Soda Mountain Solar Project Public Scoping Report EIS/EIR
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PUBLIC SCOPING REPORT Environmental Impact Statement / Environmental Impact Report Soda Mountain Solar Project Lead Agencies: Bureau of Land Management Contact: Jeffery Childers, 951-697-5308 22835 Calle San Juan De Los Lagos Moreno Valley, California 92553-9046 San Bernardino County Contact: Nelson Miller, (760) 995-8153 15900 Smoke Tree Street Hesperia, CA 92345 JANUARY 2013 TABLE OF CONTENTS Soda Mountain Solar Project Public Scoping Report EIS/EIR Page Acronyms Used in this Report iii 1.0 Overview of NEPA/CEQA Scoping Process 1-1 1.1 Introduction 1-1 1.2 Summary of NEPA/CEQA Scoping Process 1-2 1.3 Agencies, Organizations, and Persons Providing Scoping Comments 1-3 1.4 Scoping Report Organization 1-3 2.0 Summary of the Proposed Project 2-1 2.1 The BLM’s Purpose and Need 2-1 2.2 Applicant’s Project Objectives 2-1 2.3 Project Description 2-2 3.0 Summary of Scoping Comments 3-1 3.1 Project Description 3-1 3.2 Human Environment Issues 3-2 3.3 Natural Environment Issues 3-7 3.4 Cumulative Impacts 3-21 3.5 Project Alternatives 3-22 3.6 EIS/EIR Administrative and Permitting Issues 3-24 3.7 Issues Outside the Scope of the EIS/EIR 3-24 4.0 Summary of Future Steps in the Planning Process 4-1 Appendices A. Notices A-1 A-1 Notice of Intent (published in the Federal Register on October 23, 2012) A-2 Notice of Preparation (posted October 26, 2012) B. Public Notices B-1 B-1 Scoping Meeting Announcement C. Scoping Meeting Materials C-1 C-1 Written Comment Forms C-2 Speaker Registration Cards C-3 Scoping Meeting Presentations Soda Mountain Solar Project i January 2013 Public Scoping Report Table of Contents Page Appendices (continued) D. Scoping Meeting Sign-in Sheets D-1 D-1 November 14, 2012 BLM Scoping Meeting Sign-in Sheets E. Speaker Registration Cards and Summary of Verbal Public Comments from Scoping Meetings E-1 E-1 Speaker Registration Cards E-2 Summary of Verbal Comments F. Comments Received During Scoping Period F-1 Figure 1. NEPA/CEQA Process Flowchart 4-1 Table 1. Comments Received During Public Scoping Period 1-4 Soda Mountain Solar Project ii January 2013 Public Scoping Report Acronyms Acronyms Used in this Report ACM asbestos containing material BLM Bureau of Land Management CCR California Code of Regulations CDFW California Department of Fish and Wildlife CEQ Council on Environmental Quality CEQA California Environmental Quality Act CESA California Endangered Species Act CFR Code of Federal Regulations CNDDB California Natural Diversity Data Base CORVA California Off-Highway Vehicle Association CWA Clean Water Act EIR Environmental Impact Report EIS Environmental Impact Statement EPA Environmental Protection Agency FESA Federal Endangered Species Act LADWP Los Angeles Department of Water and Power LST Localized Significant Thresholds NAAQS National Ambient Air Quality Standards NEPA National Environmental Policy Act NOI Notice of Intent NOP Notice of Preparation NPS National Park Service OHV Off-Highway Vehicle kV kilovolt MW megawatt PV photovoltaic ROW Right-of-Way RTP Regional Transportation Plan SCAG Southern California Association of Governments SCAQMD South Coast Air Quality Management District SCS Sustainable Communities Strategies SSC Species of Special Concern USFWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Soda Mountain Solar Project iii January 2013 Public Scoping Report SECTION 1.0 Overview of NEPA/CEQA Scoping Process 1.1 Introduction Soda Mountain, LLC has applied to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for a right-of-way (ROW) grant on public lands to construct, operate, maintain, and decommission a 350 megawatt (MW) photovoltaic (PV) solar energy generating facility and related infrastructure approximately 6 miles southwest of the town of Baker, California, in unincorporated San Bernardino County, to be known as the Soda Mountain Solar Project (Project). The Project would be constructed on approximately 4,397 acres of BLM administered public lands. If the ROW grant application is approved, an amendment of the California Desert Conservation Area Plan of 1980, as amended (CDCA Plan) would be required to identify the site as appropriate for the proposed use. The ROW grant application and CDCA Plan amendment are subject to review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The applicant also has submitted a groundwater well construction permit application to San Bernardino County. The County’s decision regarding the issuance of a well permit is a discretionary action subject to review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). This scoping report documents the joint NEPA/CEQA scoping process and summarizes the scoping comments received for the Project. Specifically, this report describes the scoping events and activities conducted for the Project. It also summarizes the written and verbal comments received on the BLM’s Notice of Intent (NOI) and County’s Notice of Preparation (NOP). The BLM is the NEPA Lead Agency for the Project; San Bernardino County is the CEQA Lead Agency. This report serves as an information source to the Lead Agencies in their determination of the range of issues and alternatives to be addressed in the joint Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)/Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The Lead Agencies will use the comments received during the scoping period to: 1) Identify key issues to focus the analysis 2) Identify reasonable alternatives to the Project 3) Analyze environmental impacts of the Project and alternatives 4) Identify ways to avoid or reduce environmental impacts 5) Inform the Lead Agencies’ decision-making processes. Soda Mountain Solar Project 1-1 January 2013 Public Scoping Report 1.0 Overview of NEPA/CEQA Scoping Process 1.2 Summary of NEPA/CEQA Scoping Process The NEPA/CEQA scoping process provides government agencies, organizations, and members of the general public the opportunity to identify environmental issues and alternatives for consideration in the EIS/EIR. The scoping process and results are an initial step in the NEPA/CEQA process. To comply with NEPA (40 CFR 1501.7), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a NOI in the Federal Register on October 23, 2012, that provided notice of the BLM’s intent to prepare an EIS for the Project (77 FR 64824). The NOI serves as the official legal notice that a federal agency is commencing preparation of an EIS. The Federal Register serves as the U.S. Government’s official noticing and reporting publication. The NOI initiates the public scoping period for the EIS, provides information about the Project, and serves as an invitation for other federal agencies to provide comments on the scope and content of the EIS. The NOI for the Project is included as Appendix A-1. The BLM issued a press release regarding the NOI on October 24, 2012. The NOI and press release, included as Appendix B-1, were made available to agencies and the public on BLM’s website for the Project: http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/barstow/renewableenergy/soda_mountain.html As required by Section 15082 of the CEQA Guidelines (14 CCR 15000 et seq.), San Bernardino County issued an NOP on October 26, 2012, that summarized the Project, stated the County’s intention to prepare a joint EIS/EIR, and requested comments from interested parties. The NOP is included as Appendix A-2. Three public notices sent to property owners; 15 copies of the NOP were sent to the California State Clearinghouse; 79 public notices were sent to federal, state, and local agencies and organizations; and 6 public notices were sent to local libraries. Public notices also were sent to Native American groups. During the NOI comment period, the BLM and San Bernardino County held two joint public scoping meetings on November 14, 2012, one from 2-5 PM and the other from 6-9 PM, at the Hampton Inn & Suites in Barstow, California (2710 Lenwood Road, Barstow, CA 92311). Comment cards and speaker cards were available to participants. The BLM and the County put on a PowerPoint presentation explaining the EIS/EIR processes, the BLM’s and the County’s roles throughout these processes, and public participation opportunities (the PowerPoint presentation is provided in Appendix C). The scoping meetings provided the public and government agencies opportunities to receive information on the NEPA/CEQA process and about the Project, as well as to provide oral and written comments. The scoping meetings from 2-5 PM and 6-9 PM were attended by four and 26 persons, respectively, including representatives from local and state agencies, organizations, and private citizens. All materials provided to the public at the scoping meetings are contained within Appendix C and include the following: Soda Mountain Solar Project 1-2 January 2013 Public Scoping Report 1.0 Overview of NEPA/CEQA Scoping Process 1) Comment Cards 2) Speaker Registration Cards 3) Scoping Meeting Presentations Appendix D includes the sign-in sheets from both scoping meetings. Appendix E includes the completed speaker registration cards and a summary of the verbal comments from both of the meetings. Speaker comments made during the BLM scoping meeting were recorded by-hand and summarized. The comment period ended on December 14, 2012 for the BLM’s NOI and November 26, 2012 for the County’s NOP. In total, 22 letters were received: 11 from federal, state, and local agencies; and 11 from individuals and organizations (see Table 1). These comments have been included in the administrative record for the Project, are documented and summarized in this scoping report, and will be considered in the drafting of the EIS/EIR. 1.3 Agencies, Organizations, and Persons Providing Scoping Comments Federal, state, and local agencies; private and public organizations; and members of the general public provided written comments during the scoping period.