[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 126 (Friday, June 29, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38822-38823]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-16011]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[NVN-089176 & NVN-091072 LLNVS00560 L51010000.ER0000 LVRWF1103400]
Notice of Availability: Record of Decision for KRoad Moapa Solar
Facility
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the Notice of
Availability (NOA) of the Record of Decision (ROD) for the KRoad Moapa
Solar Facility located in Clark County, Nevada. The Secretary of the
Interior approved the ROD on June 21, 2012, which constitutes the final
decision of the Department of the Interior.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the ROD are available upon request from the BLM
Southern Nevada District Office, 4701 N. Torrey Pines Drive, Las Vegas,
Nevada 89130, or via the Internet at the following Web site: http://www.blm.govl/nv/st/en/fo/lvfo.html.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gregory Helseth, Renewable Energy
Project Manager; telephone: (702) 515-5173; mailing address: BLM
Southern Nevada District Office, 4701 N. Torrey Pines Drive, Las Vegas,
Nevada 89130; or email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The applicant, KRoad Moapa Solar, LLC,
(KRoad) filed two right-of-way (ROW) applications to construct a 500 kV
transmission line, NVN-89176, as well as an access road, NVN-91072, on
BLM administered lands as ancillary facilities for a 350 megawatt (MW)
solar generation facility on the Moapa River Indian Reservation
(Reservation). The BLM was a cooperating agency with the Bureau of
Indian Affairs (BIA) on the KRoad Moapa Solar Facility. The purpose of
the project is to provide access to the transmission grid via the
Crystal Substation; to supply power to the Moapa Travel Plaza and a
water line to the solar energy facility.
The BLM's purpose and need for the proposed Federal action responds
to KRoad's application for an up to 500 kV
[[Page 38823]]
transmission line and access road ROW's within an existing BLM
administered utility corridor, of which five 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 ROW regulations. The transmission corridor and
access road ROW will be approximately 150 feet wide by approximately
5.5 miles long, for approximately 100 acres. The transmission line and
access road supports the KRoad solar project by providing access to the
transmission grid.
The Final EIS analyzed three alternatives: The Proposed Action,
Alternative I; Reduced Solar Facility Footprint and Alternative 500kV
Transmission line; and the No Action Alternative. These alternatives
were shaped in part by comments received from the public and internal
BLM, BIA, and Tribal review.
The BLM Proposed Action (Selected Alternative) includes an up to
500kV transmission line ROW and parallel access road. The transmission
line is approximately 5.5 miles long, with five miles being within the
Moapa Band of Paiute Indians reservation (Pub. L. 96-491) in a BLM
administered utility corridor, and the remaining half mile on BLM
lands. The transmission line ROW would be approximately 5.5 miles long
by 150 feet wide and encompass approximately 100 acres. The access road
ROW will be within the transmission line ROW foot print and will be
approximately 16-24 feet wide and approximately 5.5 miles long. The
transmission line and access road provide access to the Crystal
substation operated by NV Energy.
The No Action Alternative assumed the BLM ROW's would not be
issued.
The NOA (77 FR 15750) for the Final EIS, was published in the
Federal Register by the EPA on March 16, 2012. The publication of the
NOA for the Final EIS initiated a 30-day review period on the Final
EIS. The comment period ended on April 16, 2012.
The BLM and the BIA received two letters as a result of the NOA.
The BLM and the BIA determined that there were no significant new
information presented in the letters that would require reissuance of
the Draft or Final EIS. A final response comment table is attached to
the ROD as (Attachment B). Because the Record of Decision was approved
by the Secretary of the Interior, it is not subject to administrative
appeal (43 CFR 4.410(a)(3)).
Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6 and 1506.10.
Michael J. Pool,
Acting Director, Bureau of Land Management.
[FR Doc. 2012-16011 Filed 6-28-12; 8:45 am]
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