Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment and To Conduct Public Scoping Meetings; Baja Wind U.S. Transmission, LLC, 45218-45220 [E8-17840]

Download as PDF 45218 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 150 / Monday, August 4, 2008 / Notices calves three to six months of age may also be biopsy sampled. The original application submitted by the WCNE included a request to conduct research on North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis). At the time of permit issuance, takes for right whales were not authorized. NMFS is now reviewing the right whale portion of the request as an amendment to Permit No. 605–1904. The WCNE requests authorization to harass up to 75 North Atlantic right whales annually during close vessel approaches for photoidentification, behavioral observation, and prey sampling. This work would continue long-term population monitoring to determine status and trends of this species in the North Atlantic. The amendment would be valid until the permit expires on February 15, 2013. Concurrent with the publication of this notice in the Federal Register, NMFS is forwarding copies of this application to the Marine Mammal Commission and its Committee of Scientific Advisors. Dated: July 29, 2008. P. Michael Payne, Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. E8–17813 Filed 8–1–08; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–S DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY [OE Docket No. PP–334] Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment and To Conduct Public Scoping Meetings; Baja Wind U.S. Transmission, LLC Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, DOE. ACTION: Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) and To Conduct Public Scoping Meetings. pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES AGENCY: SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) will prepare an EA and hold public scoping meetings on the proposed Federal action of granting a Presidential permit to Baja Wind U.S. Transmission, LLC (Baja Wind) to construct a new electric transmission line at the U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego County, California, near the community of Jacumba. The proposed international transmission line would originate at a wind generation facility to be located in northern Baja California, Mexico, cross the U.S.-Mexico international border, and extend one mile into the U.S. where it would terminate at a substation to be VerDate Aug<31>2005 16:50 Aug 01, 2008 Jkt 214001 constructed by San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E) adjacent to the existing Southwest Powerlink (SWPL) 500–kV transmission line, located in San Diego County, California. Baja Wind has applied to DOE’s Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE) for a Presidential permit to construct either a double-circuit 230kilovolt (kV) or a single-circuit 500-kV electric transmission line across the U.S. border with Mexico. The EA, entitled Baja Wind U.S. Transmission Environmental Assessment (DOE/EA–399) will address potential environmental impacts from the proposed action and the range of reasonable alternatives. The EA will be prepared in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) and applicable regulations, including Council on Environmental Quality NEPA Implementing Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500–1508) and DOE NEPA implementing regulations at 10 CFR Part 1021. It will help DOE determinie whether to prepare an EIS. Given that the proposed transmission line is short, and that the imports into the U.S. appear to be small, DOE believes an EA is appropriate. DOE invites the public to participate in determining the scope of the EA by suggesting alternatives and pointing out potential environmental impacts. If at any time during preparation of the EA DOE determines that an environmental impact statement (EIS) is needed, DOE will issue a Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS in the Federal Register. In that case, this scoping process will serve as the scoping process that normally would follow a Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS. Accordingly, DOE will consider any comments on the scope of the EA received during this scoping process in preparing such an EIS. DATES: DOE invites interested agencies, organizations, Native American tribes, and members of the public to submit comments or suggestions to assist in identifying any potentially significant environmental issues and in determining the scope of the EA. The public scoping period starts with the publication of this Notice in the Federal Register and will continue until September 3, 2008. DOE will consider all comments received or postmarked by September 3, 2008 in defining the scope of the EA. Comments received or postmarked after that date will be considered to the extent practicable. Public scoping meetings will be held on August 26, 2008, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., and again from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., at the Jacumba Highland Center, 44681 Old Highway 80, Jacumba, California. PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Written comments or suggestions on the scope of the EA should be addressed to: Mrs. Ellen Russell, Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE–20), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585–0350; phone 202–586–9624, facsimile at 202–586– 8008, or electronic mail at Ellen.Russell@hq.doe.gov. ADDRESSES: For further information on the proposed project, on the Presidential permit process, or to receive a copy of the pre-approval EA when it is issued for state and public review, contact Ellen Russell at the address listed in the ADDRESSES section of this notice. The Baja Wind Presidential permit application, including associated maps and drawings, can be downloaded in its entirety from the OE program Web site https://www.oe.energy.gov/permits.htm. For general information on the DOE NEPA process, please contact: Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance (GC–20), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585–0103; phone 202–586–4600, leave a message at 800– 472–2756, or facsimile to 202–586– 7031. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Executive Order (EO) 10485, as amended by EO 12038, requires that a Presidential permit be issued by DOE before electric transmission facilities may be constructed, operated, maintained, or connected at the U.S. international border. The EO provides that a Presidential permit may be issued after a finding that the proposed project is consistent with the public interest and after favorable recommendations from the U.S. Departments of State and Defense. In determining consistency with the public interest, DOE considers the environmental impacts of the proposed project under NEPA, determines the project’s impact on electric reliability (including whether the proposed project would adversely affect the operation of the U.S. electric power supply system under normal and contingency conditions), and considers any other factors that DOE may find relevant to the public interest. The regulations implementing the EO have been codified at 10 CFR 205.320– 205.329. DOE’s issuance of a Presidential permit indicates that there is no Federal objection to the project, but does not mandate that the project be undertaken. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: E:\FR\FM\04AUN1.SGM 04AUN1 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 150 / Monday, August 4, 2008 / Notices pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES Agency Purpose and Need, Proposed Action, and Alternatives The purpose and need for DOE’s action is to decide whether to grant Baja Wind’s application for a Presidential permit for the proposed international electric transmission line. DOE’s proposed action is to issue a Presidential permit for the construction, operation, maintenance, and connection of the proposed international electric transmission line. If granted, the Presidential permit would authorize only the one-mile portion of the applicant’s proposal that would be constructed and operated wholly within the United States. Both of Baja Wind’s alternatives would cross the U.S.-Mexican border at the same location. However, the alternative identified as A1 in the Presidential permit application would be constructed at 500-kV and would be the eastern alternative; the alternative identified as A2 would be constructed at 230-kV and be located to the west of the A1 alternative. Both alternatives would be located wholly within private property in eastern San Diego County near the unincorporated community of Jacumba. In addition to the alternatives proposed by Baja Wind, DOE will consider reasonable alternatives that are identified during scoping. The EA will also consider the environmental impacts of a ‘‘No Action’’ alternative. Baja Wind’s proposed transmission line would connect wind turbines (the La Rumorosa Project) to be located in the vicinity of La Rumorosa, Baja California, Mexico, to San Diego Gas & Electric’s existing Southwest Powerlink transmission line. The proposed transmission line would consist of either a double-circuit 230-kV or a single-circuit 500-kV transmission line installed on either lattice towers or steel monopoles. The La Rumorosa Project and the two-mile portion of transmission facilities located in Mexico would be constructed, owned, operated, and maintained by a subsidiary of Sempra Energy Mexico and would be subject to the permitting requirements of the Mexican Government. The proposed one-mile long transmission line within the United States would be on private land and constructed, owned, operated, and maintained by Baja Wind. The entire electrical output of the La Rumorosa Project (1250 megawatts, approximately 260 to 300 turbines) would be dedicated to the U.S. market and delivered using the proposed international transmission line. The EA will only consider impacts that occur inside the United States. VerDate Aug<31>2005 16:50 Aug 01, 2008 Jkt 214001 Baja Wind’s proposed transmission line would connect to a new substation to be constructed by SDG&E in response to requests by power suppliers to connect to the SWPL. The proposed substation would be located just south of the SWPL right-of-way and would contain equipment for accepting interconnections at both the 230-kV and the 500-kV level. The 230-kV connection equipment would be located just to the west of the 500-kV connection equipment, both within the confines of the substation boundary. Accordingly, Baja Wind has identified two routing/voltage alternatives to coincide with interconnection at 230-kV or the 500kV level. Identification of Environmental Issues In the EA, DOE will examine public health and safety effects and environmental impacts in the United States from the proposed transmission facilities and from the wind farm to the extent that any impacts from it occur within the United States. DOE invites Tribal governments, Federal, State and local agencies, and those entities with jurisdiction by law or special expertise with respect to environmental issues to be cooperating agencies in the preparation of the EA, as defined at 40 CFR 1501.6. This notice is to inform the public of the proposed project and to solicit comments and suggestions for consideration in the preparation of the EA. To help the public frame its comments, this notice contains a preliminary list of potential environmental issues that DOE has tentatively identified for analysis. These issues include: 1. Impacts on protected, threatened, endangered, or sensitive species of animals or plants, or their critical habitats, e.g., the quino checkerspot butterfly and migratory birds; 2. Impacts on cultural or historic resources; 3. Impacts on human health and safety; 4. Impacts on air, soil, and water; 5. Visual impacts; 6. Socioeconomic impacts; 7. Disproportionately high and adverse impacts on minority and lowincome populations; 8. Impacts that would accrue to the U.S. as a result of related activities occurring inside Mexico (e.g., dust from the construction process inside Mexico or location of wind generators within view of the U.S.); and 9. Cumulative impacts. On February 22, 2008, DOE published a notice in the Federal Register (73 FR 9782) announcing receipt of the Baja PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 45219 Wind Presidential permit application and soliciting public comments. Comments received on that notice identified potential environmental impacts that may be associated with this proposed project, for example, impacts on threatened or endangered species, critical habitat, and migratory birds. Several commenters in this proceeding have asked DOE to evaluate the impacts associated with activities that will occur inside Mexico (e.g., from the construction and operation in Mexico of the wind generators). NEPA does not require an analysis of environmental impacts that occur within another sovereign nation that result from approved actions by that sovereign nation. The EA will evaluate all relevant environmental impacts within the U.S. related to the proposed action. Scoping Process Interested parties are invited to participate in the scoping process both to refine the environmental issues to be analyzed and to identify the reasonable range of alternatives. Both oral and written comments will be considered and given equal weight by DOE. Public scoping meetings will be held at the location, date, and times indicated above under the DATES section. The scoping meetings will provide interested parties the opportunity to view proposed project exhibits, ask questions, and comment on the EA scope. The DOE presiding officer will establish only those procedures needed to ensure that everyone who wishes to speak has a chance to do so and that DOE understands all issues and comments. Speakers will be allocated approximately 10 minutes for their oral statements. Persons who have not submitted a request to speak in advance may register to speak at the scoping meetings, but advance requests are encouraged. Should any speaker desire to provide further information that cannot be presented within the designated time, such additional information may be submitted in writing by the date listed in the DATES section. Both oral and written comments will be considered and given equal weight by DOE. The pre-approval EA is planned to be issued for state and public review by the spring of 2009. Persons submitting comments during the scoping process will receive a copy. Persons who do not wish to submit comments or suggestions at this time but who would like to receive a copy of the document for review when it is issued should notify Ellen Russell at the address provided above. E:\FR\FM\04AUN1.SGM 04AUN1 45220 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 150 / Monday, August 4, 2008 / Notices Issued in Washington, DC, on July 30, 2008. Kevin M. Kolevar, Assistant Secretary, Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability. [FR Doc. E8–17840 Filed 8–1–08; 8:45 am] are on file at the following location: Environmental Protection Agency, Region 6, Water Quality Protection Division, Source Water Protection Branch (6WQ–S), 1445 Ross Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75202–2733. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Philip Dellinger, Chief Ground Water/ UIC Section, EPA—Region 6, telephone (214) 665–7150. BILLING CODE 6450–01–P ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL–8700–5] Underground Injection Control Program; Hazardous Waste Injection Restrictions; Petition for Exemption— Class I Hazardous Waste Injection; Solutia, Inc. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice of Final Decisions on No Migration Petition Reissuances. pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES AGENCY: SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that exemptions to the land disposal restrictions under the 1984 Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act have been granted to Solutia, Inc, Chocolate Bayou Facility (Solutia) for two Class I injection wells located at Alvin, Texas. As required by 40 CFR Part 148, the company has adequately demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Environmental Protection Agency by the petitions and supporting documentation that, to a reasonable degree of certainty, there will be no migration of hazardous constituents from the injection zone for as long as the waste remains hazardous. These final decisions allow the underground injection by Solutia, of the specific restricted hazardous wastes identified in these exemptions, into Class I hazardous waste injection wells Nos. WDW–224 and WDW–326 at the Chocolate Bayou, Alvin, Texas facility, until December 31, 2026, unless EPA moves to terminate these exemptions under provisions of 40 CFR 148.24. Additional conditions included in these final decisions may be reviewed by contacting the Region 6 Ground Water/ UIC Section. As required by 40 CFR 148.22(b) and 124.10, a public notice was issued June 5, 2008. The public comment period closed on July 21, 2008. No comments were received. These decisions constitute final Agency action and there is no Administrative appeal. These decisions may be reviewed/appealed in compliance with the Administrative Procedure Act. DATES: These actions are effective as of July 28, 2008. ADDRESSES: Copies of the petitions and all pertinent information relating thereto VerDate Aug<31>2005 16:50 Aug 01, 2008 Jkt 214001 Dated: July 28, 2008. Miguel I. Flores, Division Director, Water Quality Protection Division. [FR Doc. E8–17815 Filed 8–1–08; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6560–50–P FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION Notice of Public Information Collection(s) Being Reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission, Comments Requested July 29, 2008. SUMMARY: As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burden and as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501– 3520), the Federal Communications Commission invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on the following information collection(s). Comments are requested concerning (a) whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Commission, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the Commission’s burden estimate; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on the respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. An agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. No person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act that does not display a valid OMB control number. DATES: Written PRA comments should be submitted on or before October 3, 2008. If you anticipate that you will be submitting comments, but find it difficult to do so within the period of time allowed by this notice, you should advise the contact listed below as soon as possible. ADDRESSES: Submit your comments by e-mail to PRA@fcc.gov. Include in the e- PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 mail the OMB control number of the collection or, if there is no OMB control number, the Title shown in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below. If you are unable to submit your comments by e-mail contact the person listed below to make alternate arrangements. For additional information about the information collection(s) or to obtain a copy of the collection send an e-mail to PRA@fcc.gov and include the collection’s OMB control number as shown in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below (or the title of the collection if there is no OMB control number), or call Jerry Cowden at 202–418–0447. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OMB Control Number: 3060–0204. Title: Special Eligibility Showings for Authorizations in the Public Safety Pool (47 CFR 90.20(a)(2)(v) and 90.20(a)(2)(xi)). Form Number: Not applicable. Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection. Respondents: Individuals and businesses. Number of Respondents and Responses: 220 respondents; 220 responses. Estimated Time per Response: 0.686 hour (range of 3 minutes to 45 minutes). Frequency of Response: One-time reporting requirement. Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. Total Annual Burden: 151 hours. Total Annual Cost: None. Privacy Act Impact Assessment: The information collection in 47 CFR 90.20(a)(2)(v) affects individuals, and there is a system of records that covers it (FCC/WTB–1, Wireless Services Licensing Records). Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: Requests to withhold information submitted to the Commission from public inspection will be treated in accordance with section 0.459 of the Commission’s rules. Needs and Uses: The Commission collects this information to ensure that certain non-governmental applicants applying for the use of frequencies in the Public Safety Pool meet the eligibility criteria set forth in the Commission’s rules. The collection is being revised to consolidate under one OMB control number two information collections that were previously under separate OMB control numbers. E:\FR\FM\04AUN1.SGM 04AUN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 150 (Monday, August 4, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45218-45220]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-17840]


=======================================================================
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

[OE Docket No. PP-334]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment and To 
Conduct Public Scoping Meetings; Baja Wind U.S. Transmission, LLC

AGENCY: Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) 
and To Conduct Public Scoping Meetings.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) will prepare an EA and hold 
public scoping meetings on the proposed Federal action of granting a 
Presidential permit to Baja Wind U.S. Transmission, LLC (Baja Wind) to 
construct a new electric transmission line at the U.S.-Mexico border in 
San Diego County, California, near the community of Jacumba. The 
proposed international transmission line would originate at a wind 
generation facility to be located in northern Baja California, Mexico, 
cross the U.S.-Mexico international border, and extend one mile into 
the U.S. where it would terminate at a substation to be constructed by 
San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E) adjacent to the existing 
Southwest Powerlink (SWPL) 500-kV transmission line, located in San 
Diego County, California. Baja Wind has applied to DOE's Office of 
Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE) for a Presidential 
permit to construct either a double-circuit 230-kilovolt (kV) or a 
single-circuit 500-kV electric transmission line across the U.S. border 
with Mexico.
    The EA, entitled Baja Wind U.S. Transmission Environmental 
Assessment (DOE/EA-399) will address potential environmental impacts 
from the proposed action and the range of reasonable alternatives. The 
EA will be prepared in compliance with the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) and applicable regulations, including Council 
on Environmental Quality NEPA Implementing Regulations (40 CFR parts 
1500-1508) and DOE NEPA implementing regulations at 10 CFR Part 1021. 
It will help DOE determinie whether to prepare an EIS. Given that the 
proposed transmission line is short, and that the imports into the U.S. 
appear to be small, DOE believes an EA is appropriate.
    DOE invites the public to participate in determining the scope of 
the EA by suggesting alternatives and pointing out potential 
environmental impacts. If at any time during preparation of the EA DOE 
determines that an environmental impact statement (EIS) is needed, DOE 
will issue a Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS in the Federal 
Register. In that case, this scoping process will serve as the scoping 
process that normally would follow a Notice of Intent to prepare an 
EIS. Accordingly, DOE will consider any comments on the scope of the EA 
received during this scoping process in preparing such an EIS.

DATES: DOE invites interested agencies, organizations, Native American 
tribes, and members of the public to submit comments or suggestions to 
assist in identifying any potentially significant environmental issues 
and in determining the scope of the EA. The public scoping period 
starts with the publication of this Notice in the Federal Register and 
will continue until September 3, 2008. DOE will consider all comments 
received or postmarked by September 3, 2008 in defining the scope of 
the EA. Comments received or postmarked after that date will be 
considered to the extent practicable.
    Public scoping meetings will be held on August 26, 2008, from 1 
p.m. to 3 p.m., and again from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., at the Jacumba 
Highland Center, 44681 Old Highway 80, Jacumba, California.

ADDRESSES: Written comments or suggestions on the scope of the EA 
should be addressed to: Mrs. Ellen Russell, Office of Electricity 
Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE-20), U.S. Department of Energy, 
1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585-0350; phone 202-
586-9624, facsimile at 202-586-8008, or electronic mail at 
Ellen.Russell@hq.doe.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: For further information on the proposed 
project, on the Presidential permit process, or to receive a copy of 
the pre-approval EA when it is issued for state and public review, 
contact Ellen Russell at the address listed in the ADDRESSES section of 
this notice. The Baja Wind Presidential permit application, including 
associated maps and drawings, can be downloaded in its entirety from 
the OE program Web site https://www.oe.energy.gov/permits.htm.
    For general information on the DOE NEPA process, please contact: 
Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance (GC-
20), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., 
Washington, DC 20585-0103; phone 202-586-4600, leave a message at 800-
472-2756, or facsimile to 202-586-7031.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Executive Order (EO) 10485, as amended by EO 
12038, requires that a Presidential permit be issued by DOE before 
electric transmission facilities may be constructed, operated, 
maintained, or connected at the U.S. international border. The EO 
provides that a Presidential permit may be issued after a finding that 
the proposed project is consistent with the public interest and after 
favorable recommendations from the U.S. Departments of State and 
Defense. In determining consistency with the public interest, DOE 
considers the environmental impacts of the proposed project under NEPA, 
determines the project's impact on electric reliability (including 
whether the proposed project would adversely affect the operation of 
the U.S. electric power supply system under normal and contingency 
conditions), and considers any other factors that DOE may find relevant 
to the public interest. The regulations implementing the EO have been 
codified at 10 CFR 205.320-205.329. DOE's issuance of a Presidential 
permit indicates that there is no Federal objection to the project, but 
does not mandate that the project be undertaken.

[[Page 45219]]

Agency Purpose and Need, Proposed Action, and Alternatives

    The purpose and need for DOE's action is to decide whether to grant 
Baja Wind's application for a Presidential permit for the proposed 
international electric transmission line. DOE's proposed action is to 
issue a Presidential permit for the construction, operation, 
maintenance, and connection of the proposed international electric 
transmission line. If granted, the Presidential permit would authorize 
only the one-mile portion of the applicant's proposal that would be 
constructed and operated wholly within the United States.
    Both of Baja Wind's alternatives would cross the U.S.-Mexican 
border at the same location. However, the alternative identified as A1 
in the Presidential permit application would be constructed at 500-kV 
and would be the eastern alternative; the alternative identified as A2 
would be constructed at 230-kV and be located to the west of the A1 
alternative. Both alternatives would be located wholly within private 
property in eastern San Diego County near the unincorporated community 
of Jacumba. In addition to the alternatives proposed by Baja Wind, DOE 
will consider reasonable alternatives that are identified during 
scoping. The EA will also consider the environmental impacts of a ``No 
Action'' alternative.
    Baja Wind's proposed transmission line would connect wind turbines 
(the La Rumorosa Project) to be located in the vicinity of La Rumorosa, 
Baja California, Mexico, to San Diego Gas & Electric's existing 
Southwest Powerlink transmission line. The proposed transmission line 
would consist of either a double-circuit 230-kV or a single-circuit 
500-kV transmission line installed on either lattice towers or steel 
monopoles. The La Rumorosa Project and the two-mile portion of 
transmission facilities located in Mexico would be constructed, owned, 
operated, and maintained by a subsidiary of Sempra Energy Mexico and 
would be subject to the permitting requirements of the Mexican 
Government. The proposed one-mile long transmission line within the 
United States would be on private land and constructed, owned, 
operated, and maintained by Baja Wind. The entire electrical output of 
the La Rumorosa Project (1250 megawatts, approximately 260 to 300 
turbines) would be dedicated to the U.S. market and delivered using the 
proposed international transmission line. The EA will only consider 
impacts that occur inside the United States.
    Baja Wind's proposed transmission line would connect to a new 
substation to be constructed by SDG&E in response to requests by power 
suppliers to connect to the SWPL. The proposed substation would be 
located just south of the SWPL right-of-way and would contain equipment 
for accepting interconnections at both the 230-kV and the 500-kV level. 
The 230-kV connection equipment would be located just to the west of 
the 500-kV connection equipment, both within the confines of the 
substation boundary. Accordingly, Baja Wind has identified two routing/
voltage alternatives to coincide with interconnection at 230-kV or the 
500kV level.

Identification of Environmental Issues

    In the EA, DOE will examine public health and safety effects and 
environmental impacts in the United States from the proposed 
transmission facilities and from the wind farm to the extent that any 
impacts from it occur within the United States. DOE invites Tribal 
governments, Federal, State and local agencies, and those entities with 
jurisdiction by law or special expertise with respect to environmental 
issues to be cooperating agencies in the preparation of the EA, as 
defined at 40 CFR 1501.6.
    This notice is to inform the public of the proposed project and to 
solicit comments and suggestions for consideration in the preparation 
of the EA. To help the public frame its comments, this notice contains 
a preliminary list of potential environmental issues that DOE has 
tentatively identified for analysis. These issues include:
    1. Impacts on protected, threatened, endangered, or sensitive 
species of animals or plants, or their critical habitats, e.g., the 
quino checkerspot butterfly and migratory birds;
    2. Impacts on cultural or historic resources;
    3. Impacts on human health and safety;
    4. Impacts on air, soil, and water;
    5. Visual impacts;
    6. Socioeconomic impacts;
    7. Disproportionately high and adverse impacts on minority and low-
income populations;
    8. Impacts that would accrue to the U.S. as a result of related 
activities occurring inside Mexico (e.g., dust from the construction 
process inside Mexico or location of wind generators within view of the 
U.S.); and
    9. Cumulative impacts.
    On February 22, 2008, DOE published a notice in the Federal 
Register (73 FR 9782) announcing receipt of the Baja Wind Presidential 
permit application and soliciting public comments. Comments received on 
that notice identified potential environmental impacts that may be 
associated with this proposed project, for example, impacts on 
threatened or endangered species, critical habitat, and migratory 
birds.
    Several commenters in this proceeding have asked DOE to evaluate 
the impacts associated with activities that will occur inside Mexico 
(e.g., from the construction and operation in Mexico of the wind 
generators). NEPA does not require an analysis of environmental impacts 
that occur within another sovereign nation that result from approved 
actions by that sovereign nation. The EA will evaluate all relevant 
environmental impacts within the U.S. related to the proposed action.

Scoping Process

    Interested parties are invited to participate in the scoping 
process both to refine the environmental issues to be analyzed and to 
identify the reasonable range of alternatives. Both oral and written 
comments will be considered and given equal weight by DOE.
    Public scoping meetings will be held at the location, date, and 
times indicated above under the DATES section. The scoping meetings 
will provide interested parties the opportunity to view proposed 
project exhibits, ask questions, and comment on the EA scope. The DOE 
presiding officer will establish only those procedures needed to ensure 
that everyone who wishes to speak has a chance to do so and that DOE 
understands all issues and comments. Speakers will be allocated 
approximately 10 minutes for their oral statements. Persons who have 
not submitted a request to speak in advance may register to speak at 
the scoping meetings, but advance requests are encouraged. Should any 
speaker desire to provide further information that cannot be presented 
within the designated time, such additional information may be 
submitted in writing by the date listed in the DATES section. Both oral 
and written comments will be considered and given equal weight by DOE.
    The pre-approval EA is planned to be issued for state and public 
review by the spring of 2009. Persons submitting comments during the 
scoping process will receive a copy. Persons who do not wish to submit 
comments or suggestions at this time but who would like to receive a 
copy of the document for review when it is issued should notify Ellen 
Russell at the address provided above.


[[Page 45220]]


    Issued in Washington, DC, on July 30, 2008.
Kevin M. Kolevar,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy 
Reliability.
[FR Doc. E8-17840 Filed 8-1-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
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