal Nations prior to the meetings. The BLM will
provide additional opportunities for government-to-government
consultation during the NEPA process.
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: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 43 CFR 1610.2)
Jon K. Raby,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 2023-24884 Filed 11-9-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331-21-P
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