[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 173 (Friday, September 6, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72887-72888]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-19552]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[BLM_NV_FRN_MO4500179144]


Notice of Availability of the Draft Resource Management Plan 
Amendment and Environmental Impact Statement for the Bonanza Solar 
Project, Nevada

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: In compliance 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) Nevada 
State Office has prepared a Draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) 
Amendment with an associated Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 
to consider the effects of a right-of-way (ROW) application from 
Bonanza Solar, LLC for the Bonanza Solar Project and by this notice is 
announcing the opening of the comment period on the Draft RMP 
Amendment/EIS.

DATES: This notice announces the opening of a 90-day comment period for 
the Draft RMP Amendment/EIS beginning with the date following the 
Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) publication of its Notice of 
Availability (NOA) in the Federal Register. The EPA usually publishes 
its NOAs on Fridays.
    To afford the BLM the opportunity to consider comments in the Draft 
RMP Amendment/EIS, please ensure your comments are received prior to 
the close of the 90-day comment period or 15 days after the last public 
meeting, whichever is later. The BLM will be holding a combination of 
virtual and in-person public meetings. The specific date(s) and 
location(s) of these meetings will be announced at least 15 days in 
advance through the Project website.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the Bonanza Solar Project 
and RMP Amendment by any of the following methods:
     Project website: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2020905/510.
     Email: [email protected].
     Mail: BLM, Nevada State Office, Attn: Renewable Energy 
Coordination Office, 1340 Financial Boulevard, Reno, Nevada 89502.
    Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined online at 
https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2020905/510 and at the 
Southern Nevada District Office, 4701 N Torrey Pines Drive, Las Vegas, 
Nevada 89130.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Katy Paiva, Project Manager, telephone 
(775) 861-6723; address 1340 Financial Boulevard, Reno, NV 89502; email 
[email protected]. Contact us at this email address to have your 
name added to our mailing list. 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 Katy Paiva. 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: This document provides notice that the BLM 
has prepared a Draft RMP Amendment/EIS and announces the opening of the 
comment period on the Draft RMP Amendment/EIS. The Draft RMP amendments 
evaluated changes to the existing 1998 Las Vegas RMP to modify an 
existing utility corridor and reclassify the visual resources 
management class in the project area.
    The project area is in Clark County, Nevada, and encompasses 
approximately 5,131 acres of public lands with a gen-tie transmission 
going into Nye County for 10 acres.

Purpose and Need

    The BLM's purpose is to respond under title V of FLPMA (43 U.S.C. 
1761) to an application submitted by Bonanza Solar, LLC on December 1, 
2020, to construct, operate, maintain, and eventually decommission a 
solar photovoltaic electric generating facility and associated 
facilities with a capacity of 300 megawatts.
    The need for this action is established by BLM's responsibilities 
under FLPMA and its ROW regulations to consider the application. The 
BLM is required by FLPMA Section 103(c) to manage public lands for 
multiple uses that consider the long-term needs of future generations 
for renewable and non-renewable resources. The Secretary of the 
Interior authorized the BLM to grant ROWs on public lands for systems 
of generation, transmission, and distribution of electric energy (43 
U.S.C. 1761(a)(4)).

Alternatives Including the Preferred Alternative

    The BLM analyzed five alternatives in detail, including the no 
action alternative. Under the no action alternative, the project would 
not be authorized or constructed. The BLM evaluated four action 
alternatives, including the Proposed Action, a Resource Integration 
Alternative (Alternative 1), a BLM Preferred Alternative (Alternative 
2), and a Modified Layout Alternative (Alternative 3), with variations 
on management objectives for vegetation cover and grading limits, 
measures to maintain the area for Mojave desert tortoise connectivity, 
and the source of the water for construction, operations and 
maintenance. The BLM further considered six additional alternatives but 
dismissed these from detailed analysis as explained in the Draft RMP 
Amendment/EIS.
    The BLM has identified Alternative 2 as the BLM Preferred 
Alternative. Alternative 2 was found to best meet the planning guidance 
and, therefore, selected as the preferred alternative because it 
provides the best opportunity for solar energy development while 
allowing for the maintenance of habitat for Mojave desert tortoise 
connectivity.

Mitigation

    The BLM Preferred Alternative includes measures to maintain and/or 
improve connectivity along U.S. Highway 95 for connectivity for the 
Mojave desert tortoise through the requirement of minimum vegetation 
retention standards and grading limits. The BLM Preferred Alternative 
also includes anti-perching/nesting

[[Page 72888]]

deterrents to minimize predation by ravens. Bonanza Solar, LLC will 
also be required to pay remuneration fees for impacts to Mojave desert 
tortoise habitats.

Area of Critical Environmental Concern

    On September 22, 2020, the BLM received a nomination from the 
public to designate an Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) 
consisting of approximately 58,000 acres in the Cactus Springs area. 
The nominated ACEC overlaps the entire project area. In this Draft RMP 
Amendment/EIS, the BLM is not considering the ACEC nomination because 
designation of ACECs is not within the scope of the current planning 
process. Consistent with policy (HQ IM 2023-013), the BLM has prepared 
a relevance and importance values report for the nominated ACEC area 
and determined that special management attention is needed. The BLM has 
provided temporary management and implementation actions to protect 
values in the area, which have been incorporated into the BLM Preferred 
Alternative.

Schedule for the Decision-Making Process

    The BLM will provide additional opportunities for public 
participation consistent with the NEPA and land use planning processes, 
including a 30-day public protest period and a 60-day Governor's 
consistency review of the Proposed RMP Amendment. The Proposed RMP 
Amendment/Final EIS is anticipated to be available for public protest 
in April 2025 with a Record of Decision in August 2025.
    To afford the BLM the opportunity to consider comments in the Draft 
RMP Amendment/EIS, please ensure your comments are received prior to 
the close of the 90-day comment period or 15 days after the last public 
meeting, whichever is later.
    The BLM has utilized and coordinated the NEPA and land use planning 
processes for this planning effort to help support compliance with 
applicable procedural requirements under the Endangered Species Act (16 
U.S.C. 1536) and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act 
(NHPA) (54 U.S.C. 306108). The BLM has elected to comply with NHPA 
Section 106 requirements through the NEPA process (36 CFR 800.8(c)). 
The information about historic and cultural resources and threatened 
and endangered species within the area potentially affected by the 
proposed plan has assisted the BLM in identifying and evaluating 
impacts to such resources.
    The BLM will continue to consult with Indian Tribes on a 
government-to-government basis in accordance with Executive Order 
13175, BLM MS 1780, and other Departmental policies. Tribal concerns, 
including potential impacts to cultural resources, will be given due 
consideration. Additional government-to-government meetings will occur 
during this review period.
    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 1501.7, 43 CFR 1610.2, and 43 CFR 2800)

Jon K. Raby,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 2024-19552 Filed 9-5-24; 8:45 am]
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