Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan Proposed Land Use Plan Amendment and Final Environmental Impact Statement

Transcription

1 Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan Proposed Land Use Plan Amendment and Final Environmental Impact Statement Volume I: Background and Planning Process Prepared by: U.S. Bureau of Land Management In Partnership with: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service California Energy Commission California Department of Fish and Wildlife OCTOBER 2015

2 Printed on 30% post-consumer recycled material.

3 VOLUME I. TABLE OF CONTENTS Section TABLE OF CONTENTS VOLUME I Page No. ACRONYM LIST... ACR-I I.0 INTRODUCTION... I.0-1 I.0.1 DRECP Background and Overview... I.0-1 I.0.2 Document Organization... I.0-5 I.0.3 Requirement for Further Analysis... I.0-10 I.0.4 Key Changes Between Draft and Final... I.0-10 I.1 PURPOSE AND NEED... I.1-1 I.1.1 Interagency Objectives/Purpose and Need... I.1-1 I.1.2 Bureau of Land Management Purpose and Need... I.1-1 I Bureau of Land Management Roles and Responsibilities... I.1-3 I Decisions to be Made... I.1-5 I.2 LEGAL FRAMEWORK... I.2-1 I.2.1 Bureau of Land Management... I.2-1 I Federal Land Policy and Management Act... I.2-1 I National Environmental Policy Act... I.2-4 I Federal Endangered Species Act of I.2-5 I National Historic Preservation Act of I.2-6 I Omnibus Public Land Management Act of I.2-7 I Secretarial Order I.2-9 I Other Relevant Federal Authorities... I.2-9 I Renewable Energy Laws and Other Relevant Policies... I.2-15 I Migratory Bird Treaty Act... I.2-21 I Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act of 1940, as Amended... I.2-21 I.3 PLANNING PROCESS... I.3-1 I.3.1 Bureau of Land Management Land Use Planning Process... I.3-1 I Planning Criteria... I.3-1 I Types of Decisions... I.3-3 I Site-Specific Implementation Decisions and Requirements for Further Environmental Analysis... I.3-9 I Integration with the Biological Conservation Planning Process... I.3-9 I Consistency of DRECP with the West Mojave Route Network Planning Effort... I.3-9 I.3.2 DRECP Biological Conservation Planning Process... I.3-10 I.3.3 Renewable Energy Goals and Planning Process... I.3-12 I Federal/BLM Renewable Energy Goals... I.3-12 Vol. I of VI I-i October 2015

4 VOLUME I. TABLE OF CONTENTS Section TABLE OF CONTENTS VOLUME I (CONTINUED) Page No. I California s Renewable Energy Requirements and Energy Goals... I.3-12 I Overview of the Renewable Energy Planning Process and Development Focus Area Design Process... I.3-13 I Renewable Energy Generation Estimates in the Plan Area... I.3-15 I Renewable Energy Resource Distribution and Development Potential... I.3-16 I Development Focus Areas... I.3-17 I Transmission Planning Goals and Assumptions... I.3-18 I.3.4 Plan Integration... I.3-20 I BLM Land Use Planning Designations... I.3-20 I Biological Conservation Areas... I.3-21 I Renewable Energy Planning Areas... I.3-21 I.3.5 Duration of the DRECP BLM LUPA... I.3-22 I.4 LITERATURE CITED VOLUME I... I.4-1 Chapter I.0 Introduction... I.4-1 Chapter I.1 Objectives/Purpose and Need... I.4-1 Chapter I.2 Legal Framework... I.4-2 Chapter I.3 Planning Process... I.4-5 FIGURES I.0-1 I.0-2 DRECP Plan Area... I.0-3 Land Use Plan Amendment Lands... I.0-7 Vol. I of VI I-ii October 2015

5 VOLUME I. ACRONYM LIST ACRONYM LIST ACEC BGO BLM CalWEA CDCA CDFW CEC CEERT CEQA CFR CMA CPUC DFA DOD DOI DRECP DWMA EIR EIS ERMA ESA FLPMA FR GCP G-E-M GHG HCP HMA ISA ISP LSA LUPA MAMP MBTA MW NCCP NCL NEPA NLCS Area of Critical Environmental Concern Biological Goals and Objectives Bureau of Land Management California Wind Energy Association California Desert Conservation Area California Department of Fish and Wildlife California Energy Commission Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies California Environmental Quality Act Code of Federal Regulations Conservation and Management Action California Public Utilities Commission Development Focus Area Department of Defense Department of the Interior Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan Desert Wildlife Management Area Environmental Impact Report Environmental Impact Statement Extensive Recreation Management Area Endangered Species Act Federal Land Policy and Management Act Federal Register General Conservation Plan Geology, Energy, and Mineral greenhouse gas Habitat Conservation Plan Habitat Management Area Independent Science Advisors Independent Science Panel Large-Scale Solar Association Land Use Plan Amendment Monitoring and Adaptive Management Program Migratory Bird Treaty Act megawatt Natural Community Conservation Plan National Conservation Lands National Environmental Policy Act National Landscape Conservation System Vol. I of VI Acr-i October 2015

6 VOLUME I. ACRONYM LIST PEIS REAT RMP ROD ROW RPS SO SRMA TTG U.S.C. USFS USFWS VPL WMRNP Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement Renewable Energy Action Team Resource Management Plan Record of Decision right-of-way Renewables Portfolio Standard Secretarial Order Special Recreation Management Area Transmission Technical Group United States Code U.S. Forest Service U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Variance Process Lands West Mojave Route Network Project Vol. I of VI Acr-ii October 2015