[0:01] Have you seen >> Do you have any comments?

[0:05] » What's that?

[0:09] » So is it was developed through quite a bit of

[0:13] discussion? >> Okay. Are you develop

[0:21] I think some of your staff needs to I

[0:27] make a comment the company not the county is

[0:31] responsible for improvements and repairs.

[0:43] This is the one that's on the block. There are 10 different

[0:52] » trans west. It's a trans

[1:11] I don't see a lot of responsibility that

[1:16] we wouldn't norally with them with me responsible for getting engineer the

[1:26] thing that needed to be changed and they had to pay for the improvements. It's I

[1:32] think I think our department heads need to look at it. Yeah, folks involved

[1:37] because they'll give us some more heads up than what we want. So

[1:41] » yeah, I agree and so we haven't done that previously. So that for a minute

[1:46] » maybe right now we go on to the next item or I'll just go to the next item.

[1:51] » Okay, I'll move to go to the next item on the agenda. 10:30.

[1:56] Uh we're starting 10:25 10:40

[2:00] discussion possible approval letter of support for Kash Band Indians community

[2:05] development block grant application. Um,

[2:10] so I had a phone call the other day. The uh Kamosh banded tribunal, the travel

[2:19] plaza down there by Co for um they're looking for a grant. They want to expand

[2:24] that that gas station, that service center on the west side, I believe, of

[2:28] the freeway. Um, just from talking to him, it sounds like they want

[2:34] to make it more of a truck type stop and add full service showers, B more

[2:39] bathrooms, um, RV an RV spot. Um, I I I think it's

[2:46] just to expand it into more of a full on truck stop than than anything. So,

[2:51] they're looking for a grant to uh

[2:57] to help with that. And so they they drafted a letter for us to sign um

[3:04] to help them in that grant process.

[3:09] So we are

[3:13] trying um they don't have a representative

[3:18] here. >> No, they don't have a representative

[3:20] here. >> Okay.

[3:21] » So it's just >> Yeah, I don't see any problem with that.

[3:26] I don't know if you want if you want to look through that letter real quick.

[3:29] That's gives you a better idea. But

[3:52] where's the letter at? Um, you get the No, I think I just sent it

[3:58] to you.

[4:12] » John, if it's approved at Marquee, I don't know if you could get our

[4:15] signatures on it and send it back to that.

[4:17] » Yeah, I'll put it on letter head and then this down.

[4:20] » Yeah, if you could if it's >> Here's the letter.

[4:22] » Want to review a little bit? Yeah, as a mom.

[4:27] » Yeah, it is.

[4:33] » Well, the the only thing I ask, they're allowed on reservations to do some

[4:38] things that's really not I wouldn't say inconsistent with state law. Is that

[4:43] what they're proposing? >> They're not doing fireworks or

[4:47] maybe just bathrooms, showers. >> Okay, I'm good.

[4:53] added added fuel service station for I think like semis.

[4:57] » Yeah. >> So So where's that at? At on the It's on

[5:01] that exit. It's on the south exit. I see there's a little

[5:05] » No, it's on the north exit, but it's on the west side of the

[5:09] freeway. That's the single gas station. >> It's on the north of that middle there.

[5:13] No, >> no, it's I4.

[5:18] Okay. >> Yeah. West that new gas is that newer

[5:22] gas station on the west side of the road. Okay. Freeway.

[5:25] » Are they ask businesses for them because they're part of the reservation?

[5:32] » H >> I looked into a lot of things on that

[5:34] because there's a you might need to look into a few things because there's a I've

[5:39] gotten flagged on a few things from the state tax commission people saying I

[5:43] need to look into that. But is that my tax realm?

[5:49] cuz I I don't know if it's not on the reservation.

[5:54] » So I would I would say they need it. Now if it was on the reservation I I doubt

[5:59] we would have that any jurisdiction to do that. But since do they have to go I

[6:05] mean the properties have to go through planning and zoning and conditional use

[6:11] permit. They got

[6:16] um they might have to go through that. They're just trying to get the grant

[6:19] right now. >> Oh, they're working for a grant. Okay.

[6:21] » Yeah, they're working on they're not they haven't started anything.

[6:23] » They haven't started anything. >> No, they're just they're trying to get

[6:25] this grant. >> They're exploring it. They want some

[6:28] support. >> Yeah. So, they apply for a grant.

[6:31] » They not do any of it. They haven't done any of the permitting stuff.

[6:34] » I'm I'm good at them exploring it. Then we can make all those decisions.

[6:38] » So, is that a motion? >> Yeah. I will move that we give them the

[6:42] letter to explore some development over there to support the grant.

[6:47] » Yeah. >> Okay. I'll second it. All

[6:50] » favor.

[6:54] Yeah. >> No, that works. Yeah.

[6:59] Okay. 10:30 public hearing for the purpose of

[7:04] receiving public comment on the C2 conditions permit application Z 2025 444

[7:10] solar energy system on property located approximately V8

[7:17] miles west of Clear Lake near Pop Mountain Road and State Highway 257

[7:23] Neptune Solar Energy Park LLC is the applicant.

[7:30] You're going to need that to proceed. And somebody is somebody here from the

[7:37] Okay. You can get up and explain it then. Yeah. For public comment.

[7:44] Sorry. Can I get a motion? >> I make a motion to go to a public

[7:47] hearing. Are you sure? All in favor?

[7:51] » I just want to state your name with Yeah. My name is Robert Wilson. I'm

[7:56] senior development manager with Renewables. We are a kind of sister

[8:01] company for the entity Q cells a domestic solar panel manufacturer and

[8:07] EPC contractor. Okay. Um you want to just explain about

[8:13] the project that we're uh solar energy park is a 199 megawatt uh for voltaic

[8:20] solar energy facility. Um we haven't executed interconnection agreement with

[8:25] Pacific or Rocky Mountain Power. Um it's cited on BLM lands. We're just about to

[8:33] enter in the neoscoping period for an environmental assessment and we've

[8:37] completed the variance process under which we did all of our habitat surveys

[8:43] um wetland delineations um biological studies and all that uh to

[8:48] research the site. Um the project would provide power to roughly 40,000 uh Utah

[8:55] homes um and would tap into the Black Rock substation right there uh just

[9:01] north or northeast of uh Pot Mountain.

[9:09] » How many acres do you plan on covering with these solar panels?

[9:12] » Roughly 1,000 acres. I think it's 1,32 on the side just north of it.

[9:20] Did you say you manufacture these? >> Yep. We've got two facilities in Georgia

[9:26] that manufacture solar panels um in the United States. Um they're a sister

[9:32] company called QELS uh owned by Hanwa Group and uh we are the developers for

[9:38] the utility scale solar energy projects. Okay.

[9:41] » I guess I should let the public go first.

[9:44] » Yeah. Sorry. That's all right. I don't know if there's any public here. So,

[9:49] uh, any public comment? Okay. If not, I'll entertain a motion to

[9:54] leave. >> I'll make a motion close public hearing.

[9:58] I say, >> all in favor?

[9:59] » I I Okay. Uh discussion and possible approval of C2 conditional use permit Z

[10:06] 202545 for a solar energy system

[10:12] uh on property located 8 mi west of Clear Lake near Pop Mountain Road and

[10:16] State Highway 257 Neptune Solar Park LLC applicant

[10:22] commissioner. Now you can >> I'm assuming you have approximately

[10:27] 10,32 acres. This is coming,32. What?

[10:31] » 1,032. >> Yeah, they will be leased from the BLM.

[10:35] » Okay. Is this um just on the west side of 257 or just

[10:41] on the east side of 257? >> West. Just on just on the west side

[10:45] there. >> You know where Sunstone is? No.

[10:47] » Like if you looked across. I mean, it's so far as to say they throw a stone, but

[10:50] » there's kind of those DS like those trains. There's some type of little

[10:55] converter station or there's a bunch of lines. Not a bunch of lines.

[10:58] » Yeah. >> It's about a mile and a half west off of

[11:02] the highway. Okay. So question

[11:08] to get the lease agreement with BLM. >> So a record of decision is what the BLM

[11:15] will issue after we finish the roughly 12 month environmental assessment. Okay.

[11:21] » Uh NEPA scoping. The next question. So we're down over reversal.

[11:28] » Yeah. Um we submitted our application to the BLM

[11:34] about 2 years ago. Um we've completed the variance process in which we meet

[11:40] with the BLM on a regular basis. We still have monthly meetings with them.

[11:44] Um right now we're just waiting for the Department of Interior's approval to

[11:51] enter the NEPA scoping period. And under current rules that can take no longer

[11:57] than 12 months. >> So you're agreeing with Rocky Mountain

[12:01] Power, >> the interconnection agreement, right?

[12:03] From Utah Power. >> Yeah.

[12:05] » Okay. So how do you get it from there back to the Russia? Just real quickly.

[12:10] » From there back to where? >> Yeah. Where do you work on back to front

[12:14] power you produce? >> So it taps into the Black Rock

[12:17] substation. >> Black Rock.

[12:18] » Yeah. and and then it goes into Pacific Corpse interconnection system.

[12:23] » Okay. >> Um similar, you know, it's kind of like

[12:27] dropping a cup of water into a bucket of water. It just once those kilowatts

[12:32] enter into their interconnection system, it goes to wherever it's needed. And so

[12:36] it will be um powering Utah homes um close to California. No, I mean it's um

[12:47] so in in Utah it's a regulated market and so um the power company or Rocky

[12:54] Mountain Power, Pacific Corp, they're the only people that can sell power to

[12:57] rate payers. Uh so it's likely that our power purchase agreement would be with

[13:02] Pacific Corp or Rocky Mountain Power. Um there are also mechanisms called what we

[13:08] call a green sleeve where you might have a commercial or industrial customer for

[13:14] example Meta or Microsoft um where they would essentially be purchasing

[13:20] renewable energy credits from our project um to essentially offset the

[13:26] power that they consume. But the power generated from our project would follow

[13:31] the path of least resistance in Pacific Corp system.

[13:35] » Okay. Sorry. Was that

[13:45] ahead? >> Yeah.

[13:50] Either Rock Mountain Power or um you know we we an RFP from a group called

[13:56] Utah Renewable Communities. um they're kind of a a cooperative in both the

[14:01] Wasatch front and was back and elsewhere in Utah that kind of come together and

[14:06] then purchase renewable energy. Well, I know that it matters to this, but

[14:12] there's there's a movement now in the legislature that obviously Utah's been

[14:18] producer for a lot of other people that the priority of Utah production should

[14:24] stay in Utah unless there's no place for it. Sure. Yeah. I mean, I I just

[14:28] attended Mike Lee's um conservative climate summit and you know, the the

[14:34] broad message that I think is being pushed in Utah is is an all of the above

[14:39] energy strategy where they're trying to procure as much as they can, especially

[14:42] with a lot of the new data center demand and load growth that we're seeing in the

[14:46] west. >> Open to all kinds of producers,

[14:49] » right? There isn't one that's prohibited. So, thank you.

[14:53] » Yeah. Just so was your group, the group I saw down there last spring, white

[14:58] trucks running around. Um, it could have been. We uh, you know, we have had a lot

[15:03] of surveyors out there, uh, doing environmental studies, um, habitat

[15:08] assessments. We've also done things like alta surveys uh, to get property

[15:13] boundaries and that sort of thing. Um, last September I was with uh the BLM and

[15:20] representatives from the Pyute Indian tribe doing a cultural resource uh site

[15:24] visit. So we, you know, walked around Pop Mountain and around the site uh

[15:29] taking pictures and and kind of looking at some of the some of the areas to see

[15:35] whether they had any cultural significance to the Pyote Indian tribe.

[15:40] Does >> it

[15:42] charge you a lease? Yep. >> Okay. Sim to seller or something.

[15:47] » It would be it's actually what they call a right of way. Um but

[15:51] » you pay a lease agreement. You pay actual done.

[15:54] » Yeah. >> You wouldn't tell us what that was,

[15:56] would you? >> Um we've we've got like a rough idea

[16:00] kind of a rent calculator. But it changes every year based on, you know,

[16:04] property values. And then every four years it seems like the

[16:09] Department of the Interior has a different way of assessing what what

[16:12] rent they want to >> change. Yeah. But

[16:15] » yeah, but we we have to have kind of a placeholder in our model of what we

[16:18] expect to be paying as operational expenses.

[16:22] » All right. Thank you very much. >> Maybe just as a quick point of of

[16:25] clarification or or just uh there are the difference between the two

[16:31] applications. They're very similar. One is the the generation itself, the solar

[16:36] installation. The other is the transmission right away. So we treat

[16:39] those as two separate uses, two separate permits. same project. I probably should

[16:44] have mentioned that at the beginning. So,

[16:46] » two items. Yeah, we got an item number. Skip it for now. Open a public hearing

[16:50] again for that one. So, but I'll entertain a motion to

[16:57] a number of proposed conditions on this and we've gone back and forth. The

[17:01] planning commission discussed it. There's this isn't the first solar

[17:06] project we've seen. on about those and with other projects at this point, but

[17:10] there's uh there's actually quite a a quick list of them. Um

[17:16] there's uh everything from public safety and emergency response coordination,

[17:21] road management agreements, site security plan, fire prevention program,

[17:24] facility reclamation, and I know there was a little bit of question on on that.

[17:28] » Yeah, I mean our only like we've reviewed the conditions and we're

[17:31] comfortable with them. They're pretty standard that we've seen on all of our

[17:34] projects. Um, our only consideration that we might want to bring up is the

[17:39] BLM does require us to place a decommissioning and remediation bond.

[17:45] Um, so there will be one in place already. Uh, so you know you guys

[17:52] » that's the question I would have to reclaim the bond. We we have to assure

[17:58] reclamation and I believe the question is whether or not that that we just have

[18:03] that they shall post a bond guaranteeing the reclamation and all of the

[18:05] improvements and I believe the question that we will we accept that accept that

[18:14] we defer that um to the attorney's office to see if that's just references

[18:18] there shall be one. >> Okay. Go ahead. I was just going to say

[18:22] we

Millard County Commission Meeting Live Stream 11-18-2025

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