ENID, OK - The U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Utilities Service (RUS) will host a virtual public scoping meeting on March 30, 2021 from 5:00 p.m. EST–9:00 p.m. EST to solicit public comments for the proposed Skeleton Creek Solar and Battery Storage Project (Project), which will consist of a 250-megawatt (MW) solar array, plus 200-MW / 800-megawatt-hour (MWh) storage facility using photovoltaic (PV) modules. The Project will be located entirely on privately owned parcels in Garfield County, Oklahoma. RUS is hosting the meeting as part of the federal review process required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Section 106 process pursuant to 36 CFR 800 and the National Historic Preservation Act. The Project proponent - NextEra Energy Resources (NextEra) - intends to request a loan from RUS.
The purpose of the virtual meeting is to introduce the federal NEPA process to the public and solicit feedback from the public that will be used to prepare the Environmental Impact Statement for the Project.
In addition to the NEPA compliance project, the Project may also require other state or federal regulatory approvals. Based on the regulatory process and involvement of multiple local, state, and federal regulatory agencies, NextEra anticipates that the Project, if approved, will be in service in 2023.
More information about the virtual public scoping meeting and the Project can be found at: https://www.rd.usda.gov/environmentalstudy/skeleton-creek-EIS.
Here is a link to the registration page: https://swca.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8BeDLeqRQmaTdXH5TV7rwA
