Notice2024-19552
Notice of Availability of the Draft Resource Management Plan Amendment and Environmental Impact Statement for the Bonanza Solar Project, Nevada
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
September 6, 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) 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.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 173 (Friday, September 6, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 173 (Friday, September 6, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72887-72888]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[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:
<bullet> Project website: <a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2020905/510">https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2020905/510</a>.
<bullet> Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#41032e2f202f3b20322e2d203301232d2c6f262e37"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="bffdd0d1ded1c5deccd0d3decdffddd3d291d8d0c9">[email protected]</span></a>.
<bullet> 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
<a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2020905/510">https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2020905/510</a> 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
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#befcd1d0dfd0c4dfcdd1d2dfccfedcd2d390d9d1c8"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="20624f4e414e5a41534f4c415260424c4d0e474f56">[email protected]</span></a>. 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]
BILLING CODE 4331-21-P
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