DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rural Development
Green Street Power Partners, LLC (Schneider, Imholte, Held): Notice of Finding of No Significant Impact
AGENCY: Rural Development, Rural Business Service, USDA
ACTION: Notice of Finding of No Significant Impact.
SUMMARY: The Rural Development’s Rural Business Service (RD-RBS) has made a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) with respect to a request for possible financing assistance to Green Street Power Partners, LLC, for the construction of three solar production facilities including: a
5 megawatt solar production facility (Schneider), a 3 megawatt solar production facility (Imholte), and a 5 megawatt solar production facility (Held), all in Stearns County, Minnesota.
FURTHER INFORMATION: To obtain copies of the EA and FONSI, or for further information, contact Ron Omann, State Environmental Coordinator, 375 Jackson Street, St. Paul, MN 55101, (651) 602-7796, ron.omann@mn.usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed project consists of the construction of three solar production facilities at 5 megawatts, 3 megawatts, and 5 megawatts, and alternatives considered by RD-RBS and Green Street Power Partners, LLC, include the No Action Alternative. The alternatives are discussed in the respective Green Street Power Partners, LLC, EA (Schneider, Imholte and Held). The RD-RBS has reviewed and approved the EA for the proposed projects.
The availability of the EA for public review was announced via notice in the following newspaper: Tri-County News on May 16, 23, and 30, 2019. A 14-day comment period was announced in the newspaper notice(s). The EA was also available for public review at the USDA Rural Development office, and no comments were received.
Based on its EA, commitments made by Green Street Power Partners, LLC, and public comments received, RD-RBS has concluded that the project would have no impact to water quality, wetlands, floodplains, land use, aesthetics, transportation, or human health and safety.
The proposed project will have no adverse effect on resources listed or eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The Agency has also concluded that the proposed project is not likely to affect federally listed threatened and endangered species or designated critical habitat thereof. The proposed project would not disproportionately affect minority and/or low-
income populations.
No other potential significant impacts resulting from the proposed project have been identified. Therefore, RD-RBS has determined that this FONSI fulfills its obligations under the National Environmental Policy Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR §§ 1500-1508), and USDA Rural Development’s Environmental Policies and Procedures (7 CFR Part 1970) for its action related to the project.
RD-RBS is satisfied that the environmental impacts of the proposed project have been adequately addressed. RD-RBS’s federal action would not result in significant impacts to the quality of the human environment, and as such it will not prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for its action related to the proposed project.
Dated: June 13, 2019.
Published in the Tri-County News Thursday, June 20, 2019.