[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 43 (Friday, March 4, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12484-12485]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-04545]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Indian Affairs
[223A2100DD/AAKC001030/A0A501010.999900253G]
Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Chuckwalla
Solar Projects, Clark County, Nevada
AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that the Bureau of Indian
Affairs (BIA), as the lead Federal agency, with the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM), Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), National Park Service
(NPS), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (USFWS), Department of the Air Force (DAF), Nevada Department
of Wildlife (NDOW), and the Moapa Band of Paiute Indians (Moapa Band)
as cooperating agencies, intends to file a draft environmental impact
statement (DEIS) with the EPA for the proposed Chuckwalla Solar
Projects (Projects). The DEIS evaluates four photovoltaic (PV) solar
energy generation and storage projects on the Moapa River Indian
Reservation (Reservation) and generation interconnection (gen-tie)
lines along with the use of existing access roads and an existing gen-
tie line located on the Reservation, Reservation lands managed by BLM,
BLM lands, and private land. This notice also announces that the DEIS
is now available for public review and that public meetings will be
held to solicit comments on the DEIS.
DATES: In order to be fully considered, written comments on the DEIS
must arrive no later than 45 days after EPA publishes its Notice of
Availability in the Federal Register.
Meeting dates: The dates and times of the virtual public meetings
will be published in the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Moapa Valley
Progress and on the following website 15 days before the public
meetings: www.chuckwallasolarprojectsEIS.com.
ADDRESSES: You may mail, email, hand carry or telefax written comments
to Mr. Chip Lewis, Regional Environmental Protection Officer, BIA
Western Regional Office, Branch of Environmental Quality Services, 2600
North Central Avenue, 4th Floor Mail Room, Phoenix, Arizona 85004-3008.
Comment may also be sent via email to: [email protected] or on the
Projects website at www.ChuckwallaSolarProjectsEIS.com. Please see the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice for directions on
submitting comments. The public meetings can be joined online through
the Projects website at www.ChuckwallaSolarProjectsEIS.com.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Chip Lewis, BIA Western Regional
Office, Branch of Environmental Quality Services at 602-379-6750 or Mr.
Garry Cantley at 602-379-6750. Individuals in the United States who are
deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial
711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay
services.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed Federal action, taken under 25
U.S.C. 415, is the BIA's approval of a solar energy ground lease and
associated agreements entered into by the Moapa Band with EDF
Renewables Development, Inc. (Applicant). The agreements provide for
construction, operation and maintenance (O&M), and eventual
decommissioning of the four PV electricity generation and battery
storage facilities located entirely on the Reservation and specifically
on lands held in trust for the Moapa Band, in Clark County Nevada.
The PV electricity generation and battery storage facilities would
be located on up to 6,500 acres of tribal trust land (1,977 acres for
Project 1A, 689 acres for Project 1B, 1,573 acres for Project 2, and
2,016 acres for Project 3) and would have a combined capacity of up to
700 megawatts (MW)--200 MW for 1A, 50 MW for 1B, 200 MW for 2 and 250
MW for 3. The four solar Projects include the solar fields, access
roads, temporary water pipeline and connection with an existing
transmission gen-tie line.
Projects 1A and 1B would be built at the same time and would take
up to 20 months. Construction of Projects 2 and 3 would each also take
up to 20 months. The electricity generation and storage facilities are
expected to be operated for up to 35 years under the terms of the
leases, with time for construction and decommissioning. Major onsite
facilities include multiple blocks of solar PV panels mounted on fixed
tilt or tracking systems, pad mounted inverters and transformers,
battery storage, access roads, and O&M facilities. Water will be
[[Page 12485]]
needed during construction for dust control and a minimal amount will
be needed during operations for administrative and sanitary water use
and for panel washing. The water supply required for the Projects would
be leased from the Moapa Band. Access to the Projects will be provided
via North Las Vegas Boulevard from the I-15/US 93 interchange.
The purposes of the proposed Projects are, among other things, to:
(1) Provide a long-term, diverse, and viable economic revenue base and
job opportunities for the Moapa Band; (2) assist Nevada to meet their
State renewable energy needs; and (3) allow the Moapa Band, in
partnership with the Applicant, to optimize the use of the lease site
while maximizing the potential economic benefit to the Moapa Band.
The BIA and BLM will use the EIS to make decisions on the land
lease and right-of-way applications under their respective
jurisdiction; the BOR will use the document to make a decision
regarding the approval of an interconnection agreement, the NPS and EPA
may use the document to make decisions under its authorities; the Moapa
Band may use the DEIS to make decisions under its Environmental Policy
Ordinance; and the USFWS may use the DEIS to support its decision under
the Endangered Species Act.
Directions for Submitting Comments: Please include your name,
return address and the caption: ``DEIS Comments, Proposed Chuckwalla
Solar Projects'' on the first page of your written comments. You may
also submit comments verbally during one of the virtual public meeting
presentations or provide written comments to the address listed above
in the ADDRESSES section.
To help protect the public and limit the spread of the COVID-19
virus, virtual public meetings will be held, where team members will
provide a short presentation and remain available to discuss and answer
questions. The PowerPoint presentation will be posted to the project
website prior to the virtual meetings. Those who cannot live stream the
presentation would be able to access the meeting presentation on the
website and could join by telephone. Additionally, the live
presentation will be recorded and made accessible for viewing
throughout the comment period. The first public meeting will be held in
the afternoon by video and telephone conference and the second public
meeting will be held in the evening by video and telephone conference.
The dates, times, and access information for the virtual meetings will
be included in notices to be published in the Las Vegas Review-Journal
and Moapa Valley Progress and on the project website at
www.chuckwallasolarprojectsEIS.com 15 days before the meetings.
Locations Where the DEIS is Available for Review: The DEIS will be
available for review at: BIA Western Regional Office, 2600 North
Central Avenue, 12th Floor, Suite 210, Phoenix, Arizona; BIA Southern
Paiute Agency, 180 North 200 East, Suite 111, St. George, Utah; and the
BLM Southern Nevada District Office, 4701 North Torrey Pines Drive, Las
Vegas, Nevada. The DEIS is also available online at:
www.chuckwallasolarprojectsEIS.com.
To obtain an electronic copy of the DEIS, please provide your name
and address in writing or by voicemail to Mr. Chip Lewis or Mr. Garry
Cantley. Their contact information is listed in the FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice. Individual paper copies of
the DEIS will be provided only upon request.
Public Comment Availability: Written comments, including names and
addresses of respondents, will be available for public review at the
BIA Western Regional Office, at the mailing address shown in the
ADDRESSES section during regular business hours, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30
p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. Before including your
address, telephone 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: This notice is published in accordance with section
1503.1 of the Council on Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR 1500
et seq.) and the Department of the Interior Regulations (43 CFR part
46) implementing the procedural requirements of the National
Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), and in accordance
with the exercise of authority delegated to the Principal Deputy
Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs by part 209 of the Department
Manual.
Bryan Newland,
Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2022-04545 Filed 3-3-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4337-15-P