Notice2021-24021
Notice of Competitive Offer for Solar Energy Development on Public Lands in the State of Arizona
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
November 4, 2021
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentLand Management Bureau
Abstract
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Arizona State Office, Phoenix, Arizona, will accept competitive bids to lease public lands for solar energy projects on approximately 8,526 acres in the State of Arizona.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 211 (Thursday, November 4, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 211 (Thursday, November 4, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60905-60907]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-24021]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[22X.LLAZ920000 L13400000.KH0000]
Notice of Competitive Offer for Solar Energy Development on
Public Lands in the State of Arizona
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of competitive offer.
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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Arizona State Office,
Phoenix, Arizona, will accept competitive bids to lease public lands
for solar energy projects on approximately 8,526 acres in the State of
Arizona.
DATES: The BLM will hold a competitive live auction at 10:00 a.m. local
time on December 8, 2021.
ADDRESSES: The auction will be held at: BLM Arizona State Office, 1
North Central Ave, #800, Phoenix, AZ 85004.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Derek Eysenbach, Project Manager, BLM
Arizona State Office, by telephone: 602-417-9505 or email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#acc8c9d5dfc9c2cecdcfc4eccec0c182cbc3da"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="1a7e7f63697f74787b79725a787677347d756c">[email protected]</span></a>. People who use a telecommunications device for the
deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339
to contact Mr. Eysenbach during normal business hours. The 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 BLM Arizona State Office has received
interest to lease lands within each of its Solar Energy Zones (SEZ).
The BLM will offer leases for solar energy development within the SEZs
in accordance with the competitive process described in 43 CFR 2800,
subpart 2809.
Based on the expressed interest, each SEZ is being offered in its
entirety. The SEZs being offered for competitive solar lease sale are
described as follows:
Gillespie Solar Energy Zone
Maricopa County, Arizona
The Gillespie SEZ consists of approximately 2,618 contiguous acres
of public land, identified in the 2012 Final Programmatic Environmental
Impact Statement for Solar Energy Development in Six Southwestern
States (Solar Programmatic EIS) and subsequent Approved Resource
Management Plan Amendments/Record of Decision (ROD) as suitable for
utility-scale solar energy development. The Gillespie SEZ is managed by
the BLM's Lower Sonoran Field Office. Detailed information on the
Gillespie SEZ, including maps, completed resource studies, and
recommended design features can be viewed and downloaded at: <a href="https://blmsolar.anl.gov/sez/az/gillespie/">https://blmsolar.anl.gov/sez/az/gillespie/</a>.
Brenda Solar Energy Zone
La Paz County, Arizona
The Brenda SEZ consists of approximately 3,348 contiguous acres of
public land, identified in the 2012 Solar Programmatic EIS and ROD as
suitable for utility-scale solar energy development. The Brenda SEZ is
managed by the BLM's Lake Havasu Field Office. Detailed information on
the Brenda SEZ, including maps, completed resource studies, groundwater
modeling, and recommended design features can be viewed and downloaded
at: <a href="https://blmsolar.anl.gov/sez/az/brenda/">https://blmsolar.anl.gov/sez/az/brenda/</a>.
Agua Caliente Solar Energy Zone
Yuma County, Arizona
The Agua Caliente SEZ consists of approximately 2,560 acres of
public land, split into two parcels surrounding an existing solar
energy facility on private lands. Agua Caliente was identified in the
2013 Renewable Arizona: Restoration Design Energy Project Environmental
Impact Statement and subsequent ROD as suitable for utility-scale solar
energy development. The Agua Caliente SEZ is managed by the BLM's Yuma
Field Office. Detailed information on the Agua Caliente SEZ, including
maps, completed resource studies, and recommended design features can
be viewed and downloaded at: <a href="https://blmsolar.anl.gov/sez/az/agua-caliente/">https://blmsolar.anl.gov/sez/az/agua-caliente/</a>.
As provided for in 43 CFR 2809.13(a), bidding will occur in an oral
auction, conducted in-person. The auction will be open to the public
with potential limitations based on room capacity and the event may be
live-streamed. More information will be made available at <a href="https://go.usa.gov/xMXRG">https://go.usa.gov/xMXRG</a>. Interested bidders are required to pre-register no
later than one week prior to the scheduled auction to allow sufficient
time for the BLM to verify qualifications. Qualified bidders must meet
the requirements of 43 CFR 2803.10:
[[Page 60906]]
<bullet> An individual, association, corporation, partnership, or
similar business entity, or a Federal agency or state, Tribal, or local
government;
<bullet> Technically and financially able to construct, operate,
maintain, and terminate the use of the public lands you are applying
for; and
<bullet> Of legal age and authorized to do business in the state
where the right-of-way (ROW) you seek is located.
Technical and financial capability may be demonstrated by:
<bullet> Providing documentation of any successful experience in
construction, operation, and maintenance of a similar-sized solar
facility on either public or non-public lands;
<bullet> Providing documentation on the availability of sufficient
capitalization to carry out development, including the preliminary
study stage of the project and the environmental review and clearance
process; or
<bullet> Providing documentation of conditional commitments of
Federal and other loan guarantees; confirmed power purchase agreements;
engineering, procurement, and construction contracts; and supply
contracts with credible third-party vendors for the manufacture or
supply of key components for the project facilities.
Pre-registered bidders will be confirmed and assigned a bidder
number before the auction commences. Complete details and frequently
asked questions on the screening and bidding process can be found
online at: <a href="https://go.usa.gov/xMXRG">https://go.usa.gov/xMXRG</a>.
The BLM has determined a minimum acceptable bid for each SEZ. The
minimum bid represents 10 percent of the rent value of the land for 1
year under the BLM's solar rental schedule and is based on the
interests acquired by a lessee in the SEZ. The minimum bid also
includes an administrative fee of approximately $2.42 per acre to cover
the BLM's costs of preparing and conducting the competitive offer.
Minimum bids for the three SEZs are: Gillespie--$80,511; Brenda--
$30,728; and Agua Caliente--$78,728. The competitive offer will start
at the minimum bid, and bidders may raise with subsequent bonus bids.
The bidder with the highest total bid (minimum and bonus bid) at the
close of the auction will be declared the successful bidder and will be
offered a ROW lease within the SEZ subject to payment terms, outlined
as follows.
If you are the successful bidder, payment of the minimum bid and at
least 20 percent of the winning bonus bid must be submitted to the BLM
Arizona State Office by the close of business on the day of the
auction. Within 15 calendar days after the auction, you must pay the
balance of the bonus bid and the first 12 months acreage rent to the
respective BLM field office overseeing management of the SEZ. Any
required payments must be submitted by personal check, cashier's check,
certified check, ACH bank draft, or money order, or by other means
deemed acceptable by the BLM, payable to the Department of the
Interior--Bureau of Land Management.
The BLM will offer you a ROW lease if you are the successful bidder
and you: (1) Satisfy the qualifications in 43 CFR 2803.10; (2) make the
required payments listed earlier; and (3) do not have any trespass
action pending against you for any activity on BLM-administered lands
or have any unpaid debts owed to the Federal Government. The BLM will
not offer a lease to the successful bidder and will keep all money that
has been submitted if the successful bidder does not satisfy these
requirements. In that event, the BLM may offer the lease to the next
highest bidder; re-offer the lands through another competitive process;
or make the lands available through the non-competitive application
process found in 43 CFR 2803, 2804, and 2805.
The administrative fee portion of the minimum bid will be retained
by the agency to recover administrative costs for conducting the
competitive bid and related processes. The remainder of the minimum bid
and bonus bid will be deposited with the U.S. Treasury. Neither amount
will be returned or refunded to the successful bidder(s) under any
circumstance.
If no bid is received for a SEZ, then no lease will be issued and
the BLM may choose to make the lands available through the non-
competitive application process found in 43 CFR 2803, 2804, and 2805,
or by competitive process at a later date. Any lease issued will be
subject to the terms and conditions specified in 43 CFR 2809.18, any
additional requirements identified in the site-specific environmental
review documentation, and the following project specific stipulations:
(1) The lessee will prepare the following management plans, if
applicable, and submit them to the BLM as part of its plan of
development (POD) for approval following the issuance of a lease for
the Project and prior to the BLM issuing a Notice to Proceed (NTP) with
construction:
<bullet> Bird and Bat Conservation Strategy;
<bullet> Decommissioning and Site Reclamation Plan;
<bullet> Dust Abatement Plan;
<bullet> Spill Prevention and Emergency Response Plan;
<bullet> Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Plan;
<bullet> Health and Safety Program;
<bullet> Groundwater Monitoring and Reporting Plan;
<bullet> Fire Management Plan;
<bullet> Lighting Management Plan;
<bullet> Integrated Weed Management Plan;
<bullet> Raven Management Plan;
<bullet> Site Rehabilitation and Restoration Plan;
<bullet> Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan;
<bullet> Site Drainage Plan;
<bullet> Traffic Management Plan;
<bullet> Surface Water Quality Management Plan; and
<bullet> Worker Education and Awareness Plan.
(2) The lessee will comply with all relevant protective measures
and design features established in the Approved Resource Management
Plan Amendments/Record of Decision for Solar Development in Six
Southwestern States (Solar Programmatic EIS) signed on Oct. 12, 2012,
and Approved Resource Management Plan Amendments/Record of Decision for
Renewable Arizona: Restoration Design Energy Project signed January 18,
2013.
(3) A Class III cultural survey will be required prior to any
ground-disturbing activities. All historic properties found will be
avoided or mitigated in consultation with State Historic Preservation
Office.
(4) Any mitigation resulting from an adverse effect to historic
properties will be addressed through a Memorandum of Agreement as
outlined in the Solar Programmatic EIS Programmatic Agreement.
(5) Appropriate protection measures will be applied to existing
improvements (e.g., canals and access to private lands) and rights-of-
way within the SEZ and adjacent to other ancillary facilities (e.g.,
gen-tie line(s) and substation) required for development of any leased
parcels.
(6) A 2-year grazing notification will be provided to all livestock
permittees that will lose animal unit months to solar development,
giving them 2 years to make any financial, business, or management
decisions.
(7) The lessee will compensate the grazing permittees for any range
improvements affected or lost by solar lease operations.
(8) The lessee will construct new fences that will continue to keep
the allotments and pastures separated as needed to mitigate for the
removal of allotment and pasture fences.
(9) Rights-of-way for livestock grazing driveways may be granted
through solar
[[Page 60907]]
lease parcels if requested by grazing permittees.
(10) Any POD submitted will address mitigation and compensation
strategies for impacts to livestock grazing, and any agreement with the
affected grazing permittee addressing these mitigation and compensation
strategies will be submitted to the BLM concurrent with the POD prior
to the BLM authorizing an NTP with construction.
(11) Following submission of a POD, BLM shall initiate project-
specific consultation with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act. The outcome of this
consultation may result in additional design considerations that the
leaseholder would be required to incorporate into final project design,
construction, and decommissioning plans.
(12) The developer will be required to coordinate and confirm any
stream alteration or Section 404 permitting requirements through the
appropriate state or federal agency with jurisdiction.
(Authority: 43 CFR 2809)
Raymond Suazo,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 2021-24021 Filed 11-3-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-32-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on November 4, 2021.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.