9.3 PISGAH 1 2 3 9.3.1 Background and Summary of Impacts 4 5 6 9.3
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1 9.3 PISGAH 2 3 4 9.3.1 Background and Summary of Impacts 5 6 7 9.3.1.1 General Information 8 9 The proposed Pisgah SEZ has a total area of 23,950 acres (97 km2) and is located in 10 San Bernardino County in southeastern California, about 100 mi (160 km) northeast of Los 11 Angeles (Figure 9.3.1.1-1). In 2008, the county population was 2,086,465. The nearest 12 population center to the SEZ is the City of Barstow, which is located about 25 mi (40 km) to 13 the west of the SEZ and had a 2008 population of 24,596. Interstate 40 (I-40) runs east–west 14 through the proposed Pisgah SEZ, bisecting it into a northern portion that contains about two- 15 thirds of the SEZ acreage and a southern portion with the remainder of the acreage. Access to the 16 SEZ from I-40 is available from exits at Fort Cady Road (to the west of the SEZ), Hector Road 17 (midway through the SEZ), and Pisgah Crater Road (at the eastern end of the SEZ). Hector Road 18 runs north–south through the middle of the SEZ, and a number of other local dirt roads cross the 19 SEZ. The National Trails Highway (historic U.S. 66) also passes through the SEZ as it runs 20 south of and parallel to I-40. The BNSF Railroad serves the area and traverses the SEZ from the 21 northwest to the southeast, running approximately parallel to and about 0.8 mi (1.3 km) north of 22 I-40. Three small public airports are within about 62 mi (100 km) of the SEZ. 23 24 Four existing high-capacity transmission lines run from the southwest to the northeast 25 through the eastern portion of the SEZ. It is assumed that these transmission lines could 26 potentially provide access from the SEZ to the transmission grid (see Section 9.3.1.2). There are 27 also other lower-capacity lines running through portions of the SEZ. 28 29 As of February 2010, there were two solar development applications with boundaries 30 wholly or partially within the Pisgah SEZ. One of these, covering approximately 8,600 acres 31 (35 km2) of the SEZ, is a BLM fast-track project for which environmental reviews have begun. 32 33 The proposed Pisgah SEZ lies within the western Mojave Desert region of the Basin 34 and Range physiographic province in southern California. The site is in a northwest–southeast 35 trending valley that lies to the southeast of the Mojave Valley, between the Cady Mountains to 36 the northeast and the Rodman and Lava Bed Mountains to the southwest. The SEZ has surface 37 elevations ranging between 1,800 and 2,300 ft (549 and 701 m), with a general drainage pattern 38 from east to west along the SEZ. The area is in the western portion of the Mojave Desert, which 39 has an extremely arid climate marked by mild winters and hot summers and large daily 40 temperature swings, with annual precipitation averaging about 3.8 in. (9.7 cm). Sediments of 41 Troy Dry Lake make up about 8% of the west central portion of the SEZ. 42 43 The proposed Pisgah SEZ and other relevant information are shown in Figure 9.3.1.1-1. 44 The criteria used to identify the SEZ as an appropriate location for solar development included 45 proximity to existing transmission lines or designated corridors, proximity to existing roads, a Draft Solar PEIS 9.3-1 December 2010 1 2 FIGURE 9.3.1.1-1 Proposed Pisgah SEZ Draft Solar PEIS 9.3-2 December 2010 1 slope of generally less than 2%, and an area of more than 2,500 acres (10 km2). In addition, the 2 area was identified as being relatively free of other types of conflicts, such as USFWS- 3 designated critical habitat for threatened and endangered species, ACECs, SRMAs, and 4 NLCS lands (see Section 2.2.2.2 for the complete list of exclusions). Although these classes 5 of restricted lands were excluded from the proposed Pisgah SEZ, other restrictions might be 6 appropriate. The analyses in the following sections evaluate the affected environment and 7 potential impacts associated with utility-scale solar energy development in the proposed SEZ 8 for important environmental, cultural, and socioeconomic resources. 9 10 As initially announced in the Federal Register on June 30, 2009, the proposed Pisgah 11 SEZ encompassed 26,282 acres (106 km2). Subsequent to the study area scoping period, the 12 Pisgah SEZ boundaries were altered somewhat for several reasons. Border areas with irregularly 13 shaped boundaries were moved to match the section boundaries of the PLSS (BLM and 14 USFS 2010a) to facilitate the BLM’s administration of the SEZ area. Some small higher slope 15 areas were also added to the borders of the SEZ acreage; although these higher slope areas would 16 not be amenable to solar facilities, inclusion in the SEZ would facilitate BLM administration of 17 the area. In addition, some lands near the Pisgah SEZ donated to the BLM for conservation 18 purposes but inadvertently included in the published Pisgah study area were excluded from the 19 boundaries of the SEZ. The revised SEZ is approximately 2,300 acres (9 km2) smaller than the 20 original SEZ as published in June 2009. 21 22 23 9.3.1.2 Development Assumptions for the Impact Analysis 24 25 Maximum development of the proposed Pisgah SEZ was assumed to be 80% of the total 26 SEZ area over a period of 20 years, a maximum of 19,160 acres (78 km2). These values are 27 shown in Table 9.3.1.2-1, along with other development assumptions. Full development of the 28 Pisgah SEZ would allow development of facilities with an estimated total of 2,129 MW of 29 electrical power capacity if power tower, dish engine, or PV technologies were used, assuming 30 9 acres/MW (0.04 km2/MW) of land required, and an estimated 3,832 MW of power if solar 31 trough technologies were used, assuming 5 acres/MW (0.02 km2/MW) of land required. 32 33 Availability of transmission from SEZs to load centers will be an important consideration 34 for future development in SEZs. The nearest existing transmission lines are 230-kV and 250-kV 35 lines that run through the SEZ. It is possible that these existing lines could be used to provide 36 access from the SEZ to the transmission grid, but the 230- to 250-kV capacity of those lines 37 would be inadequate for 2,129 to 3,832 MW of new capacity (a 500-kV line can accommodate 38 approximately the load of one 700-MW facility). At full build-out capacity, it is clear that 39 substantial new transmission and/or upgrades of existing transmission lines would be required to 40 bring electricity from the proposed Pisgah SEZ to load centers; however, at this time the location 41 and size of such new transmission facilities are unknown. Generic impacts of transmission and 42 associated infrastructure construction and of line upgrades for various resources are discussed in 43 Chapter 5. Project-specific analyses would need to identify the specific impacts of new 44 transmission construction and line upgrades for any projects proposed within the SEZ. 45 46 Draft Solar PEIS 9.3-3 December 2010 TABLE 9.3.1.2-1 Proposed Pisgah SEZ Development Acreages, Maximum Solar MW Output, Access Roads, and Transmission Line ROWs Assumed Distance and Assumed Maximum Distance to Capacity of Area of Distance to Total Acreage and SEZ Output Nearest State, Nearest Transmission Nearest Assumed for Various U.S. or Existing Line ROW Designated Developed Acreage Solar Interstate Transmission and Road Transmission (80% of Total) Technologies Highway Line ROW Corridord 23,950 acres and 2,129 MWb Adjacent Within SEZ, 0 acres and Within SEZe 19,160 acresa 3,832 MWc (I-40) 230 and 500 kV 0 acres a To convert acres to km2, multiply by 0.004047. b Maximum power output if the SEZ were fully developed using power tower, dish engine, or PV technologies, assuming 9 acres/MW (0.04 km2/MW) of land required. c Maximum power output if the SEZ were fully developed using solar trough technologies, assuming 5 acres/MW (0.02 km2/MW) of land required. d BLM-designated corridors are developed for federal land use planning purposes only and are not applicable to state-owned or privately owned land. e A Section 368 federally designated energy corridor crosses through the SEZ along I-40. 1 2 3 For the purposes of analysis in this PEIS, it was assumed that the four existing high- 4 capacity transmission lines (230 and 500 kV) that run through the proposed Pisgah SEZ 5 could provide access to the transmission grid, and thus no additional acreage disturbance for 6 transmission line access was assessed. Access to the existing transmission lines was assumed, 7 without additional information on whether these lines would be available to for connection of 8 future solar facilities. If a connecting transmission line were constructed in the future to connect 9 facilities within the SEZ to a different off-site grid location from the one assumed here, site 10 developers would need to determine the impacts from the construction and operation of that 11 line. In addition, developers would need to determine the impacts of line upgrades if they 12 were needed.