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Notice of Availability of Draft Environmental Impact; Statement/ Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) and Draft Land Use Plan Amendments/for the Proposed Sunrise Powerlink Project

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[Federal Register: January 11, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 8)]
[Notices]
[Page 2062-2063]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr11ja08-65]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[CACA-47658, CA-670-5101-ER-B204]


Notice of Availability of Draft Environmental Impact; Statement/
Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) and Draft Land Use Plan
Amendments/for the Proposed Sunrise Powerlink Project

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (NEPA, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and the Federal Land Policy and
Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA, 43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), the Bureau of
Land Management (BLM), together with the California Public Utilities
Commission (CPUC), has prepared a Draft EIS/EIR (which includes draft
land use plan amendments) for the proposed Sunrise Powerlink Project
proposed by San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E), and by this
notice is announcing the opening of the comment period. The BLM is the
lead Federal agency for the preparation of this EIS in compliance with
the requirements of NEPA. The CPUC is the lead agency for the State of
California for the preparation of this EIR in compliance with the
requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

DATES: To assure that they will be considered, the BLM/CPUC must
receive written comments on the Draft EIS/EIR within 90 days following
the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes their Notice of
Availability in the Federal Register. Future meetings or hearings and
any other public involvement activities will be announced at least 15
days in advance through public notices, media news releases, Internet
Web sites, and/or mailings.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments in a variety of ways: (1) By U.S.
mail, (2) by electronic mail, (3) by fax, or (4) by attending a public
meeting and submitting written comments at the meetings.
    By Mail: Please use first-class postage and be sure to include your
name and a return address. Please send written comments to: Billie
Blanchard, CPUC/Lynda Kastoll, BLM, c/o Aspen Environmental Group, 235
Montgomery Street, Suite 935, San Francisco, CA 94104-3002.
    By Electronic Mail: E-mail communications are welcome; however,
please remember to include your name and return address in the e-mail
message. E-mail messages should be sent to sunrise@aspeneg.com.
    By Fax: You may fax your comments to (866) 711-3106. Please
remember to include your name and return address in the fax, to write
legibly, and use black or blue ink.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Information concerning the Draft EIS/
Plan Amendment may be obtained from Lynda Kastoll, Project Manager for
the BLM, at (760) 337-4421, or e-mail at lkastoll@ca.blm.gov.
Information concerning the EIR process may be obtained from Billie
Blanchard, Project Manager for the CPUC, at (415) 703-2068 or on the
CPUC Internet Web site at 
http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/environment/info/aspen/sunrise/sunrise.htm.

    A copy of the Draft EIS/EIR for the Proposed Sunrise Powerlink
Project is available for review at:
     BLM--El Centro Field Office, 1661 South 4th Street, El
Centro, CA 92243, (760) 337-4421;
     BLM--Palm Springs/South Coast Field Office, 690 West
Garnet Avenue, North Palm Springs, CA 92258, (760) 251-4849;
     CPUC--Los Angeles Office, 320 West 4th Street, Suite 500,
Los Angeles, CA 90013, (213) 576-7000;
     CPUC--Headquarters Office, 505 Van Ness Avenue, Room 2103,
San Francisco, CA 94102, (425) 703-2074; or
     CPUC Internet Web site at 
	 http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/environment/info/aspen/sunrise/sunrise.htm;

     Several public libraries in Imperial, San Diego and
Riverside Counties, California.
     Electronic (on CD-ROM or DVD) or paper copies may also be
obtained by contacting the BLM or the CPUC at the aforementioned
addresses and phone numbers.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: SDG&E proposes to construct a new 91-mile,
500-kilovolt (kV) electric transmission line from Imperial Valley
Substation (in Imperial County, near the City of El Centro) to a new
Central East Substation (in central San Diego County, southwest of the
intersection of County Highways S22 and S2) and a new 59-mile 230-kV
line that includes both overhead and underground segments from the new
Central East Substation to SDG&E's existing Peñasquitos
Substation (in the City of San Diego). Portions of the proposed 500-kV
line transmission line would traverse approximately 35 miles of Federal
lands managed by the BLM within the California Desert Conservation Area
in Imperial County, and approximately 1 mile in San Diego County.
Depending on which alternative is selected (exclusive of the No Action
Alternative), the project would require an amendment to one or both of
the following land use plans: the BLM's California Desert Conservation
Area Plan (as amended) and the Eastern San Diego County Planning Unit
Management Framework Plan because the route alignments would deviate
from BLM designated utility corridors in several areas under these
alternatives. The remainder of the proposed project would cross lands
owned by various entities including State of California, local
governments, and private parties.
    The proposed transmission lines would utilize structures ranging in
height from 120 to 170 feet, spaced approximately 700 to 1,600 feet
apart, and would occupy rights-of-way of approximately 60 to 300 feet
in width (subject to local conditions and restrictions). Existing
disturbed corridors would be utilized to the extent feasible, to
minimize potential environmental impacts. Where possible, SDG&E
anticipates locating new facilities within or along existing rights-of-
way.
    The Draft EIR/EIS evaluates and presents the environmental impacts
that are expected to result from construction and operation of the
proposed project, and presents recommended mitigation measures that
would avoid or minimize many of the significant environmental impacts
identified. In accordance with CEQA and NEPA, the Draft EIR/EIS
identifies alternatives to the proposed project (including the No
Action Alternative) that could avoid or minimize significant
environmental impacts associated with the project as proposed by SDG&E,
and evaluates the environmental impacts associated with these
alternatives.
    The Draft EIR/EIS reflects input by government officials, agencies,
non-governmental organizations, and concerned members of the public
during the two public scoping periods following the CPUC's publication
of the Notice of Preparation of an EIR/EIS on September 15, 2006, and
the BLM's publication of the Notice of Intent in the Federal Register
on August 31, 2006.

[[Page 2063]]

During those periods, several public involvement activities were
completed, such as: establishment of an Internet Web page and a
telephone hotline, 15 public scoping meetings (seven in October 2006
and eight in February 2007), and several meetings with a number of
affected local jurisdictions. Consultation with agencies and tribal
governments also continued after the formal scoping ended. In addition,
notices regarding alternatives to be evaluated in the EIR/EIS were
mailed to interested parties in March and May of 2007.
    Comments received may be published as part of the EIS/EIR process.
Before including your address, phone 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 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.

J. Anthony Danna,
Deputy State Director, Natural Resources (CA-930).
 [FR Doc. E8-280 Filed 1-10-08; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310-40-P

 
 

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