Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Chuckwalla Solar Projects, Clark County, Nevada, 12484-12485 [2022-04545]
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Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 43 / Friday, March 4, 2022 / Notices
Each State approved to participate in
the program must provide the following
information, on a regular basis (not to
exceed 7 days post purchase), to the
Service-approved stamp distribution
company, to enable that company to
issue the physical stamp within the
required 45-day period:
• Full name (first, middle, last, and
any prefixes/suffixes), and complete
mailing address of each individual who
purchases an electronic stamp from the
State.
• Date of e-stamp purchase.
We do not plan to make any
substantive changes to the application
form (FWS Form 3–2341); however, we
updated the formatting of the form to be
compliant with the requirements of
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of
1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d), and to conform
with formatting requirements of the
Department of the Interior and the
Service. No substantive changes were
made to the information collected from
States. Upon request, a copy of the draft
form is available by sending a request to
the Service Information Collection
Clearance Officer at Info_Coll@fws.gov.
Title of Collection: Electronic Federal
Duck Stamp Program.
OMB Control Number: 1018–0135.
Form Number: FWS Form 3–2341.
Type of Review: Extension of a
currently approved collection.
Respondents/Affected Public: State
fish and wildlife agencies.
Total Estimated Number of Annual
Respondents: 6 respondents for
applications and 33 respondents for
fulfillment reports.
Total Estimated Number of Annual
Responses: 6 responses for applications
and 1,353 responses for fulfillment
reports.
Estimated Completion Time per
Response: 40 hours for applications and
1 hour for fulfillment reports.
Total Estimated Number of Annual
Burden Hours: 240 hours for
applications and 1,353 hours for
fulfillment reports, totaling 1,593 hours.
Respondent’s Obligation: Required to
obtain or retain a benefit.
Frequency of Collection: One time for
applications, and an average of once
every 9 days per respondent for
fulfillment reports.
Total Estimated Annual Nonhour
Burden Cost: None.
An agency may not conduct or
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unless it displays a currently valid OMB
control number.
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17:05 Mar 03, 2022
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The authority for this action is the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).
Madonna Baucum,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2022–04520 Filed 3–3–22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333–15–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Indian Affairs
[223A2100DD/AAKC001030/
A0A501010.999900253G]
Draft Environmental Impact Statement
for the Proposed Chuckwalla Solar
Projects, Clark County, Nevada
Bureau of Indian Affairs,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
This notice advises the public
that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA),
as the lead Federal agency, with the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM),
Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), National
Park Service (NPS), Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (USFWS), Department
of the Air Force (DAF), Nevada
Department of Wildlife (NDOW), and
the Moapa Band of Paiute Indians
(Moapa Band) as cooperating agencies,
intends to file a draft environmental
impact statement (DEIS) with the EPA
for the proposed Chuckwalla Solar
Projects (Projects). The DEIS evaluates
four photovoltaic (PV) solar energy
generation and storage projects on the
Moapa River Indian Reservation
(Reservation) and generation
interconnection (gen-tie) lines along
with the use of existing access roads and
an existing gen-tie line located on the
Reservation, Reservation lands managed
by BLM, BLM lands, and private land.
This notice also announces that the
DEIS is now available for public review
and that public meetings will be held to
solicit comments on the DEIS.
DATES: In order to be fully considered,
written comments on the DEIS must
arrive no later than 45 days after EPA
publishes its Notice of Availability in
the Federal Register.
Meeting dates: The dates and times of
the virtual public meetings will be
published in the Las Vegas ReviewJournal and Moapa Valley Progress and
on the following website 15 days before
the public meetings:
www.chuckwallasolarprojectsEIS.com.
ADDRESSES: You may mail, email, hand
carry or telefax written comments to Mr.
Chip Lewis, Regional Environmental
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00062
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Protection Officer, BIA Western
Regional Office, Branch of
Environmental Quality Services, 2600
North Central Avenue, 4th Floor Mail
Room, Phoenix, Arizona 85004–3008.
Comment may also be sent via email to:
chip.lewis@bia.gov or on the Projects
website at
www.ChuckwallaSolarProjectsEIS.com.
Please see the SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION section of this notice for
directions on submitting comments. The
public meetings can be joined online
through the Projects website at
www.ChuckwallaSolarProjectsEIS.com.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.
Chip Lewis, BIA Western Regional
Office, Branch of Environmental Quality
Services at 602–379–6750 or Mr. Garry
Cantley at 602–379–6750. 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.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
proposed Federal action, taken under 25
U.S.C. 415, is the BIA’s approval of a
solar energy ground lease and associated
agreements entered into by the Moapa
Band with EDF Renewables
Development, Inc. (Applicant). The
agreements provide for construction,
operation and maintenance (O&M), and
eventual decommissioning of the four
PV electricity generation and battery
storage facilities located entirely on the
Reservation and specifically on lands
held in trust for the Moapa Band, in
Clark County Nevada.
The PV electricity generation and
battery storage facilities would be
located on up to 6,500 acres of tribal
trust land (1,977 acres for Project 1A,
689 acres for Project 1B, 1,573 acres for
Project 2, and 2,016 acres for Project 3)
and would have a combined capacity of
up to 700 megawatts (MW)—200 MW
for 1A, 50 MW for 1B, 200 MW for 2 and
250 MW for 3. The four solar Projects
include the solar fields, access roads,
temporary water pipeline and
connection with an existing
transmission gen-tie line.
Projects 1A and 1B would be built at
the same time and would take up to 20
months. Construction of Projects 2 and
3 would each also take up to 20 months.
The electricity generation and storage
facilities are expected to be operated for
up to 35 years under the terms of the
leases, with time for construction and
decommissioning. Major onsite facilities
include multiple blocks of solar PV
panels mounted on fixed tilt or tracking
systems, pad mounted inverters and
transformers, battery storage, access
roads, and O&M facilities. Water will be
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lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 43 / Friday, March 4, 2022 / Notices
needed during construction for dust
control and a minimal amount will be
needed during operations for
administrative and sanitary water use
and for panel washing. The water
supply required for the Projects would
be leased from the Moapa Band. Access
to the Projects will be provided via
North Las Vegas Boulevard from the I–
15/US 93 interchange.
The purposes of the proposed Projects
are, among other things, to: (1) Provide
a long-term, diverse, and viable
economic revenue base and job
opportunities for the Moapa Band; (2)
assist Nevada to meet their State
renewable energy needs; and (3) allow
the Moapa Band, in partnership with
the Applicant, to optimize the use of the
lease site while maximizing the
potential economic benefit to the Moapa
Band.
The BIA and BLM will use the EIS to
make decisions on the land lease and
right-of-way applications under their
respective jurisdiction; the BOR will use
the document to make a decision
regarding the approval of an
interconnection agreement, the NPS and
EPA may use the document to make
decisions under its authorities; the
Moapa Band may use the DEIS to make
decisions under its Environmental
Policy Ordinance; and the USFWS may
use the DEIS to support its decision
under the Endangered Species Act.
Directions for Submitting Comments:
Please include your name, return
address and the caption: ‘‘DEIS
Comments, Proposed Chuckwalla Solar
Projects’’ on the first page of your
written comments. You may also submit
comments verbally during one of the
virtual public meeting presentations or
provide written comments to the
address listed above in the ADDRESSES
section.
To help protect the public and limit
the spread of the COVID–19 virus,
virtual public meetings will be held,
where team members will provide a
short presentation and remain available
to discuss and answer questions. The
PowerPoint presentation will be posted
to the project website prior to the virtual
meetings. Those who cannot live stream
the presentation would be able to access
the meeting presentation on the website
and could join by telephone.
Additionally, the live presentation will
be recorded and made accessible for
viewing throughout the comment
period. The first public meeting will be
held in the afternoon by video and
telephone conference and the second
public meeting will be held in the
evening by video and telephone
conference. The dates, times, and access
information for the virtual meetings will
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:05 Mar 03, 2022
Jkt 256001
be included in notices to be published
in the Las Vegas Review-Journal and
Moapa Valley Progress and on the
project website at
www.chuckwallasolarprojectsEIS.com
15 days before the meetings.
Locations Where the DEIS is Available
for Review: The DEIS will be available
for review at: BIA Western Regional
Office, 2600 North Central Avenue, 12th
Floor, Suite 210, Phoenix, Arizona; BIA
Southern Paiute Agency, 180 North 200
East, Suite 111, St. George, Utah; and
the BLM Southern Nevada District
Office, 4701 North Torrey Pines Drive,
Las Vegas, Nevada. The DEIS is also
available online at:
www.chuckwallasolarprojectsEIS.com.
To obtain an electronic copy of the
DEIS, please provide your name and
address in writing or by voicemail to
Mr. Chip Lewis or Mr. Garry Cantley.
Their contact information is listed in the
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
section of this notice. Individual paper
copies of the DEIS will be provided only
upon request.
Public Comment Availability: Written
comments, including names and
addresses of respondents, will be
available for public review at the BIA
Western Regional Office, at the mailing
address shown in the ADDRESSES section
during regular business hours, 8:00 a.m.
to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday,
except holidays. Before including your
address, telephone 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: This notice is published in
accordance with section 1503.1 of the
Council on Environmental Quality
regulations (40 CFR 1500 et seq.) and
the Department of the Interior
Regulations (43 CFR part 46)
implementing the procedural
requirements of the National
Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C.
4321 et seq.), and in accordance with
the exercise of authority delegated to the
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary—
Indian Affairs by part 209 of the
Department Manual.
Bryan Newland,
Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2022–04545 Filed 3–3–22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4337–15–P
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12485
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLNM910000 L07772200.XX0000
223L1109AF]
Call for Nominations for Bureau of
Land Management New Mexico
Resource Advisory Councils
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The purpose of this notice is
to request public nominations for the
Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM)
Northern New Mexico Resource
Advisory Council (RAC) and Southern
New Mexico RAC that have vacant
positions and/or members whose terms
are scheduled to or have expired. These
RACs provide advice and
recommendations to the BLM on land
use planning and management of the
National System of Public Lands within
their geographic areas.
DATES: All nominations must be
received no later than April 4, 2022.
ADDRESSES: Nominations and completed
applications should be sent to the
appropriate BLM offices listed in the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of
this notice.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Allison Sandoval, BLM New Mexico
State Office, 301 Dinosaur Trail, Santa
Fe, NM 87508, email: aesandoval@
blm.gov, or by telephone at (505) 954–
2019. Persons who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf
(TDD) may call the Telecommunications
Relay Service (TRS) at 7–1–1 to contact
the above individual during normal
business hours. The TRS is available 24
hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a
message or question with the above
individual. You will receive a reply
during normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
Federal Land Policy and Management
Act (FLPMA) directs the Secretary of the
Interior to involve the public in
planning and issues related to
management of lands administered by
the BLM through the establishment of
10- to 15-member citizen-based advisory
councils that are managed in accordance
with the Federal Advisory Committee
Act (FACA). As required by FACA, RAC
membership must be balanced and
representative of the various interests
concerned with the management of the
public lands. The rules governing RACs
are found at 43 CFR subpart 1784. The
RACs include the following three
membership categories:
Category One—Holders of Federal
grazing permits or leases within the area
SUMMARY:
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 43 (Friday, March 4, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12484-12485]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-04545]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Indian Affairs
[223A2100DD/AAKC001030/A0A501010.999900253G]
Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Chuckwalla
Solar Projects, Clark County, Nevada
AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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), Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), National Park Service
(NPS), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (USFWS), Department of the Air Force (DAF), Nevada Department
of Wildlife (NDOW), and the Moapa Band of Paiute Indians (Moapa Band)
as cooperating agencies, intends to file a draft environmental impact
statement (DEIS) with the EPA for the proposed Chuckwalla Solar
Projects (Projects). The DEIS evaluates four photovoltaic (PV) solar
energy generation and storage projects on the Moapa River Indian
Reservation (Reservation) and generation interconnection (gen-tie)
lines along with the use of existing access roads and an existing gen-
tie line located on the Reservation, Reservation lands managed by BLM,
BLM lands, and private land. This notice also announces that the DEIS
is now available for public review and that public meetings will be
held to solicit comments on the DEIS.
DATES: In order to be fully considered, written comments on the DEIS
must arrive no later than 45 days after EPA publishes its Notice of
Availability in the Federal Register.
Meeting dates: The dates and times of the virtual public meetings
will be published in the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Moapa Valley
Progress and on the following website 15 days before the public
meetings: www.chuckwallasolarprojectsEIS.com.
ADDRESSES: You may mail, email, hand carry or telefax written comments
to Mr. Chip Lewis, 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.
Comment may also be sent via email to: [email protected] or on the
Projects website at www.ChuckwallaSolarProjectsEIS.com. Please see the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice for directions on
submitting comments. The public meetings can be joined online through
the Projects website at www.ChuckwallaSolarProjectsEIS.com.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Chip Lewis, BIA Western Regional
Office, Branch of Environmental Quality Services at 602-379-6750 or Mr.
Garry Cantley at 602-379-6750. 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.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed Federal action, taken under 25
U.S.C. 415, is the BIA's approval of a solar energy ground lease and
associated agreements entered into by the Moapa Band with EDF
Renewables Development, Inc. (Applicant). The agreements provide for
construction, operation and maintenance (O&M), and eventual
decommissioning of the four PV electricity generation and battery
storage facilities located entirely on the Reservation and specifically
on lands held in trust for the Moapa Band, in Clark County Nevada.
The PV electricity generation and battery storage facilities would
be located on up to 6,500 acres of tribal trust land (1,977 acres for
Project 1A, 689 acres for Project 1B, 1,573 acres for Project 2, and
2,016 acres for Project 3) and would have a combined capacity of up to
700 megawatts (MW)--200 MW for 1A, 50 MW for 1B, 200 MW for 2 and 250
MW for 3. The four solar Projects include the solar fields, access
roads, temporary water pipeline and connection with an existing
transmission gen-tie line.
Projects 1A and 1B would be built at the same time and would take
up to 20 months. Construction of Projects 2 and 3 would each also take
up to 20 months. The electricity generation and storage facilities are
expected to be operated for up to 35 years under the terms of the
leases, with time for construction and decommissioning. Major onsite
facilities include multiple blocks of solar PV panels mounted on fixed
tilt or tracking systems, pad mounted inverters and transformers,
battery storage, access roads, and O&M facilities. Water will be
[[Page 12485]]
needed during construction for dust control and a minimal amount will
be needed during operations for administrative and sanitary water use
and for panel washing. The water supply required for the Projects would
be leased from the Moapa Band. Access to the Projects will be provided
via North Las Vegas Boulevard from the I-15/US 93 interchange.
The purposes of the proposed Projects are, among other things, to:
(1) Provide a long-term, diverse, and viable economic revenue base and
job opportunities for the Moapa Band; (2) assist Nevada to meet their
State renewable energy needs; and (3) allow the Moapa Band, in
partnership with the Applicant, to optimize the use of the lease site
while maximizing the potential economic benefit to the Moapa Band.
The BIA and BLM will use the EIS to make decisions on the land
lease and right-of-way applications under their respective
jurisdiction; the BOR will use the document to make a decision
regarding the approval of an interconnection agreement, the NPS and EPA
may use the document to make decisions under its authorities; the Moapa
Band may use the DEIS to make decisions under its Environmental Policy
Ordinance; and the USFWS may use the DEIS to support its decision under
the Endangered Species Act.
Directions for Submitting Comments: Please include your name,
return address and the caption: ``DEIS Comments, Proposed Chuckwalla
Solar Projects'' on the first page of your written comments. You may
also submit comments verbally during one of the virtual public meeting
presentations or provide written comments to the address listed above
in the ADDRESSES section.
To help protect the public and limit the spread of the COVID-19
virus, virtual public meetings will be held, where team members will
provide a short presentation and remain available to discuss and answer
questions. The PowerPoint presentation will be posted to the project
website prior to the virtual meetings. Those who cannot live stream the
presentation would be able to access the meeting presentation on the
website and could join by telephone. Additionally, the live
presentation will be recorded and made accessible for viewing
throughout the comment period. The first public meeting will be held in
the afternoon by video and telephone conference and the second public
meeting will be held in the evening by video and telephone conference.
The dates, times, and access information for the virtual meetings will
be included in notices to be published in the Las Vegas Review-Journal
and Moapa Valley Progress and on the project website at
www.chuckwallasolarprojectsEIS.com 15 days before the meetings.
Locations Where the DEIS is Available for Review: The DEIS will be
available for review at: BIA Western Regional Office, 2600 North
Central Avenue, 12th Floor, Suite 210, Phoenix, Arizona; BIA Southern
Paiute Agency, 180 North 200 East, Suite 111, St. George, Utah; and the
BLM Southern Nevada District Office, 4701 North Torrey Pines Drive, Las
Vegas, Nevada. The DEIS is also available online at:
www.chuckwallasolarprojectsEIS.com.
To obtain an electronic copy of the DEIS, please provide your name
and address in writing or by voicemail to Mr. Chip Lewis or Mr. Garry
Cantley. Their contact information is listed in the FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice. Individual paper copies of
the DEIS will be provided only upon request.
Public Comment Availability: Written comments, including names and
addresses of respondents, will be available for public review at the
BIA Western Regional Office, at the mailing address shown in the
ADDRESSES section during regular business hours, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30
p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. Before including your
address, telephone 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: This notice is published in accordance with section
1503.1 of the Council on Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR 1500
et seq.) and the Department of the Interior Regulations (43 CFR part
46) implementing the procedural requirements of the National
Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), and in accordance
with the exercise of authority delegated to the Principal Deputy
Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs by part 209 of the Department
Manual.
Bryan Newland,
Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2022-04545 Filed 3-3-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4337-15-P
