Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Jove Solar Project, La Paz County, Arizona, 90314-90315 [2024-26607]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• Bureau of Land Management

[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 221 (Friday, November 15, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 90314-90315]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-26607]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[BLM_AZ_FRN_MO4500182789 AZA-37939]


Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Jove Solar Project, La Paz County, Arizona

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 Final Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) for the Jove Solar Project.

DATES: The BLM will not issue a decision on the proposal for a minimum 
of 30 days after the date that the Environmental Protection Agency 
(EPA) publishes its Notice of Availability (NOA) in the Federal 
Register. The EPA usually publishes its NOAs on Fridays.

ADDRESSES: The Final EIS and documents pertinent to this proposal are 
available for review on the BLM ePlanning project website at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2017881/510.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Derek Eysenbach, Project Manager, at 
[email protected], Bureau of Land Management, One North Central 
Avenue, Suite 800, Phoenix, Arizona 85004, 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

    Jove Solar, LLC (Applicant) is seeking a 30-year right-of-way (ROW) 
to use 3,495 acres administered by the BLM Yuma Field Office and 38 
acres administered by La Paz County to construct, operate and maintain, 
and decommission a utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) 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, 
as proposed, 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, and operation and 
maintenance facilities. The Project would interconnect at the Cielo 
Azul Switchyard 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 on August 9, 2022. The Project is proposed within a 
solar variance area identified in the BLM Western Solar Plan (2012), 
and after conducting the variance review process described in that 
Plan, the BLM has determined that it is appropriate for the project to 
move forward for additional review and analysis under NEPA.
    The BLM's purpose and need is to respond to the ROW application for 
a 30-year grant for the Project submitted by the Applicant under FLPMA 
Title V (43 U.S.C. 1761). The BLM is responsible under FLPMA and its 
ROW regulations for managing the public lands under principles of 
multiple use and sustained yield, including by considering applications 
for the generation of electric energy on public lands. (43 U.S.C. 
1761(a)(4)). In the course of reviewing applications for a ROW to 
generate electric energy on public lands, the BLM must comply with 
FLPMA, the BLM ROW regulations, the Council on Environmental Quality 
regulations implementing NEPA, the Department of the Interior NEPA 
regulations, and other applicable Federal laws and regulations.

Proposed Action and Alternatives

    Under the Proposed Action, the BLM would grant a 30-year ROW for 
the Project, which would have a net generating capacity of 600 
megawatts alternating current (MWac) and span 3,495 acres of public 
land administered by the BLM Yuma Field Office, as well as 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, and above-ground electrical connection lines. 
The Project would use a

[[Page 90315]]

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. 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 Final EIS.
    The Final EIS analyzes three alternatives:
     No Action, in which the BLM would not approve the ROW to 
authorize construction, operation and maintenance, and decommissioning 
of the Project, resulting in a continuation of existing conditions;
     Proposed Action, in which the BLM would approve the ROW to 
authorize construction, operation and maintenance, and decommissioning 
of the Project consistent with the detailed Project description above; 
and
     Wash Avoidance Alternative, in which the BLM would approve 
the ROW consistent with the design of the Proposed Action, except that 
the ROW would not authorize construction in a desert wash within the 
Project Area and near known environmentally sensitive sites, and would 
require using specified setbacks to enhance resource conservation 
opportunities.
    Based on the analyses contained in the Final EIS for the proposed 
Jove Solar Project, and after carefully considering input from the 
public and cooperating agencies, the BLM has selected the Wash 
Avoidance Alternative as the preferred alternative, as it would further 
reduce impacts to native vegetation communities, wildlife movement, and 
natural hydrological drainage relative to the Proposed Action.

Public Participation

    In addition to making the Draft EIS available for public comment, 
the BLM hosted one virtual public meeting during the comment period. 
The BLM received 26 written comments, including from Federal and State 
agencies, non-governmental organizations, construction and equipment 
vendors, Tribal Nations, and members of the general public. The BLM 
addressed these comments 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, the BLM Manual Section (MS) 
1780, and other Departmental policies. Public comments received on the 
Draft EIS and internal BLM review were considered and incorporated as 
appropriate into the Final EIS. Public comments and internal BLM review 
resulted in the addition of clarifying text, including the elimination 
of sub-alternatives no longer being considered. The revisions and edits 
have not significantly changed the impact analyses.

Schedule for the Decision-Making Process

    The BLM anticipates releasing a Record of Decision in December 
2024. The BLM will decide whether to issue a decision granting, 
granting with modifications, or denying the application for the ROW.

(Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10, and 43 CFR part 2800)

Raymond Suazo,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 2024-26607 Filed 11-14-24; 8:45 am]
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