Notice2024-07868
Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Jove Solar Project, La Paz County, AZ
Primary source
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Published
April 19, 2024
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentLand Management Bureau
Abstract
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) announces the availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Jove Solar Project, La Paz County, Arizona.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 77 (Friday, April 19, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 77 (Friday, April 19, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28804-28805]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-07868]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[BLM_AZ_FRN_MO4500178666]
Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact
Statement for the Jove Solar Project, La Paz County, AZ
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)
announces the availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) for the Jove Solar Project, La Paz County, Arizona.
DATES: To afford the BLM the opportunity to consider comments in the
Final EIS, please ensure that the BLM receives your comments within 45
days following the date the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
publishes its Notice of Availability (NOA) of the Draft EIS in the
Federal Register. The EPA usually publishes its NOAs on Fridays.
ADDRESSES: The Draft EIS is available for review on the BLM project
website at <a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2017881/510">https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2017881/510</a>.
Written comments related to the Jove Solar Project may be submitted
by any of the following methods:
<bullet> Website: <a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2017881/510">https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2017881/510</a>.
<bullet> Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a5c7c9c8fac4dffac6d7c1fad6cac9c4d7e5c7c9c88bc2cad3"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2a484647754b507549584e755945464b586a484647044d455c">[email protected]</span></a>.
<bullet> Mail: BLM Yuma Field Office, Attention: Jove Solar
Project, 7341 E 30th Street, Yuma, AZ 85365.
Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined online at
<a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2017881/510">https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2017881/510</a> and at the
Yuma Field Office.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Derek Eysenbach, Project Manager, at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#b7d3d2cec4d2d9d5d6d4dff7d5dbda99d0d8c1"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e88c8d919b8d868a898b80a88a8485c68f879e">[email protected]</span></a>, the mailing address above, or by phone at (602)
417-9505. 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
Mr. Eysenbach. 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 for the action is to respond to the applicant's
application for a right-of-way (ROW) grant to construct, own, operate,
maintain, and decommission a utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV)
energy generating facility on public lands administered by the BLM Yuma
Field Office (YFO). The need for the BLM action is established by the
BLM's responsibility under FLPMA and the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to
respond to applications that promote grid reliability and renewable
energy development and to designate corridors for electricity
transmission and distribution facilities.
Proposed Action and Alternatives
Jove Solar, LLC (Applicant) (a wholly owned subsidiary of 174 Power
Global, LLC, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hanwha Energy USA
Holdings Corp.) is seeking a 30-year ROW to use 3,495 acres
administered by the BLM alongside 38 acres administered by La Paz
County to construct, operate and maintain, and decommission a utility-
scale solar photovoltaic facility, called the Jove Solar Project (the
Project). The Project would be located in southeastern La Paz County,
Arizona, south of Interstate-10 midway between Phoenix and the
California border, approximately 22 miles east-southeast of the
community of Brenda and the I-10/Highway 60 junction, and 30 miles west
of the community of Tonopah. The Project's proposed action would
consist of up to 1.2 million solar PV modules and associated
infrastructure, including new and improved roads, powerlines for
collection and transmission of electricity, operation and maintenance
facilities, and a battery energy storage system. The Project would
interconnect at the Cielo Azul Substation, to be built adjacent to the
Ten West Link 500-kilovolt (kV) transmission line, and have a
generation capacity of 600 megawatts or more. The initial application
in 2019 was received under the company name Taurus Solar; the project
name was revised to Jove Solar in an amended application August 9,
2022. The Project is proposed within a solar variance area identified
in the BLM Western Solar Plan (2012), and the BLM has processed the
application
[[Page 28805]]
consistent with the variance process established in that Plan.
The BLM has prepared a Draft EIS with input from cooperating
agencies and public comments collected during scoping to address the
direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of the Project. The Draft EIS
analyzes three alternatives:
<bullet> No Action, in which the BLM would not authorize
construction, operation and maintenance, and decommissioning of the
Project;
<bullet> Proposed Action, in which the BLM would authorize
construction, operation and maintenance, and decommissioning of the
Project consistent with the detailed Project description below; and
<bullet> Wash Avoidance Alternative, which carries over the design
of the Proposed Action, but avoids construction in a desert wash within
the Project Area and near known sensitive sites, using specified
setbacks to enhance resource conservation opportunities.
The BLM has identified the Wash Avoidance Alternative as the
agency's preferred alternative. Information acquired during the Draft
EIS public comment period will inform the BLM's ultimate decision to
select any of the three alternatives.
Under the Proposed Action, the BLM would grant a ROW for the
Project, which would have a net generating capacity of up to 600
megawatts alternating current (MWac) and span 3,495 acres administered
by BLM and 38 acres of La Paz County land. The Project would include
solar PV modules, direct current cabling and combining switchgear,
inverters, voltage collection systems, transformers, monitoring and
controls systems, operations and maintenance facilities, above-ground
electrical connection lines, and potentially a battery energy storage
system and substation. The Project would use a substation on an
adjacent approved solar facility and connect into the regional
transmission system via the Cielo Azul 500 kV switching station and Ten
West Link 500 kV transmission line (construction ongoing). Overhead 69
kV connection lines would extend approximately 2 miles in a proposed
utility easement on La Paz County land to the Cielo Azul switching
station. The Applicant has incorporated numerous design features into
the Proposed Action to avoid or minimize adverse environmental effects
during construction, operation, and decommissioning. These plans and
procedures are provided as appendices to the Proposed Plan of
Development and the Draft EIS. The Wash Avoidance Alternative would
employ the same technology and design as the Proposed Action but avoid
construction impacts to a desert wash to maintain wildlife habitat
connectivity and preserve natural features. All design features for the
Proposed Action would apply to the Wash Avoidance Alternative.
Important Issues Identified During Scoping
During scoping, several issues were raised including for the
following resource areas: air quality/greenhouse gas/climate change;
biological resources; environmental justice/socioeconomics; fuels and
fire management; livestock grazing; Native American, religious, and
traditional cultural resources; recreation; soil resources; vegetation;
visual resources; waste/hazardous waste; and water resources. The BLM
reviewed all scoping comments and incorporated comments into the Draft
EIS where applicable.
Lead and Cooperating Agencies
The BLM's Yuma Field Office is the lead Federal agency for the
Draft EIS. The Arizona Department of Transportation, Arizona Game and
Fish Department, La Paz County, Fort Yuma-Quechan Tribe, U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service have also requested to participate in the
environmental analysis as cooperating agencies. The BLM has a signed
memorandum of understanding with each cooperating agency to identify
its roles and responsibilities and those of the BLM in the process.
Public Involvement Process
A virtual public meeting will be held 2 to 3 weeks after
publication of this notice; the meeting date will be announced on the
Project ePlanning website at least 15 days prior to the meeting. The
public meeting will include a presentation and opportunity to speak
with the project team. The date(s) and location(s) of any additional
meetings will be announced in advance through the Project ePlanning
website (see ADDRESSES).
The BLM encourages the public to review the Draft EIS and provide
comments on the adequacy of the alternatives, analysis of effects, and
any new information that would help the BLM disclose potential impacts
of the Project in the Final EIS.
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. Tribal concerns,
including potential impacts on Indian trust assets and potential
impacts to cultural resources, will be given due consideration.
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)
Raymond Suazo,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 2024-07868 Filed 4-18-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331-12-P
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