Notice2024-00942
Notice of Intent To Amend the Carson City Field Office Consolidated Resource Management Plan and Prepare an Associated Environmental Assessment for the Dodge Flat II Solar Energy Center in Washoe County, NV
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
January 19, 2024
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 Environmental Assessment for the Dodge Flat II Solar Energy Center and by this notice is announcing the beginning of the scoping period to solicit public comments and identify issues, and is providing the planning criteria for public review.
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 13 (Friday, January 19, 2024)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 13 (Friday, January 19, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3686-3687]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-00942]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[BLM_NV_FRN_MO#4500176350]
Notice of Intent To Amend the Carson City Field Office
Consolidated Resource Management Plan and Prepare an Associated
Environmental Assessment for the Dodge Flat II Solar Energy Center in
Washoe County, 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), 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 Environmental Assessment for the Dodge
Flat II Solar Energy Center and by this notice is announcing the
beginning of the scoping period to solicit public comments and identify
issues, and is providing the planning criteria for public review.
DATES: The BLM requests the public submit comments concerning the scope
of the analysis, potential alternatives, and identification of relevant
information and studies by February 20, 2024. To afford the BLM the
opportunity to consider issues raised by the public, please ensure your
comments are received prior to the close of the 30-day scoping period.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on issues and planning criteria
related to the Dodge Flat II Solar Energy Center by any of the
following methods:
<bullet> Website: <a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2027081/510">https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2027081/510</a>.
<bullet> Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#07454b4a584951584444434858436863606258416b66735854686b667547656b6a29606871"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f6b4babba9b8a0a9b5b5b2b9a9b299929193a9b09a9782a9a5999a9784b6949a9bd8919980">[email protected]</span></a>.
<bullet> Mail: BLM, Carson City District Office, Attn: Dodge Flat
II Solar Energy Center, 5665 Morgan Mill Rd., Carson City, NV 89701.
Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined online at
<a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2027081/510">https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2027081/510</a> and at the
Carson City District Office.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Katy Paiva, Realty Specialist,
telephone (775) 885-6034; address 5665 Morgan Mill Rd., Carson City, NV
89701; email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f79c87969e8196b7959b9ad9909881"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="98f3e8f9f1eef9d8faf4f5b6fff7ee">[email protected]</span></a>. Contact Katy Paiva to have your name added
to our mailing list. 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 Environmental Assessment for the Dodge Flat II Solar Energy
Center, announces the beginning of the scoping process, and seeks
public input on issues and planning criteria. The RMP amendment is
being considered to allow the BLM to evaluate the use of approximately
71 acres of public land that are identified as ``exclusion lands'' in
the 2012 ``Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Solar
Energy Development in Six Southwestern States (Arizona, California,
Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah)'' (Solar Programmatic EIS)
Record of Decision due to slope criteria. The use of these exclusion
lands for solar power generation would require amending the existing
2001 Carson City Field Office Consolidated Resource Management Plan, as
amended by the Solar Programmatic EIS Record of Decision. The planning
area is located in Washoe County, Nevada, and encompasses approximately
700 acres of public land. The scope of this land use planning process
does not include addressing the evaluation or designation of Areas of
Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs), and the BLM is not considering
ACEC nominations as part of this process.
Purpose and Need
The BLM's purpose for this Federal action is to respond to the
right-of-way application submitted under Title V of the FLPMA (43
U.S.C. 1761), and to amend the slope management direction in the 2001
Carson City Field Office
[[Page 3687]]
Consolidated Resource Management Plan in compliance with the BLM right-
of-way regulations (43 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 2001 Carson City Field Office Consolidated Resource
Management Plan planning area.
Preliminary Alternatives
Under the No Action alternative, the BLM would not approve the
proposed Dodge Flat II Solar Energy Center on public lands that are
currently excluded from utility-scale solar energy development due to
slopes exceeding 5 percent and would not amend the slope management
direction in the 2001 Carson City Field Office Consolidated Resource
Management Plan. Under the proposed action alternative, the BLM would
change the slope management direction in the 2001 Carson City Field
Office Consolidated Resource Management Plan to allow for the Dodge
Flat II Solar Energy Center to be developed as currently proposed. 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. Preliminary issues for the planning
area have been identified by BLM personnel and from early engagement
conducted for this planning effort with Federal, State, and local
agencies; Tribes; and other stakeholders. The BLM has identified 10
preliminary issues for this planning effort's analysis. The planning
criteria are available for public review and comment on the National
NEPA Register website (see ADDRESSES).
Public Scoping Process
This notice of intent initiates the scoping period and public
review of the planning criteria, which guide the development and
analysis of the RMP amendment and associated Environmental Assessment.
The BLM will be holding one virtual scoping meeting. The specific date
and time of the scoping meeting will be announced at least 15 days in
advance through the National NEPA Register project web page <a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2027081/510">https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2027081/510</a>.
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: air quality,
cultural resources, botany, climate change (greenhouse gases),
environmental justice, grazing, human health and safety, land use and
authorizations, migratory birds, noise impacts, socioeconomics,
transportation, visual resources, water quality, and wildlife.
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 amendment 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 Tribes and other stakeholders that may be interested in or
affected by the proposed Dodge Flat II Solar Energy Center project 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.
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. 2024-00942 Filed 1-18-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331-21-P
</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on January 19, 2024.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.