[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 52 (Friday, March 16, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15794-15795]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-6203]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Indian Affairs
Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed KRoad Moapa
Solar Generation Facility, Clark County, NV
AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability.
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SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that the Bureau of Indian
Affairs (BIA) as the lead Federal agency, with the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), United States
Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Moapa Band of Paiute Indians
(Tribe) as Cooperating Agencies, has prepared a Final Environmental
Impact Statement (FEIS) for the proposed KRoad Moapa Solar Generation
Facility on the Moapa River Indian Reservation (Reservation) in Clark
County, Nevada. This notice also announces the FEIS is now available on
a public Web site and in hard copy at the addresses below.
DATES: The Record of Decision (ROD) on the proposed action will be
issued no sooner than 30 days after the release of the FEIS.
ADDRESSES: You may request a hard copy by writing or contacting Ms. Amy
Heuslein, Regional Environmental Protection Officer, BIA Western
Regional Office Branch of Environmental Quality Services, 2600 North
Central Avenue, 4th Floor Mail Room, Phoenix, Arizona 85004-3008;
telephone (602) 379-6750; fax (602) 379-3833; email:
[email protected]. The DEIS may be found on the following Web site:
http://projects2.pirnie.com/MoapaSolar/. Hard copies of the document
will be available at the BIA Western Regional Office, 2600 North
Central Avenue, 12th Floor, Suite 210, Phoenix, Arizona; the BIA
Southern Paiute Agency, 180 North 200 East, Suite 111, St. George,
Utah; and BLM Southern Nevada District Office, 4701 N. Torrey Pines
Drive, Las Vegas, Nevada 89130.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amy Heuslein or Garry Cantley, BIA
Western Regional Office, Branch of Environmental Quality Services, 2600
North Central Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85004-3008, telephone number
(602) 379-6750.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: KRoad Moapa Solar LLC (KRoad) is proposing
to construct a 350 megawatt (MW) solar generation facility and
associated infrastructure on the Tribe's reservation; develop a 12 kV
transmission line and water line; and obtain two rights-of-way (ROWs)
grants for an up to 500 kV transmission line and access road on BLM
land and within a BLM-administered utility corridor. The Proposed
Project would provide land lease income, sustainable renewable
resources, new jobs, and other benefits for the Tribe by using solar
resources from reservation lands where exposure to levels of high solar
radiation exists. The Proposed Project would also assist utilities in
meeting their renewable energy goals, by providing electricity
generated from solar resources from tribal lands that may be
efficiently connected to existing transmission lines in a manner that
minimizes adverse site impacts.
The BIA's purpose and need for the proposed Federal action is to
respond to the proposed solar energy ground lease and other agreements
entered into by the Tribe with KRoad, and the approval of ROWs for
KRoad to construct, operate, and maintain an up to 350 MW solar
photovoltaic electricity generating
[[Page 15795]]
facility on the reservation. The BLM's purpose and need for the
proposed Federal action also would be to respond to KRoad's application
for an up to 500 kV transmission line and access road ROWs within an
existing utility corridor, of which 5 miles are located on the
reservation and 0.5 miles is located on BLM land just south of the
reservation boundary, pursuant to the Federal Land Policy and
Management Act and BLM's ROWs regulations. The BIA and BLM will adopt
the EIS to make decisions on the land lease and ROW application under
their jurisdiction while the EPA and USACE may adopt the document to
make decisions under their authorities. The Tribe may also use the EIS
to make decisions under their Tribal Environmental Policy Ordinance and
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service may use the EIS to support its
decision under the Endangered Species Act.
Authority: This notice is published pursuant to 40 CFR
1506.10(a) of the Council of Environmental Quality Regulations (40
CFR part 1500 et seq.) and 43 CFR 46.305 of the Department of
Interior Regulations (43 CFR part 46), the procedural requirements
of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (42
U.S.C. 4371 et seq.), and is in accordance with the exercise of
authority delegated to the Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs by
209 DM 8.
Dated: March 9, 2012.
Larry Echo Hawk,
Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2012-6203 Filed 3-15-12; 8:45 am]
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