
- Details
- By ALINA BYKOVA
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Moapa Band of Paiute Indians in Nevada announced on Thursday that they are seeking comments on potential environmental impacts of the tribe’s proposed Southern Bighorn Solar Project (SBSP).
The project includes two solar energy ground leases providing for the “construction, operation and maintenance, and eventual decommissioning of two solar electricity generation and battery energy storage facilities,” the BIA said in a press release.
The solar energy facilities will be located on tribal lands within the Moapa River Indian Reservation located in Clark County, Nevada, about 40 miles northeast of Las Vegas.
The BIA is now in the 45-day public comment and review period for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) prepared under the National Environmental Policy Act.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the BIA and project sponsors will hold virtual public meetings to discuss and hear comments on the DEIS. The meetings will be open to the public and all interested parties are encouraged to attend. The meetings can be accessed through a link on the project’s website.
The first meeting will be held Tuesday, April 13, 2021, at 1:30 p.m. PT, and the second on Wednesday, April 14, 2021, at 5:30 p.m. PT.
A PowerPoint presentation will also be posted to the project’s website prior to the virtual meetings. Those who cannot access the live-stream presentation can join the meeting by phone. The live presentation will also be recorded and made accessible for viewing throughout the comment period. To join the meeting by phone, call 699-900-6833 or 346-248-7799 and enter the passcode 955341739. The meeting identification number for both meetings is 904-140-7949.
Interested parties can review the DEIS and submit comments on the project website.
Native News is free to read.
We hope you enjoyed the story you've just read. For the past dozen years, we’ve covered the most important news stories that are usually overlooked by other media. From the protests at Standing Rock and the rise of the American Indian Movement (AIM), to the ongoing epidemic of Murdered and Missing Indigenous People (MMIP) and the past-due reckoning related to assimilation, cultural genocide and Indian Boarding Schools.
Our news is free for everyone to read, but it is not free to produce. That’s why we’re asking you to make a donation to help support our efforts. Any contribution — big or small — helps. Most readers donate between $10 and $25 to help us cover the costs of salaries, travel and maintaining our digital platforms. If you’re in a position to do so, we ask you to consider making a recurring donation of $12 per month to join the Founder's Circle. All donations help us remain a force for change in Indian Country and tell the stories that are so often ignored, erased or overlooked.
Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous journalism. Thank you.