Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Jove Solar Project, La Paz County, AZ, 28804-28805 [2024-07868]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• Bureau of Land Management

[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 77 (Friday, April 19, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28804-28805]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[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 https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2017881/510.
    Written comments related to the Jove Solar Project may be submitted 
by any of the following methods:
     Website: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2017881/510.
     Email: [email protected].
     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 
https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2017881/510 and at the 
Yuma Field Office.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Derek Eysenbach, Project Manager, at 
[email protected], 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:
     No Action, in which the BLM would not authorize 
construction, operation and maintenance, and decommissioning of the 
Project;
     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
     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