[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 207 (Friday, October 24, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63430-63433]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-25294]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
[WO-300-9131-PP]
Notice of Availability of the Final Programmatic Environmental
Impact Statement for Leasing of Geothermal Resources in Eleven Western
United States and Alaska, Including Proposed Amendments to Selected
Land Use Plans
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior; and U.S. Forest Service,
Agriculture.
ACTION: Notice of Availability (NOA).
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SUMMARY: In accordance with section 202 of the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Council on
Environmental Quality's regulations implementing NEPA (40 CFR 1500-
1508), and applicable agency guidance, a Final Programmatic
Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) has been prepared on the leasing
of geothermal resources in 11 Western United States (U.S.) and Alaska.
The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service (FS) are co-lead agencies for
the PEIS. The Department of Energy (DOE) participated as a core team
member. The PEIS has been developed, in part, to support the amendment
of 122 resource management plans (RMP) covering public lands managed by
the BLM under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976
(FLPMA).
In accordance with the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Pub. L. 109-58,
August 8, 2005), the goal of the proposed action is to make geothermal
leasing decisions on pending lease applications submitted prior to
January 1, 2005, and to facilitate geothermal leasing decisions on
other existing and future lease applications and nominations on the
Federal mineral estate. The planning area encompasses about 530 million
acres of land with the potential for geothermal development in Alaska,
Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada,
Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
DATES: The proposed RMP amendments and Final PEIS for Leasing of
Geothermal Resources will be available for review for 30 days following
the date the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) publishes its Notice
of Availability in the Federal Register.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jack G. Peterson, BLM Project Manager
at (208) 373-4048 ([email protected]), Bureau of Land
Management, 1387 S. Vinnell Way, Boise, Idaho 83706 or Ivette Torres,
FS Program Manager at (703) 605-4792 ([email protected]), Forest
Service, Mail Stop 1126 RPC 5th, 1400 Independence Ave., SW.,
Washington, DC 20250 or visit the PEIS Web site at http://www.blm.gov/Geothermal_EIS.
ADDRESSES: A copy of the proposed RMP amendments and Final PEIS is
available for review via the Internet from a link at http://www.blm.gov/Geothermal_EIS. Hardcopies are available for review at BLM
State Offices and Field Offices. Electronic (on CD-ROM) and paper
copies may also be obtained by contacting Jack Peterson at the address
and phone number listed in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. The
proposed RMP amendments and Final
[[Page 63431]]
PEIS consist of three volumes: Volume I contains the proposed RMP
amendments and associated programmatic analyses; Volume II provides the
specific environmental analysis for the pending lease applications; and
Volume III contains the appendices, including responses to public
comments on the Draft PEIS.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Energy Policy Act of
2005, the BLM and FS propose to facilitate geothermal leasing of the
Federal mineral estate on lands administered by the BLM (termed
``public lands'') and by the FS (National Forest System [NFS] lands)
that have geothermal potential in the 11 Western States and Alaska.
Under the proposal, the BLM and FS would do the following: (1) Identify
public and NFS lands with geothermal potential as being open or closed
to leasing; (2) on public lands, identify lands that are
administratively closed or open to leasing and development, and under
what conditions; (3) develop a comprehensive list of stipulations, best
management practices (BMPs), and procedures to serve as consistent
guidance for future geothermal leasing and development on public and
NFS lands; (4) amend BLM RMPs to adopt the resource allocations,
stipulations, BMPs, and procedures; and (5) provide FS consent, if
applicable, to issue or deny geothermal lease applications pending as
of January 1, 2005, on public and NFS lands.
The need for the action is to: (1) Issue decisions on pending lease
applications in accordance with the Energy Policy Act of 2005; (2)
address other provisions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, respond to
other policy directives calling for clean and renewable energy (such as
state renewable portfolio standards), and meet the increasing energy
demands of the Nation; and (3) facilitate geothermal leasing decisions
on other existing and future lease applications and nominations on the
Federal mineral estate. The purpose of the action is to: (1) Complete
processing active pending geothermal lease applications; (2) amend BLM
land use plans to allocate lands with geothermal potential as being
closed or open with minor to major constraints to leasing; and (3)
provide suitable information to the FS to facilitate its subsequent
consent decisions for BLM leasing on NFS lands.
Over 530 million acres of the Western U.S. and Alaska have been
identified as potentially containing geothermal resources suitable for
commercial electrical generation and other direct uses, such as
heating. Much of the resource base is held in the Federal mineral
estate, for which the BLM has the delegated authority for processing
and issuing geothermal leases. The BLM is prohibited from issuing
leases on statutorily closed lands (see 43 CFR 3201.11), including
Wilderness Areas, wilderness study areas, lands contained in a unit of
the National Park System, National Recreation Areas, Indian trust or
restricted lands, and the Island Park Geothermal Areas (around the
border of Yellowstone National Park). Other areas closed to leasing by
existing laws, regulations, and Executive Orders include National
Monuments and designated wild rivers under the Wild and Scenic Rivers
Act.
Under the Proposed Action, the BLM would also apply discretionary
closures to: (1) Areas of Critical Environmental Concern where the BLM
determines that geothermal leasing and development would be
incompatible with the purposes for which the ACEC was designated, or
that have management plans that expressly preclude new leasing; (2)
National Conservation Areas, except the California Desert Conservation
Area; and (3) other lands in the BLM's National Landscape Conservation
System, such as historic and scenic trails.
The Notice of Intent to prepare the PEIS, published in the Federal
Register (72 FR 32679) on June 13, 2007, initiated the public scoping
process and invited the public to provide comments on the scope and
objectives of the PEIS. During the scoping process, the BLM and FS held
public scoping meetings in ten cities across the Western U.S.,
including Alaska. Over 170 individuals attended the scoping meetings.
The NOA announcing the RMP amendments and Draft PEIS was published
in the Federal Register on June 13, 2008. The public was given the
opportunity to provide comments on the RMP amendments and Draft PEIS
from June 13, 2008, to September 19, 2008. The BLM and FS held 13
public meetings to collect comments and answer questions on the RMP
amendments and Draft PEIS. Meetings were held in Reno, Nevada; Salt
Lake City, Utah; Tucson, Arizona; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Denver,
Colorado; Cheyenne, Wyoming; Helena, Montana; Boise, Idaho; Seattle,
Washington; Portland, Oregon; Sacramento, California; Anchorage,
Alaska; and Fairbanks, Alaska. About 220 people attended the meetings.
The RMP amendments and Draft PEIS were posted on the project Web site
at http://www.blm.gov/Geothermal_EIS and provided on request as a CD
or printed document.
Sixty-three individuals or organizations submitted comment letters
with about 500 unique comments on the RMP amendments and Draft PEIS. In
addition, two form letters were received. One form letter generated
over 700 copies pertaining to development in areas with sensitive
resources, such as National Parks. The second form letter generated
over 20 copies about development in the Medicine Lake, California,
area.
Public comments on the RMP amendments and Draft PEIS have been
incorporated into Volume 3 of the PEIS. The public provided input on a
wide variety of issues. The most prevalent comment pertained to
geothermal development in areas with sensitive resources, followed by
water resources and compatibility with other resource uses, such as
recreation and grazing.
Public comments on the RMP amendments and Draft PEIS were
considered and incorporated, as appropriate, into the proposed RMP
amendments and Final PEIS. Public comments resulted in the addition of
clarifying text for the analysis and proposed action, but did not
significantly change the proposed action.
Approximately 143 million acres of public (BLM) lands and 104
million acres of NFS lands have geothermal potential. The proposed RMP
amendments and Final PEIS proposes to identify approximately 118
million acres of public lands and 79 million acres of NFS lands as
available to potential geothermal leasing subject to existing laws,
regulations, formal orders, stipulations attached to the lease form,
and terms and conditions of the standard lease form. To protect special
resource values, the BLM and FS have developed a comprehensive list of
stipulations, conditions of approval, and BMPs.
In addition, a reasonable foreseeable development (RFD) scenario
was developed to predict future geothermal development trends. The RFD
scenario in the proposed RMP amendments and Final PEIS estimates a
potential for 5,540 megawatts (MW) of new electric generation capacity
from 111 new geothermal power plants in the 11 Western States and
Alaska by 2015. It also estimated an additional 6,600 MW from another
133 plants by 2025. The RFD scenario recognizes the great potential for
direct uses, including up to 270 western communities being able to
develop geothermal resources for heating buildings to offset the use of
conventional energy sources.
[[Page 63432]]
As noted above, the BLM manages the public lands pursuant to FLPMA.
Under FLPMA, in order for geothermal resource leasing and development
to take place on the public lands that BLM manages, such activities
must be provided for in the land use plan (also termed resource
management plan or RMP) for the affected administrative unit. Under the
Proposed Action, the BLM would amend 122 RMPs to adopt the allocations,
stipulations, best management practices, and procedures analyzed in the
PEIS. Therefore, in most cases, the BLM would be able to issue
geothermal leases on the basis of the analysis contained in this
document. The FS would use the document to facilitate subsequent
consent decisions for leasing on NFS lands. The following BLM RMPs and
Management Framework Plans (MFPs) (provided in Chapter 2 of the Final
PEIS) are proposed for amendment:
Table 1--BLM Land Use Plans Proposed for Amendment Under the PEIS
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State Land use plan(s)
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ALASKA............................ Central Yukon RMP, Kobuk-Seward RMP,
Ring of Fire RMP.
ARIZONA........................... Arizona Strip RMP, Kingman RMP, Lake
Havasu RMP, Lower Gila North MFP,
Lower Gila South RMP, Phoenix RMP,
Safford RMP, Yuma RMP.
CALIFORNIA........................ Alturas RMP, Arcata RMP, Bishop RMP,
Caliente RMP, Cedar Creek/Tule
Mountain Integrated RMP, E. San
Diego County RMP, Eagle Lake RMP,
Headwaters RMP, Hollister RMP,
Redding RMP, S. Diablo Mountain
Range and Central Coast RMP, South
Coast RMP, Surprise RMP, West
Mojave RMP.
COLORADO.......................... Glenwood Springs RMP, Grand Junction
RMP, Gunnison RMP, Kremmling RMP,
Little Snake RMP, Northeast RMP,
Royal Gorge RMP, San Juan/San
Miguel RMP, Uncompahgre Basin RMP,
White River RMP.
IDAHO............................. Bennett Hills/Timmerman Hills MFP,
Big Desert MFP, Big Lost MFP,
Bruneau MFP, Cascade RMP, Cassia
RMP, Challis RMP, Chief Joseph MFP,
Jarbidge RMP, Kuna MFP, Lemhi RMP,
Little Lost-Birch MFP, Magic MFP,
Malad MFP, Medicine Lodge RMP,
Monument RMP, Owyhee RMP, Pocatello
RMP, Sun Valley MFP, Twin Falls
MFP.
MONTANA........................... Big Dry RMP, Billings Resource Area
RMP, Dillon RMP, Garnet Resource
Area RMP, Judith Valley Phillips
RMP, North Headwaters RMP, Powder
River Resource Area RMP, West
HiLine RMP.
NEVADA............................ Carson City Consolidated RMP, Elko
RMP, Las Vegas RMP, Paradise-Denio
MFP, Shoshone-Eureka RMP, Sonoma-
Gerlach MFP, Tonopah RMP, Wells
RMP.
NEW MEXICO........................ Carlsbad RMP, Farmington RMP,
MacGregor Range RMP, Mimbres RMP,
Rio Puerco RMP, Roswell RMP,
Socorro RMP, Taos RMP, White Sands
RMP.
OREGON............................ Brothers/LaPine RMP, Eugene District
RMP, John Day River MP, John Day
RMP, Lower Deschutes RMP, Medford
RMP, Roseburg RMP, Salem RMP, Three
Rivers RMP, Two Rivers RMP.
UTAH.............................. Book Cliffs MFP, Box Elder RMP,
Cedar Beaver Garfield Antimony RMP,
Diamond Mountain RMP, Henry
Mountain MFP, House Range Resource
Area RMP, Iso-tract MFP, Mountain
Valley MFP, Paria MFP, Park City
MFP, Parker Mountain MFP, Pinyon
MFP, Pony Express RMP, Randolph
MFP, St. George (formerly Dixie)
RMP, Vermilion MFP, Warm Springs
Resource Area RMP, Zion MFP.
WASHINGTON........................ Spokane RMP.
WYOMING........................... Big Horn Basin RMP, Buffalo RMP,
Cody RMP, Grass Creek RMP, Great
Divide RMP, Green River RMP,
Kemmerer RMP, Lander RMP, Newcastle
RMP, Pinedale RMP, Platte River
RMP, Snake River RMP, Waskakie RMP.
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In addition to the Proposed Action, the PEIS evaluates two other
alternatives: The No Action Alternative and an alternative termed
Leasing Near Transmission Lines. Under the No Action Alternative, no
land use plans would be amended. Therefore, lease applications would
continue to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and would require
additional environmental review and possible land use plan amendments.
The Leasing Near Transmission Lines Alternative was developed based
on input from scoping. Under this alternative, the scope of lands
considered for leasing for commercial electrical generation would be
limited to those lands that are near transmission lines that currently
exist or are under development. While this alternative minimizes the
potential footprint of tie-in transmission lines from power plants to
distribution lines, it would limit the potential for geothermal energy
generation.
Based on analysis within the PEIS and public comments on the Draft
PEIS, the BLM has identified the Proposed Action as their preferred
alternative.
The BLM initiated activities to coordinate and consult with the
governors of each of the 12 states addressed in the PEIS and with state
agencies. Prior to the issuance of a record of decision approving the
land use plan amendments, the governor of each affected state will be
given the opportunity to identify any inconsistencies between the
proposed land use plan amendments and state or local plans and to
provide recommendations in writing.
Because developing this and other alternative energy resources is
of strategic importance in enhancing the Nation's domestic energy
supplies, the Assistant Secretary, Land and Minerals Management, in the
Department of the Interior is the responsible official for these
proposed BLM RMP amendments. The FLPMA and its implementing regulations
provide land use planning authority to the Secretary of the Interior,
as delegated to this Assistant Secretary. The Assistant Secretary, Land
and Minerals Management will be approving these proposed RMP
amendments. Therefore, there will be no administrative review (protest)
of the proposed amendments under the BLM or Departmental regulations
(43 CFR 1610.5-2). The Assistant Secretary, Land and Minerals
Management, is the responsible official for the decision (Record of
Decision) to be made with respect to the BLM RMP amendments.
In addition to the programmatic analysis pertaining to the land use
planning process, the PEIS provides environmental analysis for 19
pending leases in 7 geographical locations in Alaska, California,
Nevada, Oregon, and Washington that were pending as of January 1, 2005.
The alternatives evaluated for this analysis are intended to support FS
decision making as to whether or not to provide consent to the BLM
lease decisions, and to support BLM decision making as to whether to
issue or deny the lease.
[[Page 63433]]
Dated: October 3, 2008.
Henri Bisson,
Deputy Director, Bureau of Land Management.
Gloria Manning,
Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest System, U.S. Forest Service.
[FR Doc. E8-25294 Filed 10-23-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-84-P