Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), as the lead agency and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) as cooperating agencies are responsible for compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is being prepared because a major federal action is under consideration. The major federal action is the proposed approval of a solar energy ground lease for up to 2,000 acres and associated rights-of-ways (ROW) entered into by the Moapa Band of Paiute Indians (Tribe) with K Road Moapa Solar LLC (K Road).

The proposed action which would require lease approval for the construction, operation and maintenance of an up-to 350 MW solar photovoltaic electricity generating facility located on tribal trust lands of the Moapa River Indian Reservation (Reservation) in Clark County, Nevada. The proposed Federal action also includes the BLM approval of a new transmission line ROW within the existing BLM utility corridor on the Reservation. The transmission line will have a capacity of up to 500kV and include a service access road. The proposed solar facility would be built in three phases of 100 MW to 150 MW each to meet the needs of offtakers or utilities, up to a total of 350 MW. During the construction of each phase, photovoltaic panels would be mounted on concrete posts, concrete ballast, or other suitable foundation design techniques appropriate to the topography and site conditions. Some or all of the panels may employ trackers to track the sun during the day.

Additional proposed project components are an access road, a water pipeline from an existing Reservation well, a 12kV transmission line to the existing Moapa Travel Plaza after Phase 1 is complete, a temporary construction staging area, and an operations and maintenance building with septic system. The entire leased area would be fenced for security.

The purpose of the proposed action is to use the Tribe’s land and solar energy resources to improve and diversify the economy of the Tribe and provide financial benefits to its members in an environmentally compatible manner. The proposed project would generate clean, renewable electricity that can be efficiently connected to existing transmission lines to help utilities in the region meet their renewable energy goals.