NOTICE OF MEPA SITE VISIT AND REMOTE CONSULTATION SESSION/VIDEO CONFERENCE

EEA No. 13940      ADM TMUD Wareham PV+ES Projects (Phases C10-C12)     

Project Description: An Expanded Environmental Notification Form (EENF) (please note: this is a link to only part of the EENF; see contact information below to obtain a full copy) has been filed with the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs by Borrego Solar Systems, Inc. to construct three ground-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) generating facilities and energy storage (ES) systems:

Phase C10: 27 Charge Pond Road PV and ES Project- An approximately 5 megawatt (MW) AC/11.6 MW DC solar array and energy system requiring the clearing of approximately 40.1 acres of land on a 42.1-acre site. The Proponent will also remove trash and debris from an approximately 6,500-square foot area of Bordering Vegetated Wetlands (BVW).

Phase C11: 140 Tihonet Road PV and ES Project- An approximately 5 MW AC/19.3 MW DC solar array and energy system requiring the clearing of approximately 65.3 acres of land on a 66.2-acre site.

Phase C12: 150 Tihonet Road PV and ES Project- An approximately 5 MW AC/15.5 MW DC solar array and energy system requiring the clearing of approximately 49.2 acres of land.

The projects are subject to MEPA review in accordance with a Special Review Procedure (SRP) established on January 29, 2007 for the development of approximately 6,000 acres of land in Carver, Plymouth an Wareham. Phases C10 and C12 individually exceed the ENF threshold at

301 CMR 11.03(1)(b)(1), Direct alteration of 25 or more acres of land and Phase C11 exceeds the EIR threshold at 301 CMR 11.03(1)(a)(1), Direct alteration of 50 or more acres of land. According to the EENF, none of the projects requires a State Agency Action, such as a permit.

The Proponent has requested a Waiver from the requirement to prepare an EIR for the Phase C11 project, or alternatively, has requested to prepare a Single EIR for Phase C11.

A public consultation session will be held by video conference to receive advice and comments from agencies, officials, and citizens regarding which environmental issues, if any, are significant for this project. Opinions as to the extent and significance of possible environmental impact, and the Proponent’s Waiver and Single EIR requests, will be welcome.

MEPA Video Conference/Consultation Session scheduled for: Wednesday, April 28, 2021 at 7:00 PM.

*Please RSVP to alexander.strysky@mass.gov at least one hour prior to the meeting for instructions on joining the video conference or calling in by phone*

An in-person site visit will be conducted at 12:00 noon on Thursday April 22.  For safety reasons, the number of attendees at the site visit will be limited and all attendees must wear a mask and maintain social distancing. The purpose of the site visit is to view existing conditions; to minimize the duration of the site visit, attendees are requested to generally limit discussion to site conditions under existing and proposed conditions. The video conference on April 28 will include a comprehensive discussion of the project and provide the opportunity to ask questions and make comments on the project. To attend the in-person site visit, please RSVP to alexander.strysky@mass.gov by 5:00 PM on Tuesday April 20.

MEPA comments due on or before: May 24, 2021

Certificate due: June 1, 2021

Contact for project information: Stacy Minihane, (508) 366-0560, sminihane@bealsandthomas.com

MEPA contact: Alex Strysky, (857) 408-6957, alexander.strysky@mass.gov

Comments may be submitted by email to alexander.strysky@mass.gov or via the MEPA Public Comments Portal.