[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 110 (Friday, June 7, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26701-26702]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-12028]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLNVS01000. L51010000.ER0000. LVRWF1806190. 18X; N-84631; MO
#4500134356]
Notice of Availability of the Draft Resource Management Plan
Amendment and Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Gemini Solar
Project in Clark County, NV
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a
Draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) Amendment and Draft Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) for the Gemini Solar Project and by this notice
is announcing the opening of the comment period.
DATES: This notice initiates the public comment period for the Draft
EIS. Comments may be submitted in writing until September 5, 2019. The
date(s) and location(s) of any public meetings will be announced at
least 15 days in advance through local media, newspapers and the BLM
website at: https://go.usa.gov/xntTQ. In order to be included in the
Draft EIS, all comments must be received prior to the close of the 90-
day public comment period. We will provide additional opportunities for
public participation upon publication of the Final EIS.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the Gemini Solar Project
Draft RMP Amendment and Draft EIS by any of the following methods:
Website: https://go.usa.gov/xntTQ.
Email: [email protected].
Fax: 702-515-5023
Mail: Gemini Solar Project, Attn: Herman Pinales, BLM Las
Vegas Field Office, 4701 N Torrey Pines Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89130.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Herman Pinales, Energy &
Infrastructure Project Manager, telephone 702-515-5284; address 4701
North Torrey Pines Drive, Las Vegas, Nevada 89130-2301; email
[email protected].
Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact Mr.
Pinales. FRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a
message or question. You will receive a reply during normal business
hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The applicant, Solar Partners XI, LLC
(Arevia) has proposed to construct, operate, maintain, and decommission
a 690 megawatt photovoltaic solar electric generating facility and
associated generation tie-line and access road facilities on
approximately 7,100 acres of Federal lands administered by the BLM. The
proposed solar facility would be located approximately 33 miles
northeast of Las Vegas and directly south of the Moapa River Indian
Reservation in Clark County, Nevada. The expected life of the project
is 30 years.
The Visual Resource Management class in the application area is III
due to its close proximity to the Old Spanish National Historic Trail,
Muddy Mountain Wilderness Area, and Bitter Springs Back Country Byway.
The class III management objective is to partially retain the existing
character of the landscape. Permitting the project would require a land
use plan amendment to a class IV to provide for management activities
that require major modifications of the existing character of the
landscape.
The Draft EIS addresses the direct, indirect and cumulative
environmental impacts of the proposed action and alternatives. The
Draft EIS evaluates the Proposed Action, the Hybrid (BLM Preferred),
All Mowing and the No Action Alternatives. All of the alternatives
involve development on approximately 7,100 acres of land; however, each
action/alternative differs in how the facility is constructed. The
Proposed Action would involve solar development utilizing traditional
development methods, which include disk and roll that removes all
vegetation in the solar array areas. The Hybrid (BLM Preferred)
Alternative would involve solar development utilizing a combination of
traditional development methods in solar array areas (on approximately
2,500 acres) and mowing that leaves vegetation and natural land
contours in place on the remaining solar array areas (on approximately
4,600 acres). The All Mowing Alternative would involve development of
the facility utilizing only mowing in solar array areas. Where mowing
is utilized in each alternative, desert tortoise would be reintroduced
into the solar array areas after completion of construction, since
habitat would remain. The No Action Alternative would be a continuation
of existing conditions.
A Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS for the proposed Gemini Solar
Project was published in the Federal Register on July 13, 2018 (83 FR
32681). The public scoping period closed on August 27, 2018. The BLM
held two public scoping meetings. The BLM received 34 public scoping
comment letters during the 45-day scoping period. The scoping comments
focused on biological resources (desert tortoise and threecorner
milkvetch); visual resources; recreation and public access; and impacts
to the Old Spanish National Historic Trail.
The BLM analyzed a combination of proposed environmental measures
and possible mitigation to eliminate or minimize impacts associated
with the proposed action. These included the potential for identifying
opportunities to
[[Page 26702]]
apply on-site mitigation strategies appropriate to the site of the
proposal, and management actions to achieve resource objectives.
The BLM continues to consult with Indian tribes on a government-to-
government basis in accordance with Executive Order 13175 and other
policies. Tribal concerns, including impacts to Indian trust assets and
potential impacts to cultural resources, will be given due
consideration.
Please note that public comments and information submitted
including names, street addresses, and email addresses of persons who
submit comments will be available for public review and disclosure at
the address listed earlier during regular business hours (8 a.m. to
4:30 p.m.), Monday through Friday, except holidays.
Before including your address, phone number, email 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: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10)
Jon K. Raby,
Nevada State Director.
[FR Doc. 2019-12028 Filed 6-6-19; 8:45 am]
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