Draft environmental impact statement : Table Mountain wind generating facility

532 Pages·2002·84.8 MB·English

by  United States. Bureau of Land Management. Las Vegas Field Office

Interior
nagement
e, Nevada
73726 & N-57100
-

United States Department of the Interior
Bureau of Land Management
Las Vegas Field Office
476? W. Vegas Drive
Las Vegas. Nevada, 89108-2135
NVN66472, etal.
2800 (NV-056)
January 23, 2002
Dear Reader:
Enclosed for your review and comment is the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the
Tabic Mountain Wind Generating Facility. The proposal consists of proposed arrays of wind turbine
generators and ancillary facilities.
Your review and comments are needed to ensure that all concerns will be considered. Written comments
on the DEIS must be postmarked or otherwise delivered by 4:30 p.m. 60 days following the date the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) publishes the Notice of Availability (NOA) and filing of the
D£(S in the Federal Register. The £PA NOA is expected to be published on or about February 1.2002.
To ensure prompt review and concideration of your comments, please note on the envelope, “Draft
Enironmemal Impact Statement Comments Enclosed - Table Mountain Wind Generating Facility.”
Comments should be mailed to the Bureau of Lana Management, Jerry Crockford, Project Manager. Las
Vegas Field Office. 4701 N, Toirey Pines Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89130-2301.
Public meetings will be held at the following locations to take oral comments:
• Tuesday, February 26, 2002 @ Community Center, West Quartz Avenue, Sandy Valley, NV
• Wednesday, February 27, 2002 @ Community Center, 375 West San Pedro Avenue, Goodsprings,
NV
• Thursday. February 28, 2002 @ Clark. County Government Center, Room ODC #3, 500 Grand
Central Parkway, Las Vegas, NV
All meetings will begin at 7:00 p.m. and end on or near 9:00 p.m. A time limit may be placed on oral
comments, depending on the number of people who wish to make a statement. Oral comments should be
accompanied by a written synopsis of the presentation.
The comment, period for the DEIS will end at close of business 60-days from the EPA publication date.
If you have any questions, please contact BLM Project Manager. Jerry Crockford at telephone (505) 599-
6333 or cellular telephone [phone].
Sincerely,
Mark T. Morse
Field Manager
iDi80£ VO-H
Draft Environmental Impact Statement
Table Mountain Wind Generating Facility
Prepared for
U.S. Bureau of Land Management
Las Vegas Field Office
4765 Vegas Drive
Las Vegas, Nevada 89018
BLM Case Nos. N-73726 and N-57100
On Behalf of
Table Mountain Wind Company, LLC
4225 Executive Square, Suite 950
La Jolla, California 92037
Prepared by
PBS&J
901 North Green Valley Parkway, Suite 100
Henderson, Nevada 89074
PBS&J Job No. 511339.00
i
January 2002

Abstract
Table Mountain Wind Company, LLC (TMWC), a joint venture between Global Renewable Energy Partners,
Inc. (GREP) and Siemens Energy and Automation, Inc., is proposing to develop a nominal 150- to
205-megawatt (MW) wind-powered electric generation facility (WGF) and ancillary facilities approximately
20 miles (mi) southwest of Las Vegas, at the south end of the Spring Mountain Range between the
communities of Goodsprings, Sandy Valley, Jean, and Primm, Nevada. TMWC has applied for a 20-year-
term right-of-way (ROW) grant from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Las Vegas Field Office to
construct, operate, and maintain a WGF and ancillary facilities on approximately 325 acres (ac) of public
land. The purpose of the proposed project is to provide wind-generated electricity from a site in southern
Nevada to meet existing electricity needs and demonstrate the ability of wind energy to provide a reliable,
economical, and environmentally acceptable energy resource in the region.
The BLM has a jurisdictional trust responsibility over these public lands, and because the proposed project is
a major federal action, the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) under the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 is required to evaluate potential impacts and alternatives for
project planning and environmental protection. The BLM has reviewed and approved the information and
analyses set forth in this Draft EIS (DEIS).
This DEIS presents the alternatives under consideration and those considered but eliminated. This DEIS also
documents the existing environmental setting and provides results of the analysis of these four alternatives
that were considered: the Proposed Action, Alternative A, Alternative B, and the No-Action Alternative.
Potential significant impacts (environmental consequences) to the environment are evaluated in this DEIS.
Environmental issues addressed include potential impacts on the following:
• Geology, Seismicity, Soils, • Public Services, Utilities, and Electric
and Mining and Magnetic Fields
• Surface Water Hydrology • Hazardous Materials
• Groundwater Resources • Cultural Resources
• Biological Resources • Paleontological Resources
• Transportation and Circulation • Socioeconomics
• Air Quality • Environmental Justice
• Visual Resources • Cumulative Impacts
• Noise • Indirect Impacts
• Land Use
Implementation of the Proposed Action or alternatives will result in significant impacts on visual resources
from the proposed alternatives and potentially significant impacts on wildlife resources. Cultural Resources
investigations are ongoing and thus a determination of the potential impacts with regards to construction and
operation activities has not been made. Positive impacts to air quality and socioeconomic resources would
result from the development and operation of the WGF. Potential significant impacts from construction and
operation activities on the remaining resources are not anticipated. If the No-Action Alternative was selected,
the purpose and need of the proposed project would not be met, and there would be no beneficial impacts on
the economy of southern Nevada.
January 2002 Draft Environmental Impact Statement PB&$
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Table of Contents
Volume I—Draft Environmental Impact Statement
Page
Abstract. i
Disclaimer Statement. xiv
Executive Summary. xv
Acronyms and Abbreviations. xxxii
Chapter 1.0
Purpose and Need. 1-1
1.1 BLM Policies, Plans, and Programs. 1-1
1.1.1 Project Conformance with Land Use Plans. 1-2
1.2 Authorizing Action. 1-2
1.3 Issues and Concerns. 1-5
1.4 Environmental Impact Statement Organization and Preparation. 1-6
Chapter 2.0
Description of Proposed Action and Alternatives. 2-1
2.1 Proposed Site. 2-1
2.2 Proposed Action. 2-3
2.2.1 Facilities Description. 2-4
2.2.2 Construction Description. 2-17
2.2.3 Public Access and Safety. 2-27
2.2.4 Hazardous Materials. 2-28
2.2.5 Operations and Maintenance. 2-29
2.2.6 Facility Cost. 2-30
2.2.7 Decommissioning. 2-30
2.2.8 Project Design Refinement. 2-30
2.3 Alternative A. 2-31
2.4 Alternative B. 2-31
2.5 No-Action Alternative. 2-31
2.6 Alternatives Considered but Eliminated from Further Consideration. 2-32
January 2002 Draft Environmental Impact Statement PBSy
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