Triggered missed date from extending Issuance of Lead Agency Record of Decision within 30 days of its current target date which was 07/31/2020 and extended to 11/06/2020
Description:
The purpose of the proposed project is to construct, operate, and maintain an efficient, economic, reliable, safe, and environmentally sound solar-powered generating facility that will meet the requirements for the long-term wholesale purchase of renewable electric energy. The proposed project is responsive to federal and state renewable energy policies. The BLM’s purpose of and need for the proposed NEPA project, as presented in the scoping meetings, is as follows: The BLM’s purpose and need for the proposed project is to respond to the proponent’s application under Title V of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) (43 U.S.C. 1761) for a ROW grant to construct, operate, and decommission a solar generation and storage facility, including associated infrastructure in accordance with FLPMA, BLM ROW regulations, and other applicable federal laws. In accordance with FLPMA (Section 103(c)), public lands are to be managed for multiple uses that take into account the long-term needs of future generations for renewable and non-renewable resources. The BLM will decide whether to approve, approve with modification, or deny issuance of a ROW grant to the proponent for the proposed project. The decision the BLM will make is whether or not to grant the ROW, and, if so, under what conditions.
Milestones:
-
Section 106 Review
:
Section 106 consultation concluded (Agency Action)
- Completed Date: 07/28/2020
PROJECT WEBSITE: DOI-BLM-NV-S010-2017-0110-EIS (Yellow Pine)
All dates below are specific to the schedule of the Environmental Review and Permitting processes for this project.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND PERMITTING STATUS
IN PROGRESS
ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE OF ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND PERMITTING
12/21/2020
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND PERMITTING PROCESSES
COMPLETED
SECTOR
Renewable Energy Production
CATEGORY
Project Category
FAST-41 Covered Projects
Major Infrastructure Projects
LEAD AGENCY
Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
Other Agencies with Actions or Authorizations:
Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service
Description:
On October 21, 2011, Boulevard Associates, LLC, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, LLC (NextEra), filed an application for a right-of-way (ROW) grant (N-90788) with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Southern Nevada District Office for the Sandy Valley Solar Project on 3,272 acres of land . The Sandy Valley Solar Project has not been built to date; however, the application was filed prior to the BLM’s Final Solar Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (Final Solar PEIS) (BLM and U.S. Department of Energy [DOE] 2012), and as a pending solar application at the time of this publication, the project is not subject to the decisions adopted by the Record of Decision (ROD) for Solar Energy Development in Six Southwestern States (BLM 2012). On June 24, 2016, Yellow Pine Solar, LLC (herein called the Applicant), a subsidiary of NextEra, submitted an amended application with a new project name, the Yellow Pine Solar Project (YPSP, or project). The Applicant is proposing to develop the YPSP in order to construct, operate, and maintain an
efficient, economic, reliable, safe, and environmentally sound solar-powered generating facility. The YPSP would be in Clark County, Nevada, completely on land managed by the BLM. Based on preliminary discussions with the BLM and initial evaluation of resource concerns, areas to the northwest of the original application area are being included to provide more flexibility for conflict avoidance. The Applicant has amended its original ROW application to include a larger, amended application area (herein called the Application Area) of 9,290 acres. Within the Application Area, construction would occur on a project area comprising approximately 3,000 acres. The Application Area encompasses the original application area, as well as lands proposed as variance areas, as described in the Final Solar PEIS (BLM and DOE 2012). Appendix B, Section B1.2, of the Final Solar PEIS Record of Decision (ROD) states that amendments to pending applications are not subject to the decisions of the ROD if they “are related to avoiding resource or land use conflicts, adapting the project to third-party-owned infrastructure constraints, or using or designating translocation or mitigation lands” (BLM 2012).