[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 144 (Friday, July 26, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60652-60653]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-16258]



[[Page 60652]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[BLM_NV_FRN; MO4500179291]


Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Libra Solar Project, Lyon and Mineral Counties, 
Nevada

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 (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 
announces the availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) for the Libra Solar Project, Lyon and Mineral Counties, Nevada.

DATES: The BLM will not issue a decision on the proposal for a minimum 
of 30 days after the date the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 
publishes its Notice of Availability (NOA) of the Final EIS in the 
Federal Register. The EPA usually publishes its NOAs on Fridays.

ADDRESSES: The Final EIS and documents pertinent to this proposal are 
available for review on the BLM National NEPA Register website at 
https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2022592/570.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa Ross, Public Affairs Specialist, 
telephone: (775) 885-6107; address: 5665 Morgan Mill Road, Carson City, 
NV 89701; email [email protected]. 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 for contacting Ms. Ross. Individuals 
outside the United States should use the relay services offered within 
their country to make international calls to the point-of-contact in 
the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action

    The BLM's purpose and need is to respond to the right-of-way (ROW) 
application submitted by the Applicant under FLPMA Title V (43 U.S.C. 
1761). The need for this action is to fulfill the BLM's responsibility 
under FLPMA and its ROW regulations to manage the public lands for 
multiple uses, including the generation of electric energy. FLPMA, as 
amended, established a multiple-use mandate for the BLM's management of 
Federal lands, including ``systems for generation, transmission, and 
distribution of electric energy, except that the proponent shall also 
comply with all applicable requirements of the Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission under the Federal Power Act, including part I 
thereof (41 Stat. 1063, 16 U.S.C. 791a-825r).'' (43 U.S.C. 1761(a)(4)). 
The BLM must consider compliance with FLPMA, BLM ROW regulations, the 
BLM NEPA Handbook, Department of the Interior NEPA regulations, and 
other applicable Federal and State laws and policies.

Proposed Action and Alternatives

    Under the Proposed Action, the Applicant would construct, operate, 
maintain, and decommission a 700-megawatt alternating current (MW ac) 
solar photovoltaic (PV) power generating facility with battery storage 
and associated components on approximately 5,141 acres of public lands 
administered by the BLM Stillwater and Sierra Front Field Offices in 
the Carson City District Office. The proposal also includes the 
development of a 24.1-mile-long generation tie-line, of which 22.9 
miles would be located on BLM managed lands, to connect the solar site 
to the Fort Churchill Substation in Lyon County, as well as improvement 
of a largely-existing access road on BLM lands providing access to the 
solar site. The total ROW requested for the project is 5,778 acres. The 
Project would result in the permanent disturbance of approximately 
3,420 acres within the 5,778-acre ROW. Under the Proposed Action, the 
Applicant would reclaim surface disturbances and prevent unnecessary or 
undue degradation of the lands. The final reclamation would occur at 
the end of the 30-year ROW grant term, if it is not renewed.
    The three action alternatives analyzed in the Final EIS are as 
follows: Action Alternative 1: Major Drainage Avoidance, Fenced 
Corridors, and Vegetation and Topography Maintenance; Action 
Alternative 2: Alternative Supplemental Access During Construction; and 
Action Alternative 3: Alternative Gen-tie Connecting to the Proposed 
Greenlink West Transmission Line. Action Alternative 1 includes the use 
of specific construction methods to reduce impacts to vegetation, 
drainage, and topography within the solar array areas. Action 
Alternative 2 focuses on reduction of impacts associated with East 
Walker Road (the project's mostly unpaved access road) by providing 
supplemental access during construction. Action Alternative 3 entails 
connecting the generation tie-line from the project to the proposed 
Greenlink West Transmission Project through a new switching station 
under the proposed Greenlink West line, which would reduce impacts to 
air, vegetation, soils, wildlife, visual resources, and other resource 
areas from the 24.1-mile-long generation tie-line under the Proposed 
Action.
    Under the No Action Alternative, the solar facility, generation 
tie-line, battery storage, substation, and associated facilities would 
not be developed because the BLM would not issue the ROW grant.
    Based on the analyses contained in the Final EIS for the proposed 
Libra Solar Project, and after carefully considering input from the 
public and cooperating agencies, the BLM has selected a modification of 
the Proposed Action that combines Action Alternative 1 and Action 
Alternative 2; it requires the use of specific construction methods and 
provides supplemental access to reduce total traffic on East Walker 
Road during construction. An overlay of Alternative 1 and Alternative 2 
is the preferred alternative since it reduces many of the resource 
impacts, including to vegetation communities, wildlife, and hydrology. 
It also allows for faster and more successful restoration at 
decommissioning, allowing for future uses of the land under multiple 
use.

Public Participation

    In addition to making the Draft EIS available for public comment 
and review, the BLM hosted one virtual and one in-person public meeting 
in Yerington, Nevada, during the public comment period. The agency 
received 23 written comments, some of which were verbally presented and 
recorded during the meeting. The responses were incorporated in the 
Final EIS, as appropriate. The BLM hosted additional meetings in 
response to comments received from Native American Tribes to discuss 
construction practices and methods. The BLM will continue to consult 
with Indian Tribal Nations on a government-to-government basis in 
accordance with Executive Order 13175, BLM MS 1780, and other 
Departmental policies. Public comments received on the Draft EIS were 
considered and incorporated as appropriate into the Final EIS. Public 
comments and internal BLM review resulted in the addition of clarifying 
text but did not significantly change the impact analyses.

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Schedule for the Decision-Making Process

    The BLM anticipates releasing a Record of Decision in the third 
quarter of 2024. The BLM will decide whether or not to approve and 
issue the ROW to build the project on 5,778 acres of public lands as 
proposed or with modifications.

(Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10)

Kimberly D. Dow,
District Manager, Carson City District.
[FR Doc. 2024-16258 Filed 7-25-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331-21-P