Draft plan amendment & draft environmental impact statement/draft environmental impact report for the Ocotillo Wind Energy Facility

2008·237.8 MB·English

by  Imperial County (Calif.)

88067975
Amendment
Draft Plan
and
Draft Environmental Impact Statement/
Environmental Impact Report
for the
Wind Energy
Ocotillo Facility
Volume 1 of 2
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Bureau Management
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June 201^

DOI Control No. DES 11-20
SCH No. 2010121055
United States Department of the Interior
Bureau of Land Management
Amendment &
Draft Plan
Draft Environmental Impact Statement/
Draft Environmental Impact Report
for the
Ocotillo Wind Energy Facility
For the
El Centro - El Centro Field Office
El Centro, California
June 2011
Margaret L Goodro Date
Field Manager
DOI Control #: DES 11-20
Publication Index #: BLIVI/CA/ES-2011-15+1793
1
United States Department of the Interior
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
ElCentro Field Office
1661 South4th Street
ElCentro, CA 92243-4561
WWW
himgov/ca/eicentro
In reply refer to:
CACA
51552
June 201
Dear Reader:
I am pleased to announce the availability of the Draft Plan Amendment (PA) to the California Desert
Conservation Area Plan, 1980, as amended (CDCA Plan), and Draft Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS)/ Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Ocotillo Wind Energy Facility (OWEF). Ocotillo
Express, EEC (Applicant) is proposing to develop a 465-megawatt wind energy facility in Imperial
County.
BLM
The enclosed Draft EIS/EIR analyzes six alternatives: (1) would grant the Applicant a right-of-way
(ROW) for their project as proposed with 155 wind turbines; (2) BLM would grant the Applicant a ROW
BLM ROW
for a modified project design with 137 wind turbines; (3) would grant the Applicant a for a
modified project design with 105 wind turbines; (4) No Action, in which the Applicant’s application
would be denied and current management of the site would be maintained; (5) No Project, in which the
CDCA
Applicant’s application would be denied and the Plan would be amended to declare the site
unsuitable for wind development; and (6) No Project, in which the Applicant’s application would be
CDCA
denied and the Plan would be amended to declare the site suitable for wind development.
The Draft EIS/EIR has been prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), which establishes the land management
authority of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and provides guidance for how public lands are to
be managed. In addition, because the County of Imperial (County) has discretionary authority to issue
BLM
conditional use permits for the project, and the County is a cooperating agency with in the
preparation of the Draft EIS/EIR, this document has been prepared in accordance with the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The County intends to use this Draft EIS/EIR to provide
environmental review required for its consideration of the conditional use permit application under
CEQA. The document has been sent to members of the public who requested a copy and to pertinent
local. State, tribal, and federal government entities.
The Draft EIS/EIR will be circulated for a 90-day public comment period. All comments must be
postmarked no later than 90 days from the date the Notice of Availability for the Draft EIS/EIR published
in the Federal Register by the Environmental Protection Agency. Comments may be sent to Cedric Perry,
Project Manager, by mail: 22835 Calle San Juan De Los Lagos, Moreno Valley, CA, 92553; phone:
[phone]; or email [email protected]. Public meetings will be held in El Centro and Ocotillo,
.
California, to allow oral or written comments to be presented to the BLM. Please see BLM’s Web page at
http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/elcentro/nepa/ocotillo_express_wind.html for information about the
location, date, and time of these meetings. All substantive issues raised during the comment period will be
considered, and modifications based on these comments may be made to develop the Final EIS/EIR.
Additional hard copies or CD-ROM versions of the Draft EIS/EIR may be obtained by contacting the El
Centro Field Office. The document will also be available on the Internet at:
WWW
http:// .blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/elcentro/nepa/ocotillo_express_wind.html
We OWEF
are pleased to provide this copy of the Draft EIS/EIR for your review and extend our
We
appreciation for your cooperation and assistance during this process. look forward to your continued
participation.
El Centro Field Office
Ocotillo Wind Energy Facility
Draft Plan Amendment &
Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report
NEPA & CEQA Lead Agencies: Bureau of Land Management County of Imperial
El Centro Field Office Planning & Development Services
El Centro, California El Centro, CA
For further information, contact: Cedric Perry, Project Manager Angelina Flavens, Planner
II
California Desert District Office Planning & Development Services
[phone] [phone]
[email protected] [email protected]
Abstract
This Draft Plan Amendment (PA) and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)/Draft Environmental
Impact Report (EIR) addresses the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) proposal to issue a right-of-way
(ROW) grant to Ocotillo Express, LLC (Applicant), for the construction, operation, maintenance, and
decommissioning of a utility-scale 465-megawatt (MW) wind energy facility on public and private lands in
Imperial County, California.
The Draft PA & Draft EIS/EIR analyzes six alternatives: (1) No Action, in which the Applicant's application
would be denied and current management ofthe site would be maintained; (2) No Project, in which the
Applicant's application would be denied and the California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan would be
amended to declare the site suitable for wind development; (3) No Project, in which the Applicant's
application would be denied and the CDCA Plan would be amended to declare the site unsuitable for wind
development; (4) the BLM would grant the Applicant a ROW for the project as proposed with 155 wind
turbines; (5) the BLM would grant the Applicant a ROW for a modified project design with 137 wind
turbines; and (6)the BLM would grant the Applicant a ROW for a modified project design with 105 wind
turbines.
The Agency Preferred Alternative covers approximately 12,436 acres, managed by the BLM and Imperial
County. The Draft PA & Draft EIS/EIR identifies impacts ofthe Agency Preferred Alternative, including
impacts related to biological resources, cultural resources, land use, visual resources, and water resources.
Many of these adverse impacts can be avoided or substantially reduced based on compliance with
applicable laws, ordinances, regulations and standards, and compliance with measures provided in this
Draft PA & Draft EIS/EIR.
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TableofContents
OcotilloWind EnergyFacility
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Volume 1
Cover Sheet
Dear Reader Letter
Abstract
Executive Summary es-i
1. Introduction
Purpose and Need 1-2
1. 1
1.2 General Location and Map 1-5
1.3 Major Authorizing Laws and Regulations 1-6
BLM
1.4 Relationship of Proposed Action to Policies, Plans, and Programs 1-8
1.5 Relationship of Proposed Action to non-BLM Policies, Plans, and Programs 1-11
1.6 Interagency Coordination 1-14
1.7 Document Organization 1-14
1.8 Issues to be Addressed 1-15
2. Proposed Action and Alternatives
2.1 Introduction 2-1
2.2 Proposed Land Use Plan Amendment Decisions 2-20
2.3 Action Alternatives, Including the Proposed Action 2-21
2.4 No Action/No Project Alternative 2-24
2.5 No Project Alternatives 2-25
2.6 Comparison of Impacts by Alternative 2-25
2.7 Lederal Lead Agency Preferred Alternative and CLQA
Environmentally Superior Alternative 2-26
2.8 Alternatives Considered but Eliminated from Detailed Analysis 2-34
3. Affected Environment
3.1 Introduction 3.1-1
3.2 Air Resources 3.2-1
3.2.1 Environmental Setting 3.2-1
3.2.2 Applicable Regulations, Plans, and Standards 3.2-6
3.3 Climate Change 3.3-1
3.3.1 Environmental Setting 3.3-1
3.3.2 Applicable Regulations, Plans, and Standards 3.3-2
3.4 Cultural Resources 3.4-1
3.4.1 Environmental Setting 3.4-2
3.4.2 Applicable Regulations, Plans, and Standards 3.4-53
3.5 Environmental Justice 3.5-1
3.5.1 Environmental Setting 3.5-1
DraftEIS/EIR June2011
j
1
TableofContents
OcotilloWind EnergyFacility
3.5.2 Applicable Regulations, Plans, and Standards 3.5-3
3.6 Lands and Realty 3.6-1
3.6.1 Environmental Setting 3.6-1
3.6.2 Applicable Regulations, Plans, and Standards 3.6-3
3.7 Livestock Grazing 3.7-1
3.8 Mineral Resources 3.8-1
3.8.1 Environmental Setting 3.8-1
3.8.2 Applicable Regulations, Plans, and Standards 3.8-3
3.9 Multiple Use Classes 3.9-1
3.10 Noise 3.10-1
3.10.1 Environmental Setting 3.10-1
3. 10.2 Applicable Regulations, Plans, and Standards 3.10-10
3.11 Paleontological Resources 3.11-1
3.11.1 Environmental Setting 3.11-1
3.11.2 Applicable Regulations, Plans, and Standards 3.11-3
3.12 Public Health and Safety 3.12-1
3.12.1 Environmental Setting 3.12-1
3.12.2 Applicable Regulations, Plans, and Standards 3.12-8
3.13 Recreation 3.13-1
3.13.1 Environmental Setting 3.13-1
3.13.2 Applicable Regulations, Plans, and Standards 3.13-3
3.14 Social and Economic Setting 3.14-1
3.14.1 Environmental Setting 3.14-1
3.14.2 Applicable Regulations, Plans, and Standards 3.14-2
3.15 Soil Resources 3.15-1
3.15.1 Environmental Setting 3.15-1
3.15.2 Applicable Regulations, Plans, and Standards 3.15-5
3.16 Special Designations 3.16-1
3.16.1 Environmental Setting ...3.16-1
3.16.2 Applicable Regulations, Plans, and Standards 3.16-4
3.17 Transportation and Public Access 3.17-1
3.17.1 Environmental Setting 3.17-1
3.17.2 Applicable Regulations, Plans, and Standards 3.17-4
3.18 Vegetation Resources 3.18-1
3.18.1 Environmental Setting 3.18-1
3.18.2 Applicable Regulations, Plans, and Standards 3.18-25
3.19 Visual Resources 3.19-1
3.19.1 Environmental Setting 3.19-1
3.19.2 Applicable Regulations, Plans, and Standards 3.19-6
3.20 Water Resources 3.20-1
3.20.1 Environmental Setting 3 20-
.
3.20.2 Applicable Regulations, Plans, and Standards 3.20-11
3.21 Wild Horses and Burros 3.21-1
3.22 Wildland Fire Ecology 3.22-1
3.22.1 Environmental Setting 3.22-1
June2011 ii DraftEIS/EIR