[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 28 (Thursday, February 10, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7581-7582]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-2993]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLUT01000-09-L51010000-ER0000-24-1A00]
Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the Approved
Pony Express Resource Management Plan Amendment/Mona to Oquirrh
Transmission Corridor Project Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability
of the Record of Decision (ROD) for the Approved Pony Express Resource
Management Plan (RMP) Amendment and the Mona to Oquirrh Transmission
Corridor Project located in Juab, Salt Lake, Tooele, and Utah counties
in Utah. The Utah State Director signed the ROD on February 4, 2011,
which constitutes the final decision of the BLM. The Approved Pony
Express RMP Amendment is effective immediately.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the ROD/Approved Pony Express RMP Amendment are
available for public inspection at the Salt Lake Field Office, Bureau
of Land Management, 2370 South 2300 West, Salt Lake City, Utah 84119,
and the Fillmore Field Office, Bureau of Land Management, 35 East 500
North, Fillmore, Utah 84631, or via the internet at: http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/salt_lake/planning/mona_to_oquirrh_transmission.html.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information contact Cindy
Ledbetter, NEPA/Planning Coordinator, by telephone at (801) 977-4300;
or by mail at 2370 South 2300 West, Salt Lake City, UT, 84119.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: After extensive environmental analysis,
consideration of public comments, and application of pertinent Federal
laws and policies, it is the decision of the BLM to issue a right-of-
way grant to Rocky Mountain Power for the construction, operation, and
maintenance of approximately 35 miles of single-circuit 500 kilovolt
(kV) and 0.25 mile of double-circuit 345kV transmission line, one new
500/345/138kV substation, ancillary facilities, and access roads for
the construction of the project across public lands administered by the
BLM West Desert District; and to amend the Pony Express RMP. The right-
of-way grant will authorize the use of public lands for the project for
a term of 30 years, which is subject to renewal. The Approved Pony
Express RMP Amendment allows for the issuance of a major right-of-way
outside of a designated corridor on public lands administered by the
BLM Salt Lake Field Office in Salt Lake, Tooele, and Utah counties,
Utah.
The BLM and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) each published a
Notice of Availability (NOA) of the Draft Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS)/Draft Pony Express RMP Amendment for public review and
comment in the Federal Register on May 15, 2009, which initiated a 90-
day public comment period. The comment period ended on August 12, 2009.
The BLM received 235 submittals containing comments from Federal,
State, and local governments; public and private organizations; and
private citizens. The comments in each submittal were identified,
analyzed, and addressed in the Final EIS.
The Final EIS analyzed 14 transmission line route alternatives and
[[Page 7582]]
disclosed impacts associated with these alternatives, including the
BLM's Preferred Alternative on Federal Lands, the Environmentally
Preferred Alternative, the Proponent's Proposed Action, and the No
Action Alternative. The BLM's decision authorizes issuance of a right-
of-way grant to Rocky Mountain Power for the BLM's Preferred
Alternative on BLM administered lands, as analyzed in the Final EIS.
Updated wilderness characteristics inventories were used during the
planning process for this amendment. Land with wilderness
characteristics is not present along the right-of-way approved in this
ROD.
The BLM published an NOA of the Final EIS/Proposed Pony Express RMP
Amendment for public review and comment in the Federal Register on
April 23, 2010, and the EPA published the NOA in the Federal Register
on April 26, 2010.
After publication of the Final EIS/Proposed Pony Express RMP
Amendment, 14 protests on the Proposed Pony Express RMP Amendment were
received during the 30-day protest period beginning April 26, 2010, and
ending on May 25, 2010, pursuant to 43 CFR 1610.5-2. Each of the 14
protests were either dismissed or denied by the BLM Director.
The Utah Governor's Office did not identify any inconsistencies
between the project Final EIS/Proposed Pony Express RMP Amendment and
state or local plans, policies, and programs during the 60-day
Governor's Consistency Review, initiated April 28, 2010, in accordance
with planning regulations at 43 CFR 1610.3-2(e). As a result of the
Governor's Consistency Review, only minor editorial modifications were
made in preparing the Approved Pony Express RMP Amendment. These
modifications provided further clarification on some of the decisions.
Any party adversely affected by the decision on the right-of-way
application may appeal within 30 days of publication of this NOA,
pursuant to 43 CFR Part 4 subpart E., and 43 CFR 2801.10. If you wish
to file a petition for a stay of effectiveness of the right-of-way
decision during the time your appeal is being reviewed by the Interior
Board of Appeals, the petition for a stay must accompany your Notice of
Appeal (43 CFR 4.21 or 43 CFR 2801.10). The appeal and petition for a
stay (if requested) must be filed with the Utah State Director at BLM,
Utah State Office, P.O. Box 45155, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84145-0155,
within 30 days of publication of this NOA. The appeal should state the
specific decision(s) in the ROD which is being appealed. Please consult
the appropriate regulations (43 CFR part 4, subpart E) for further
appeal requirements.
Juan Palma,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 2011-2993 Filed 2-9-11; 8:45 am]
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