Greenlink West gets federal OK; construction will go into Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument

LAS VEGAS ( KLAS ) — Construction of a major power transmission line between Las Vegas and Reno will intrude on the southern edge of Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument. It’s bitter news for conservationists, but a step forward for needed infrastructure for the West’s power grid.

NV Energy’s Greenlink West, which will connect vast solar power production in rural Nevada to the electric grid, received approval from the U.S. Department of Interior on Monday. The Record of Decision (ROD) concludes the lengthy approval process that includes environmental impact assessments.

“This is a significant milestone for the Greenlink West transmission project, which will provide better service and reliability for our customers,” NV Energy President and CEO Doug Cannon said. “Greenlink West strengthens our transmission system and creates greater access to Nevada’s resource-rich renewable energy zones, which will help the State achieve its de-carbonization goals and move Nevada closer to a future powered by 100% renewable energy and reducing its carbon footprint.”

One of the 18 documents released Monday is titled, “Appendix G – Paleontological Resources Mitigation Plan.” The 64-page document lays out a series of requirements for expert oversight of the project as it puts 11 new power poles into place along Moccasin Road in the northern valley. Daily logs of construction activities during the project will record work performed on National Park Service (NPS) land inside the monument boundary.

Another document, Appendix B, indicates NV Energy — “the Proponent” — will have to pay the costs of any fossil excavations at the construction sites. “If any archeological resources are removed from their context during or before construction, they must be curated as NPS museum objects (Archeological Resources Protection Act, 1979) at the expense of the Proponent at a federally approved repository (Appendix V).”

Tule Springs wasn’t the only complaint that came up during the government approval process. The route was actually changed to avoid a conflict with plans for a solar development along U.S. 95 in Nye County.

On Moccasin Road, an existing 400-foot-wide corridor reserved for NV Energy wasn’t wide enough to include the new line. Two existing pole lines are between the road and an adjacent residential development. The new line will require 11 “Delta” power poles on concrete footings in an area where ground-penetrating radar scans have already shown the existence of fossils.

Among the steps in the mitigation plan — avoid construction in places where there’s evidence of fossils.

Sherri Grotheer, board president Protectors of Tule Springs, a group dedicated to work supporting the monument, provided a statement on Monday:

“Protectors of Tule Springs will always work to protect the integrity of Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument. While we’re pleased that the ROD contains mitigation requirements consistent with NPS’s high standards, we still believe that any impact on these important fossil deposits is unnecessary in that alternative options weren’t fully explored, and that the ROD sets a dangerous precedent in approving construction that will undoubtedly damage the very assets the land was protected to preserve,” Grotheer said.

“We believe the ultimate decision on the suitability of this project will be left to the courts. In the meantime Protectors will continue to encourage all concerned to seek less destructive alternatives and focus on our work to preserve, protect and educate the public about this beautiful and unique landscape,” she said.

8 News Now reached out to NV Energy for comment. A news release sent out early Monday evening did not address questions regarding the lines at Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument.

NV Energy will own Greenlink, and the cost has risen from initial estimates of $2.5 billion in 2018 to a more recent estimate of $4.2 billion . “NV Energy anticipates recovering the costs of this project over 70 or more years, thus reducing the impact on customer rates,” spokesperson Meghin Delaney said in June.

Greenlink is expected to be in service by the end of May 2027, NV Energy said.

Sandy Croteau, vice president of Protectors of Tule Springs, said she was disappointed in the decision.

“They had alternatives,” she said. “They’re going through right where our kiosk is.”

The Interior Department also announced the opening of public comment on Greenlink North, which will run along U.S. 50 in central Nevada, connecting Reno and the town of Ely in White Pine County, where more solar development is in the works.

Also Monday, the Libra Solar Project in Mineral County received approval. That project will add 700 megawatts of energy production and storage in a remote area between Hawthorne and Yerington.

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