[Federal Register: March 13, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 50)]
[Notices]
[Page 13558-13560]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr13mr08-71]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[CA 680-08-5101-ER B266] [CACA 49138]
Notice of Intent and Notice of Preparation To Prepare a Joint
Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report and
California Desert Conservation Area Plan Amendment, California
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Intent/Notice of Preparation.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (NEPA), as amended, and the California Environmental Quality Act
(CEQA), the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
(BLM), together with the County of San Bernardino, California (County),
intend to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental
Impact Report
[[Page 13559]]
(EIS/EIR) to assess the impacts of the Calnev Pipeline Expansion
Project (Calnev Project). The Calnev Project runs adjacent to a portion
of the existing Calnev system, from the North Colton terminal in the
City of Colton, California to the Las Vegas Terminal in Las Vegas,
Nevada. The Calnev Project is proposed by Calnev Pipe Line, LLC
(Applicant). The Applicant has requested a new right-of-way (ROW) for
pipeline reconstruction and new pipeline construction covering 233
miles. The EIS/EIR will analyze the site-specific and cumulative
impacts to the environment from the construction, operation, and
maintenance of the new pipeline. Actions under consideration by the BLM
are the grant of the ROW and amendment to the California Desert
Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan. Actions under consideration by the
County are amendment to a franchise agreement and a Conditional Use
Permit. The BLM will be the lead agency for NEPA compliance and the
County will be the lead agency for the purposes of CEQA compliance.
DATES: A public scoping period of 60 days commences with the publishing
of this notice. In order to be assured inclusion in the Draft EIS/EIR,
written comments must be received prior to the close of the scoping
period on May 12, 2008 at the address identified below. The public is
also invited to make comments or hear more about the project at the
following public scoping meetings:
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Rialto Middle School, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., presentation at 6:30 p.m.
324 N. Palm Ave., Rialto, CA
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Victor Elementary School District, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., presentation
at 6:30 p.m. (Nisqualli Room), 15115 Nisqualli Road, Victorville, CA
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Parkdale Community Center, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., presentation at 6:30
p.m. 3200 Ferndale St., Las Vegas
During the public scoping period the BLM and County are soliciting
public comment on issues, concerns and opportunities that should be
considered in the analysis of the proposed action as well as the
planning criteria to be used during consideration of the plan
amendment. Comments on issues, potential impacts, or suggestions for
additional alternatives may also be submitted in writing to the address
listed below. Additional opportunities for public participation and
formal comment will occur when the Draft EIS/EIR is issued.
ADDRESSES: Comments and other correspondence should be sent to the BLM
Barstow Field Office, attention Edythe Seehafer, Environmental
Coordinator, Barstow Field Office, 2601 Barstow Road, Barstow, CA 92311
(760) 252-6021, by fax at (760) 252-6099 or by e-mail at
eseehafer@ca.blm.gov. Documents pertinent to this proposal, including
comments of respondents, will be available for public review at the BLM
Barstow Field Office during regular business hours of 7:30 a.m. to 4
p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. Before including your
address, telephone 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 may 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. All
submissions from organizations, businesses, and from individuals
identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations
or businesses will be made available for public inspection in their
entirety.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information and/or to have
your name added to our mailing list, contact Edythe Seehafer at the
contact numbers and addresses above or Carrie Hyke, AICP, Principal
Planner, San Bernardino County, Advance Planning Division, 385 N.
Arrowhead Ave., First Floor, San Bernardino, CA 92415-0182, Tel. 909-
387-4147.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Calnev Pipe Line, LLC has applied for a ROW
on public lands to expand and reconstruct 233 miles of pipeline in
California and Nevada. The pipeline transports jet fuel from the North
Colton terminal in Colton, California to Bracken Junction in Las Vegas,
Nevada. Projected increases in commercial air traffic in and out of
McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas will require significant
increases in jet fuel supplies over the next 20 years. An expanded and
modernized pipeline will serve that need. The project would include
construction, operation and maintenance of a new 16-inch diameter
pipeline from Colton to Las Vegas; new pumps, an electrical substation
and other ancillary facilities to increase pumping at Colton; a new
pump station, electrical substation and ancillary facilities at Baker;
as well as new or modified connections to existing laterals. Pipeline
construction will take place over 12 months and is anticipated to begin
in late 2009 or early 2010.
As proposed, the Project would require a right-of-way (ROW) on
lands managed by the BLM, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the
Department of Defense (DoD), a franchise agreement and Conditional Use
Permit from the County, and appropriate permits from state, federal and
local jurisdictions. Therefore, approval of the Project will require
compliance with NEPA and CEQA, as well as ROW rules promulgated under
the Mineral Leasing Act. The BLM will be the NEPA lead agency and the
County will serve as the CEQA lead agency. The BLM and County have
agreed to work together on this Project and a Joint EIS/EIR will be
prepared.
Since approval of the project as currently proposed would require
amendment of the BLM's land-use plan, the California Desert
Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan. The plan amendment process will be
conducted concurrent with, and integrated with, the NEPA process, as
part of the EIS/EIR. The analytical process for consideration of a plan
amendment is the same as the analytical process for consideration of a
project under NEPA, although a few additional considerations are
required. See BLM Handbook, H 1601-1, App. F, p. 14 et seq. for an
outline of an EIS-level Plan Amendment. Additional coordination
activities with the Governor (Consistency Review), cooperating
agencies, and the public, particularly with respect to timeframes for
feedback of draft and final documents, are integrated into a NEPA
process that also includes a plan amendment. Also, proposed planning
decisions are identified and distinguished from appealable (NEPA)
decisions. Proposed planning decisions are protested to the BLM
Director and appealable decisions are taken to the Interior Board of
Land Appeals for adjudication. As this is a joint EIS/EIR process,
cooperating agency status for the County is already integrated into the
process. BLM will consider approval of the proposed Project in a manner
that avoids undue or unnecessary impacts to the public lands consistent
with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA) and the
CDCA Plan of 1980, as amended.
Planning Criteria
Planning criteria have been developed to ensure that the plan
amendment is tailored to the issues identified and ensure that
unnecessary data collection and analysis would be avoided. These
criteria may change in response to
[[Page 13560]]
public comment and coordination with State and local governments or
other Federal agencies. The criteria developed for the Calnev Project
EIS/EIR include the following:
1. Comply with applicable laws, Executive Orders, and regulations.
2. Minimize deviations from the existing utility corridor to the
extent feasible.
3. Select an alignment in consideration of its effects on other
critical linear public utilities and transportation corridors.
4. Analyze a corridor modification that reestablishes a complete
corridor along I-15 adequate to accommodate the current Calnev project
and anticipated future projects and that avoids crossing lands within
the Mojave National Preserve.
BLM must take into consideration state law when granting the ROW.
The EIS/EIR will describe and analyze the proposed project as proposed
and will include: (1) BLM measures to avoid, minimize, or mitigate
impacts on the environment; (2) Additional mitigation measures; (3) The
``No Action'' alternative; and (4) Alternative pipeline routes,
segments or other distribution methods. Through public scoping BLM
expects to identify various issues, potential impacts and mitigation
measures. BLM has identified a potential list of issues that will need
to be addressed in this analysis including but not limited to: Air
quality; social and economic, traffic; ground and surface water
quantity and quality; plant and animal species including special status
species; cultural resources; visual resources; and public health and
safety. If approved, this pipeline project on public lands would be
authorized in accordance with the Mineral Leasing Act at Title 30,
Chapter 3A, Subchapter I, Subsection 185.
Dated: March 5, 2008.
Mickey Quillman,
Acting Field Manager, Barstow Field Office.
[FR Doc. E8-5004 Filed 3-12-08; 8:45 am]
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