Description:
Bonanza Solar, LLC submitted a right-of-way application for the Bonanza Solar Project to the Bureau of Land Management on December 4, 2020. A Preliminary Plan of Development for the Bonanza Solar Project was submitted on March 5, 2021 and an updated version was provided on August 22, 2022.
Milestones:
Bonanza Solar, LLC submitted a right-of-way application for the Bonanza Solar Project to the Bureau of Land Management on December 4, 2020. The application indicated that a plan of development, required for right-of-way applications, would be submitted within 60 days of the application filing. A plan of development for the Bonanza Solar Project was submitted on March 5, 2021. The required application fee was paid on May 26, 2021.
A completed right-of-way application must include all items specified in 43 CFR 2804.12(a) - (c), and (e), as applicable. A completed right-of-way application will also include determination of cost recovery and submission of funds under 43 CFR 2804.14.
NOTE: All milestones that occur after the "Agency Application Evaluation & Variance Determination" are subject to the Agency making a favorable determination to continue processing the application.
Additional Milestones:
Bonanza Solar, LLC submitted a right-of-way application for the Bonanza Solar Project to the Bureau of Land Management on December 4, 2020. A preliminary plan of development for the Bonanza Solar Project was submitted on March 5, 2021 and updated on August 22, 2022.
The regulations state that the BLM will “Apply screening criteria to prioritize processing of applications with lesser conflicts over applications with greater resource conflicts…” (43 CFR §2804.25(e)(ii)). Regulations further state that “High-priority applications are given processing priority over medium- and low-priority applications…” (43 CFR §2804.35(a)).
The BLM completed the processing priority review of the application, in accordance with the regulations, on September 8, 2021. On August 22, 2022 the BLM initiated a 32-day public input period on the Variance right-of-way application, which included an agency virtual meeting on September 1, 2022, and two public virtual meetings on September 7, 2022 and September 8, 2022. The BLM received approximately 35 agency, organization, and public comments.
Right-of-way applications for renewable energy development involve an application evaluation process (43 CFR §2804.25(e)(2)(iii)). As part of the evaluation process, the Bonanza Solar Project must complete a Variance Process, as specified in the Record of Decision for the Western Solar Plan Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement. On April 26, 2023, the BLM Director concurred to the Nevada State Director to move this project into the National Environmental Policy process and start environmental review.