Final Required Milestone Date of 09/15/2020 for Final Verification/Permit Decision Rendered has passed by 5 business days
Cooperating under NEPA
Description:
The applicant is requesting authorization under Nationwide Permit(s) 12 (Utility Line Activities) and 14 (Linear Transportation Projects) for the proposed discharge of fill material into ephemeral channels associated with the construction of 20-foot-wide access roads and 34-5 kilovolt underground electric collection lines associated with the construction of a solar facility. Under the proposed action, the applicant would permanently discharge fill material below the ordinary high water mark of ephemeral channels for the construction of five (5) single and complete linear road crossings, and temporarily impact ephemeral channels for the construction of the access roads, collector lines, and desert tortoise fencing. On August 20, 2020, at the request of the applicant, the Corps completed an approved jurisdictional determination, and determined that no waters of the U.S. occur on the proposed project site. On August 27, 2020, the Corps notified the applicant that because no waters of the U.S. occur on the project site, the proposed activities do not require a permit from the Corps.
Milestones:
-
Section 106 Review
:
Section 106 consultation concluded (Agency Action)
- Completed Date: 07/28/2020 -
Endangered Species Act Consultation (DOI-FWS)
:
ESA Consultation Concludes (Agency Action)
- Completed Date: 07/14/2020
-
- The applicant submitted the pre-construction notification on June 30, 2020. The district will also require BLM's documentation with Section 7 ESA and Section 106 of the NHPA.
The applicant submitted the pre-construction notification on June 30, 2020. The PCN was determined complete on 2 July 2020.
We expect to render a decision by September 15, 2020. This milestone is dependent upon the following:
- BLM completing consultation under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act by September 1, 2020.
- Tribal consultation/coordination conducted by the Corps to meet tribal trust responsibilities has been completed by September 1, 2020.
We expect to render a decision by September 15, 2020. This milestone is dependent upon the following:
- BLM completing consultation under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act by September 1, 2020.
- Tribal consultation/coordination conducted by the Corps to meet tribal trust responsibilities has been completed by September 1, 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).
We expect to render a decision by September 15, 2020. This milestone is dependent upon the following:
- BLM completing consultation under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act by September 1, 2020.
- Tribal consultation/coordination conducted by the Corps to meet tribal trust responsibilities has been completed by September 1, 2020.