[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 24 (Friday, February 4, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6493-6494]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-2554]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs


Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Proposed K Road/Moapa Band of Paiute Indians Photovoltaic Solar 
Facility, Clark County, NV

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that the Bureau of Indian 
Affairs (BIA), as lead agency, with the Moapa Band of Paiute Indians 
(Tribe), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA), and the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), as 
cooperating agencies, intend to gather information necessary for 
preparing an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the proposed 
Moapa Band of Paiute Indians Solar Generation Facility on the Moapa 
River Indian Reservation, Nevada. This notice also announces public 
scoping meetings to identify potential issues and content for inclusion 
in the EIS.

DATES: Written comments on the scope and implementation of the proposal 
must arrive by March 7, 2011. Several public scoping meetings will be 
held and notices will be published in local newspapers announcing the 
dates and locations of the meetings.

ADDRESSES: You may mail, e-mail, hand carry or fax written comments to 
either Ms. Amy Heuslein, Regional Environmental Protection Officer, BIA 
Western Regional Office Branch of Environmental Quality Services, 2600 
North Central Avenue, 4th Floor Mail Room, Phoenix, AZ 85004-3008; 
telephone: (602) 379-6750; fax: (602) 379-3833; e-mail: 
[email protected]; or Mr. Paul Schlafly, Natural Resource Officer, 
BIA Southern Paiute Agency, 180 N. 200 E., Suite 111 or P.O. Box 720, 
St. George, UT 84771; telephone: (435) 674-9720; fax: (435) 674-9714; 
e-mail: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Amy Heuslein at (602) 379-6750 or 
[email protected]; or Mr. Paul Schlafy at (435) 674-9720 or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed Federal action, taken under 25 
U.S.C. 415, is the BIA approval of a solar energy ground lease and 
associated agreements entered into by the Moapa Band of Paiute Indians 
with K Road Moapa Solar LLC (K Road), and associated approval of 
rights-of-way and easements, for K Road to construct and operate an up-
to 350 MW solar photovoltaic electricity generating facility located 
entirely on Moapa tribal lands. The Moapa Band of Paiute Indians may 
use this EIS to make decisions under the Tribal Environmental Policy 
Ordinance. The BLM may use this EIS to support a decision for a 
proposed approximately 0.5 mile right-of-way across Federal public 
lands adjoining the Moapa River Indian Reservation. The right-of-way 
may be used to link the proposed solar generation facility to an 
existing substation on a transmission line with a rating up to 500 
kilovolts. The USFWS may use this EIS to support its decisions under 
the Endangered Species Act.
    The purposes of the proposed action are to: (1) use the Tribe's 
solar energy resources and complete a transmission line from the 
existing electrical grid to the Tribe-owned travel plaza on Interstate 
15 (thereby reducing or eliminating the use of diesel-powered 
generation at the plaza, improving and diversifying the economy of the 
Moapa Band of Paiute Indians, and providing other benefits to their 
members in an environmentally compatible manner); and (2) generate 
clean, renewable electricity that can be efficiently connected to 
existing transmission lines to help utilities in the region meet their 
renewable energy goals.
    The EIS will assess the alternatives to, and the environmental 
consequences of, BIA approval, under 25 U.S.C. 415, of a proposed solar 
energy ground lease and associated agreements between the Moapa Band of 
Paiute Indians as lessor and K Road as lessee. The ground lease will 
enable K Road to construct and operate an up-to 350 MW solar 
photovoltaic electricity generating facility on approximately 2,000 
acres of tribal lands held in trust by the United States and located on 
the Moapa River Indian Reservation, Nevada. The facility will utilize 
transformers to step up the voltage to interconnection voltage, which 
will facilitate a connection of the facility with one or more of the 
following: an existing transmission line on tribal lands (up to 500 
kV); the existing 230 kV Crystal substation operated by NV Energy 
outside tribal lands; and/or the existing 500 kV Crystal substation 
operated by NV Energy outside tribal lands. The Crystal

[[Page 6494]]

substation complex is located on BLM land, approximately 0.5 mile from 
the southern border of the Moapa River Indian Reservation. The proposed 
BIA actions include approval of the solar energy ground lease and 
associated agreements, and approval of rights-of-way and easements on 
the Moapa River Indian Reservation for K Road to construct electric 
transmission lines and other supporting facilities for one or more 
interconnections.
    K Road has requested the BLM to approve a right-of-way across 
approximately a 0.5 mile of Federal public lands in Township 17 South, 
Range 64 East, Section 10, for purposes of constructing an electrical 
transmission line to connect the solar generating facility and electric 
transmission on the Moapa River Indian Reservation with the Crystal 
substation.
    K Road intends to construct and operate the solar facility for a 
period of 35 years, with an option to renew the lease for another 15 
years, if mutually acceptable to the Moapa Tribe and K Road. This area 
is located in Clark County, Nevada, approximately one mile west of 
Interstate 15 and approximately 30 miles northeast of Las Vegas, 
Nevada.
    The proposed solar facility will be built in phases of 50 to 100 MW 
each to meet the needs of offtakers or utilities, up to a total of 350 
MW. During the construction of each phase, photovoltaic panels will be 
affixed to the earth using concrete posts, concrete ballast, or other 
suitable foundation design techniques appropriate to the topography and 
site conditions. Some or all of the panels may employ trackers to track 
the sun during the day. No water will be used in the production of 
electricity. Water will periodically be used for cleaning the 
photovoltaic panels during routine maintenance, administrative and 
sanitation uses at the site (e.g., water in a small office on site), 
and fugitive dust control.
    As lead agency, the BIA will have authority over decisions 
regarding the EIS and BIA's approval of the solar energy ground lease 
and associated agreements. These decisions will be documented in a 
Record of Decision (ROD). BLM will have authority over approval of the 
off-reservation right-of-way, documented in its ROD. Cooperating 
agencies, including BLM, will provide expertise and data for their 
resources of interest and will aid in the development of alternatives 
and mitigation measures that will minimize or prevent significant 
adverse impacts.
    Significant issues to be covered during the scoping process may 
include, but would not be limited to: air quality, geology and soils, 
surface and groundwater resources, biological resources, threatened and 
endangered species, cultural resources, socioeconomic conditions, land 
use, aesthetics, environmental justice, and Indian trust resources.

Directions for Submitting Public Comments

    Please include your name, return address, and the caption ``EIS, K 
Road and Moapa Band of Paiute Indians Solar Facility'' on the first 
page of any written comments you submit. You may also submit comments 
at the public scoping meetings.

Public Availability of Comments

    Comments, including names and addresses of respondents, will be 
available for public review at the BIA address shown in the ADDRESSES 
section of this notice, during regular business hours, Monday through 
Friday, except holidays. Before including your address, phone number, 
e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your 
comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--including your 
personal identifying information--may be made publicly available at any 
time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal 
identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we 
will be able to do so.

Authority

    This notice is published in accordance with sections 1503.1 of the 
Council on Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500 through 
1508) and Section 46.305 of the Department of Interior Regulations (43 
CFR part 46), implementing the procedural requirements of NEPA, as 
amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), and is in the exercise of authority 
delegated to the Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs, by part 209 of 
the Departmental Manual.

    Dated: January 28, 2011.
Larry Echo Hawk,
Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2011-2554 Filed 2-1-11; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 4310-W7-P