DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY

Big Pine Solar LLC Notice of Intent for a Small Renewable Energy Project (Solar) – Sussex County

Big Pine Solar LLC has provided the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) a notice of intent to submit the necessary documentation for a permit by rule for a small renewable energy project (solar) in Sussex County, Virginia, pursuant to 9VAC15-60. The developer for the project is RWE Clean Energy. The DEQ project number is RE0000340.

The project is located at 5465 Newville Road, Waverly, Virginia, with a geographic information system (GIS) centroid of Latitude 37.031756, Longitude -77.219800. The project spans approximately 2,187 acres and will utilize 335,460 photovoltaic panels. The project will have a maximum rated capacity of 150 megawatts.

Contact Information: Melissa Porterfield, Regulatory Coordinator, Department of Environmental Quality, 1111 East Main Street, Suite 1400, P.O. Box 1105, Richmond, VA 23218, telephone (804) 698-4238, or email melissa.porterfield@deq.virginia.gov.

Proposed Enforcement Action for Charles City County

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is proposing an amendment to a consent order for Charles City County for violations of State Water Control Law and regulations at the Ruthville wastewater treatment plant. The proposed amendment to the consent order is available from the DEQ contact or at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/permits/public-notices/enforcement-actions. The DEQ contact will accept written comments from December 30, 2024, to January 29, 2025.

Contact Information: Kristen Sadtler, Enforcement Coordinator, Department of Environmental Quality, P.O. Box 1105, Richmond, VA 23218, or email kristen.sadtler@deq.virginia.gov.

Proposed Enforcement Action for the Town of Luray

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is proposing an enforcement action for the Town of Luray for violations of State Water Control Law and regulations in Page County. The proposed order is available from the DEQ contact or at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/permits/public-notices/enforcement-actions. The DEQ contact will accept written comments from December 30, 2024, to January 29, 2025.

Contact Information: Francesca Wright, Senior Enforcement Specialist, Department of Environmental Quality, P.O. Box 3000, Harrisonburg, VA 22801, or email francesca.wright@deq.virginia.gov.

Proposed Enforcement Action for NCN III Solar LLC

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is proposing an enforcement action for NCN III Solar LLC for violations of the State Water Control Law and regulations in Buckingham County. The proposed order is available from the DEQ contact listed or at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/permits/public-notices/enforcement-actions. The DEQ contact will accept comments by email or postal mail from December 30, 2024, through January 29, 2024.

Contact Information: Matt Richardson, Enforcement Specialist, Department of Environmental Quality, Piedmont Regional Office, 4949A Cox Road, Glen Allen, VA 23060, telephone (804) 659-2696, or email matthew.richardson@deq.virginia.gov.

Proposed Enforcement Action for the Scott County Public Service Authority

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is proposing an enforcement action for the Scott County Public Service Authority for violations of the State Water Control Law and regulations at the Nickelsville wastewater treatment plant in Scott County. The proposed order is available from the DEQ contact listed or at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/permits/public-notices/enforcement-actions. The DEQ contact will accept comments by email or postal mail from December 30, 2024, through January 29, 2025.

Contact Information: Jonathan Chapman, Enforcement Specialist, Department of Environmental Quality, Southwest Regional Office, 355-A Deadmore Street, Abingdon, VA 24210, or email jonathan.chapman@deq.virginia.gov.

Public Meeting and Opportunity for Public Comment for a Cleanup Study of Horsepen Creek, Little Roanoke Creek, and an Unnamed Tributary to Spencer Creek in Charlotte County

Purpose of Notice: The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) seeks public comment on the development of a cleanup study, also known as a total maximum daily load (TDML) report, for Horsepen Creek, Little Roanoke Creek, and an unnamed tributary to Spencer Creek in Charlotte County.

These streams are listed as impaired waters and require a cleanup study since monitoring data indicates that the waters do not meet Virginia's water quality standards for aquatic life (benthics). Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act and § 62.1-44.19:7 C of the State Water Control Law requires DEQ to develop cleanup studies to address pollutants responsible for causing waters to be on Virginia's § 303(d) list of impaired waters. A component of a cleanup study is the wasteload allocation (WLA); therefore, this notice is provided pursuant to § 2.2-4006 A 14 of the Code of Virginia for any future adoption of the WLA into the Water Quality Management Planning Regulation (9VAC25-720) after completion of the study. The adoption of the WLA may require new or additional requirements for entities holding a Virginia Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (VPDES) permit in these watersheds.

At the meeting, DEQ will introduce the community to the process used in Virginia to improve stream water quality and invite the public to participate in the study by attending community engagement meetings or through a TMDL advisory group (TAG). A benthic stressor analysis has been conducted on these streams to help identify potential pollutants causing the impairments, and a draft of the analysis and its results will be presented at the meeting.

Cleanup Study Location: The cleanup study addresses the following impaired stream segments: Horsepen Creek, Little Roanoke Creek, and an unnamed tributary (UT) to Spencer Creek are all located in Charlotte County, Virginia. All three drainages eventually enter Roanoke Creek, which feeds into the Roanoke River. Approximately 5.32 miles of Horsepen Creek is considered impaired for the aquatic life use water quality standard. This impairment comes from various sampling events that have indicated the community of aquatic macroinvertebrates present in that segment of the creek is unhealthy and lacks the expected diversity and abundance. Horsepen Creek is impaired from Route 47 to its confluence with Little Horsepen Creek. Approximately 10.16 miles of Little Roanoke Creek and 2.9 miles of the UT to Spencer Creek are considered impaired for the aquatic life use water quality standard as well. Little Roanoke Creek is impaired from its headwaters to its confluence with Dunnavant Creek. The UT to Spencer Creek is impaired from its headwaters to its confluence with Spencer Creek.

TMDL Advisory Group: DEQ invites public comment on the establishment of a TAG to assist in development of this cleanup study. A TAG is a standing group of interested parties established by the department for the purpose of advising the department during developing of the cleanup study. Any member of the public may attend and observe proceedings. However, only group members who have been invited by the department to serve on the TAG may actively participate in the group's discussions. Persons requesting the department use a TAG and those interested in participating should notify the DEQ contact person by the end of the comment period and provide their name, address, telephone number, email address, and their organization (if any). If DEQ convenes a TAG, all individuals who wish to participate on the TAG will be considered on a case-by-case basis. TAG members will be expected to attend all TAG meetings. Notification of the composition of the panel will be sent to all individuals who requested participation.

If DEQ receives no requests to establish a TAG, the department will not establish a standing group but will still solicit public feedback by conducting community engagement meetings during cleanup study development. At these community meetings, which are open to the public and at which any person may participate, DEQ will present its progress on the cleanup study and solicit feedback.

Public Meeting: The first public meeting on the development of the cleanup study will be held at the Charlotte County Administrative Building, 250 LeGrande Avenue, Suite A, Charlotte Court House, VA 23923, on January 15, 2025, at 1 p.m. In the event of inclement weather, the meeting will be held on January 22, 2025, at the same time and location.

Public Comment Period: January 15, 2025, to February 14, 2025.

How to Comment: DEQ accepts written comments by email or postal mail. All comments must be received by DEQ during the comment period. Submittals must include the name, organization represented (if any), mailing address, and telephone number of the commenter or requester.

Contact Information: Aerin Doughty, Department of Environmental Quality, Blue Ridge Regional Office, 901 Russel Drive, Salem, VA 24153, telephone (540) 988-3684, or email erin.doughty@deq.virginia.gov.

BOARD OF MEDICAL ASSISTANCE SERVICES

Opportunity for Review of Eligibility Manual Draft Transmittal

A draft of Transmittal #DMAS-34, the Virginia Medical Assistance Eligibility Manual, is available at https://www.dmas.virginia.gov/media/yjrjvwdp/tn-dmas-34-eff-1-1-25-draft.pdf for public review.

Contact Information: Emily McClellan, Regulatory Manager, Division of Policy and Research, Department of Medical Assistance Services, 600 East Broad Street, Suite 1300, Richmond, VA 23219, telephone (804) 371-4300, FAX (804) 786-1680, or email emily.mclellan@dmas.virginia.gov.