U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Draft Environmental Assessment DOI-BLM-NV-S030-2018-0004-EA September 2018 Spring Mountain Raceway Resource Management Plan Amendment and Two Modified Competitive Land Sales N-95802 U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Pahrump Field Office Phone: (702) 515-5000 Fax: (702) 515-5010 Table of Contents Chapter 1 ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction and Background ............................................................................................................................................ 1 1.2 Proposed Project Information ............................................................................................................................................ 3 1.3 Purpose and Need for Action ............................................................................................................................................. 3 1.4 Conformance Summary ..................................................................................................................................................... 4 1.4.1 Relationship to Statutes, Regulations, Plans or Other Environmental Analyses......................................................... 4 1.5 Scoping, Public Involvement, and Issues ........................................................................................................................... 5 1.5.1 Internal scoping........................................................................................................................................................... 5 1.5.2 External scoping ......................................................................................................................................................... 9 1.5.3 Consultation with Cooperating Agencies/Organizations ............................................................................................ 9 1.5.4 Issues........................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Chapter 2 Proposed Action and Alternatives ............................................................................................................................. 10 2.1 Description of the No Action Alternative ........................................................................................................................ 10 2.2 Description of the Proposed Action Alternative .............................................................................................................. 10 2.3 Alternatives Considered but Eliminated from Detailed Analysis .................................................................................... 13 Chapter 3 Affected Environment and Environmental Effects ................................................................................................... 14 3.1 Air Quality - PM10 ........................................................................................................................................................... 16 3.1.1 Affected Environment and Geographic Scope .......................................................................................................... 16 3.1.2 Environmental Effects of the No Action Alternative ................................................................................................ 17 3.1.3 Environmental Effects of the Proposed Action Alternative ...................................................................................... 17 3.2 Endangered Species: Desert Tortoise ............................................................................................................................. 18 3.2.1 Affected Environment and Geographic Scope .......................................................................................................... 18 3.2.2 Environmental Effects of the No Action Alternative ................................................................................................ 20 3.2.3 Environmental Effects of the Proposed Action Alternative ...................................................................................... 20 3.3 Socioeconomic and Demographic Conditions ................................................................................................................. 21 3.3.1 Affected Environment and Geographic Scope .......................................................................................................... 21 3.3.2 Environmental Effects of the No Action Alternative ................................................................................................ 21 3.3.3 Environmental Effects of the Proposed Action Alternative ...................................................................................... 21 3.4 Travel Management ......................................................................................................................................................... 23 3.4.1 Affected Environment and Geographic Scope .......................................................................................................... 23 3.4.2 Environmental Effects of the No Action Alternative ................................................................................................ 24 3.4.3 Environmental Effects of the Proposed Action Alternative ...................................................................................... 24 3.5 Water Resources .............................................................................................................................................................. 24 3.5.1. Affected Environment and Geographic Scope ......................................................................................................... 24 3.5.2 Environmental Effects of the No Action Alternative ................................................................................................ 25 3.5.3 Environmental Effects of the Proposed Action Alternative ...................................................................................... 25 Chapter 4 References ................................................................................................................................................................. 26 Appendix A ................................................................................................................................................................................ 27 EA Number: DOI-BLM-NV-S030-2018-0004-EA BLM Case File Number: N-95802 Chapter 1 1.1 Introduction and Background This Environmental Assessment (EA) has been prepared to analyze and disclose the environmental effects of: (1) amending the Las Vegas Resource Management Plan (RMP) to identify two parcels of public land for disposal; and (2) two Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) modified competitive land sales of a total of approximately 620 acres to Spring Mountain Raceway, LLC (herein identified as the Proponent), in the Town of Pahrump, Nye County, Nevada. The proposal was filed with the Pahrump Field Office on July 17, 2017. The proposed lands are shown in Figure 1 and legally described in Section 1.1. The Las Vegas RMP allows for the transfer of land within the disposal areas for various uses. FLPMA requires that land offered for sale must be identified in the land use plan. The Las Vegas RMP does not specifically identify these parcels for disposal therefore an amendment of the RMP is required. The requested public land is located in the Town of Pahrump in Nye County, Nevada. The Town of Pahrump and Nye County were hard hit by the Recession and economic recovery has been slow. Once disposed, the land will be annexed by the Town of Pahrump. The Nye County Board of Commissioners and the Governor’s Office of Economic Development have offered support for this project expansion, which supports community expansion, and economic development and diversification objectives. Neither of these objectives can be achieved prudently or feasibly achieved on land other than the adjacent public land. Disposal of this land would outweigh other public objectives and values served by maintaining such tract in Federal ownership, and which readily can be met on the surrounding public land. The requested land meets the disposal criteria because it will serve important public objectives. The project Proponent, Spring Mountain Raceway, LLC is an adjacent landowner. The adjacent private land continues to be developed for industrial, commercial, and residential use by the project Proponent in support of the facility’s expansion. In 2012, the Proponent, Spring Mountain Raceway acquired the remaining adjacent disposal land from BLM at Fair Market Value in a modified competitive sale; this land is currently under construction by the Proponent in furtherance of a number of mixed use developments. Public land managed by BLM borders the existing facility to the north and east, and developed a patchwork of developed and vacant private lots border to the south and west. None of the private lots are of adequate size to accommodate the proposed track expansion. The requested sale meets the criteria for modified competitive bidding because there are existing equitable interests that must be considered. This EA and RMP Amendment will assist the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)