Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and To Conduct Scoping Meetings: Interconnection of the Proposed Hyde County Wind Energy Center Project, South Dakota, 74040-74042 [2010-30068]
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74040
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 229 / Tuesday, November 30, 2010 / Notices
888 First St. NE., Washington, DC
20426.
The filings in the above-referenced
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Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2010–30032 Filed 11–29–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Western Area Power Administration
[DOE/EIS–0461]
Intent To Prepare an Environmental
Impact Statement and To Conduct
Scoping Meetings: Interconnection of
the Proposed Hyde County Wind
Energy Center Project, South Dakota
Western Area Power
Administration, DOE.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement and to
Conduct Scoping Meetings; Notice of
Floodplain and Wetlands Involvement.
AGENCY:
NextEra Energy Resources
(NextEra) applied to interconnect its
proposed 150-megawatt (MW) Hyde
County Wind Energy Center Project
(Project), located in Hyde County, South
Dakota, with the Western Area Power
Administration’s (Western) existing Fort
Thompson Substation in Buffalo
County, South Dakota. Western will
prepare an environmental impact
statement (EIS) on the proposal to
interconnect the Project in accordance
with the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969 (NEPA), U.S. Department of
Energy (DOE) NEPA Implementing
Procedures, and the Council on
Environmental Quality (CEQ)
regulations for implementing NEPA.
Western’s need for agency action is
precipitated by NextEra’s application to
interconnect with Western’s power
transmission system. Western needs to
consider NextEra’s interconnection
request under its Open Access
Transmission Service Tariff (Tariff).
This EIS will address Western’s Federal
jdjones on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
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15:13 Nov 29, 2010
Jkt 223001
action of interconnecting the proposed
Project to Western’s transmission
system, making changes within
Western’s existing Fort Thompson
Substation to physically connect
NextEra’s proposed Project, and making
any necessary system modifications to
accommodate the interconnection.
Existing transmission line approaches to
Fort Thompson Substation may also
need to be realigned. By taking these
actions, power generated by NextEra’s
proposed Project would use Western’s
transmission system to reach the
market.
Portions of NextEra’s proposed Project
may affect floodplains and wetlands, so
this Notice of Intent (NOI) also serves as
a notice of proposed floodplain or
wetland action in accordance with DOE
floodplain and wetland environmental
review requirements.
DATES: A public scoping meeting will be
held on December 14, 2011, from 5 p.m.
to 8 p.m. in Highmore, South Dakota.
The public scoping period starts with
the publication of this notice and ends
on January 14, 2011. Western will
consider all comments on the scope of
the EIS received or postmarked by that
date. The public is invited to submit
comments on the proposed Project at
any time during the EIS process.
ADDRESSES: Western will host public
scoping meetings at the Hyde County
Senior Center, 103 Iowa Avenue South,
Highmore, South Dakota, to provide
information on the Project and gather
comments on the proposal. Oral or
written comments may be provided at
the public scoping meetings or mailed
or e-mailed to Matt Marsh, Upper Great
Plains Regional Office, Western Area
Power Administration, P.O. Box 35800,
Billings, MT 59107–5800, e-mail
MMarsh@wapa.gov, telephone (800)
358–3415.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
additional information on the proposed
Project, the EIS process, or to receive a
copy of the Draft EIS when it is
published, contact Matt Marsh at the
addresses above. For general
information on the DOE’s NEPA review
process, contact Carol M. Borgstrom,
Director, Office of NEPA Policy and
Compliance, GC–54, U.S. Department of
Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue
SW., Washington, DC 20585–0119,
telephone (202) 586–4600 or (800) 472–
2756, facsimile (202) 586–7031.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Western is
a Federal power marketing agency
within the DOE that markets and
delivers Federal wholesale electric
power (principally hydroelectric power)
to municipalities, rural electric
cooperatives, public utilities, irrigation
PO 00000
Frm 00042
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
districts, Federal and State agencies,
and Native American tribes in 15
western and central States. NextEra’s
proposed Project would be located
within Western’s Upper Great Plains
Region, which operates in North and
South Dakota, most of Montana, and
portions of Iowa, Minnesota, and
Nebraska. NextEra applied to
interconnect their proposed 150-MW
Project with Western’s existing Fort
Thompson Substation in Buffalo
County, South Dakota. The proposed
wind farm Project would be located
entirely on private lands; no State- or
Federal-managed land would be
affected. The transmission line
connecting the proposed wind farm to
Fort Thompson Substation would,
however, cross lands of the Crow Creek
Indian Reservation. There are no
designated cooperating agencies at this
time, but cooperating agencies could be
identified at a later date.
Western will prepare an EIS on the
interconnection of the proposed Project
in accordance with NEPA (42 U.S.C.
4321–4347); DOE NEPA Implementing
Procedures (10 CFR part 1021), and the
CEQ regulations for implementing
NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500–1508).1
Purpose and Need for Agency Action
Western’s need for agency action is
precipitated by NextEra’s application to
interconnect with Western’s power
transmission system. Western needs to
consider NextEra’s interconnection
request under Western’s Tariff, which
provides for open access to its
transmission system through an
interconnection if there is available
capacity in the transmission system.
This EIS will address Western’s Federal
action of interconnecting NextEra’s
proposed Project with Fort Thompson
Substation, making changes within the
substation to physically accomplish the
interconnection, and making any
necessary system modifications to
accommodate the interconnection.
Preliminary studies indicate that the
power system can accommodate the
proposed interconnection without
negatively affecting system reliability or
power deliveries to existing customers.
The transmission system may require
network and/or transmission system
upgrades as determined in the final
studies. Any such upgrades would be
funded by NextEra as a condition of the
interconnection.
1 On October 4, 1999, DOE’s Assistant Secretary
for Environmental, Safety and Health delegated to
Western’s Administrator the authority to approve
EISs for integrating transmission facilities with
Western’s transmission grid.
E:\FR\FM\30NON1.SGM
30NON1
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 229 / Tuesday, November 30, 2010 / Notices
Proposed Action
In compliance with the provisions of
the Tariff, and considering the
environmental impacts of NextEra’s
proposed Project as identified by the EIS
process, Western will consider
NextEra’s interconnection request. If
approved the necessary changes within
Fort Thompson Substation would be
made to accomplish the
interconnection, and power generated
by the proposed Project would use
Western’s transmission system to reach
the market. Western will consult with
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under
Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act
and with the South Dakota State
Historic Preservation Office under
section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act.
Alternatives
Western must respond to NextEra’s
proposed Project as it is described in the
interconnection application, and make a
decision on interconnection based on
that application. However, Western will
use the information in NextEra’s
interconnection request to evaluate
possible options for transmission line
approaches to Fort Thompson
Substation. The location of the
interconnection bay within the
substation, other transmission lines, and
any future development plans will all be
considered in siting the approach.
Under the no action alternative, Western
would not approve the interconnection
request, nor construct the
interconnection facility.
jdjones on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with NOTICES
Applicant’s Proposed Project
NextEra’s proposed Project would
consist of up to 100 wind turbine
generators with a combined total
generating capacity of 150 MW, located
within an approximately 15,000-acre
site in Hyde County, South Dakota,
north of Fort Thompson Substation and
Pierre. The turbines would be located in
short east-west oriented strings, with the
strings widely scattered over an area of
roughly 6 by 7 miles in size. Each
turbine would be approximately 389
feet tall from tip of blade to base, and
262 feet tall from the ground to the hub.
In addition to the turbines, other
proposed Project facilities would
include all-weather access roads to each
turbine location; underground power
collection lines linking turbines to the
Project collector substation; the Project
collector substation; an approximately
25-mile-long high-voltage transmission
line linking the collector substation to
Western’s Fort Thompson Substation;
operation and maintenance facilities
and yard; Supervisory Control and Data
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Acquisition equipment and metering
equipment; and two or three permanent
meteorological towers.
NextEra plans to upgrade the existing
East River Electric Cooperative (East
River) 69-kilovolt (kV) transmission line
that passes the west boundary of its site
and continues south into Fort
Thompson Substation to provide the
necessary transmission link to the
substation. NextEra would need to
upgrade approximately 25 miles of the
existing transmission line to 230-kV to
provide a suitable transmission path for
their proposed Project.
While Western’s Federal action is to
consider the interconnection request
and the physical interconnection to
Western’s existing substation, the EIS
will also identify and review the
environmental impacts of NextEra’s
proposed Project. NextEra will be
responsible for completing necessary
coordination with State and local
agencies to permit their proposed
Project.
NextEra intends to provide renewable
energy to local utilities in response to
South Dakota’s Renewable Energy
Portfolio Standards, passed in 2008,
which mandate that 10 percent of all
electricity consumed in the State be
produced from renewable sources by
2015.
Floodplain or Wetland Involvement
Since the proposed Project may
involve action in floodplains or
wetlands, this NOI also serves as a
notice of proposed floodplain or
wetland action. The EIS will include a
floodplain/wetland assessment and
floodplain/wetland statement of
findings following DOE regulations for
compliance with floodplain and
wetlands environmental review (10 CFR
part 1022). NextEra intends to avoid
disturbance to all wetland areas within
the proposed Project area if possible.
Environmental Issues
The location of the proposed Project
is in a relatively sparsely populated
portion of eastern South Dakota. The
area is characterized by extensive
agriculture and pasture with scattered
farmsteads on section line roads.
NextEra has secured leases with willing
landowners for its wind generation
turbines and related facilities. Available
overview information indicates this area
has a relatively low probability of
substantial natural resources conflicts.
NextEra’s siting process for the wind
turbine strings and associated facilities
considered sensitive resources, and the
proposed Project was designed to avoid
these areas. The EIS will evaluate the
level of impact the interconnection and
PO 00000
Frm 00043
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
74041
NextEra’s proposed Project would have
on environmental resources within the
15,000-acre site, which may lead to
minor modifications in the proposed
Project to further avoid or minimize
resource impacts. While no substantive
resource conflicts have been identified
thus far, the EIS will analyze the
potential impacts on potentially affected
environmental resources. Wind farm
projects are generally known to have
visual and noise effects, and may affect
birds and bats.
Public Participation
Interested parties are invited to
participate in the scoping process to
help define the scope, significant
resources, and issues to be analyzed in
depth, and to eliminate from detailed
study issues that are not pertinent. The
scoping process will involve all
interested agencies (Federal, State,
county, and local), Native American
tribes, public interest groups,
businesses, affected landowners, and
individual members of the public.
Western will consult with the Crow
Creek Sioux and other potentially
affected or interested tribes to jointly
evaluate and address the potential
effects on cultural resources, traditional
cultural properties, or other resources
important to the tribes. These nation-tonation consultations will be conducted
in accordance with Executive Order
13175, Consultation and Coordination
with Indian Tribal Governments (65 FR
67249), the President’s memorandum of
April 29, 1994, Government-toGovernment Relations with Native
American Tribal Governments (59 FR
22951), DOE-specific guidance on tribal
interactions, and applicable natural and
cultural resources laws and regulations.
A public scoping meeting will be held
as described under DATES and
ADDRESSES above. The meeting will be
informal, and attendees will be able to
speak directly with Western and
NextEra representatives about the
proposed Project. The public is
encouraged to provide information and
comments on issues it believes Western
should address in the EIS. Comments
may be broad in nature or restricted to
specific areas of concern. After
gathering comments on the scope of the
EIS, Western will address those issues
raised in the EIS. Comments on the
interconnection and NextEra’s proposed
Project will be accepted at any time
during the EIS process, and may be
directed to Western as described under
ADDRESSES above.
Western’s EIS process will include the
public scoping meetings; consultation
and coordination with appropriate
Federal, State, county, and local
E:\FR\FM\30NON1.SGM
30NON1
74042
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 229 / Tuesday, November 30, 2010 / Notices
agencies and tribal governments;
involvement with affected landowners;
distribution of and public review and
comment on the Draft EIS; a formal
public hearing or hearings on the Draft
EIS; distribution of a published Final
EIS; and publication of Western’s
Record of Decision in the Federal
Register.
Dated: November 19, 2010.
Timothy J. Meeks,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2010–30068 Filed 11–29–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Western Area Power Administration
[DOE/EIS–0462]
Intent To Prepare an Environmental
Impact Statement and To Conduct
Scoping Meetings: Interconnection of
the Proposed Crowned Ridge Wind
Energy Center Project, South Dakota
Western Area Power
Administration, DOE.
ACTION: Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement and To
Conduct Scoping Meetings; Notice of
Floodplain and Wetlands Involvement.
AGENCY:
NextEra Energy Resources
(NextEra) applied to interconnect its
proposed 150-megawatt (MW) Crowned
Ridge Wind Energy Center Project
(Project) with the Western Area Power
Administration’s (Western) existing
Watertown Substation in Codington
County, South Dakota. The proposed
Project would be located in Codington
and Grant counties, South Dakota.
Western will prepare an environmental
impact statement (EIS) on the proposal
to interconnect the Project in
accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(NEPA), U.S. Department of Energy
(DOE) NEPA Implementing Procedures,
and the Council on Environmental
Quality (CEQ) regulations for
implementing NEPA.
Western’s need for agency action is
precipitated by NextEra’s application to
interconnect with Western’s power
transmission system. Western needs to
consider NextEra’s interconnection
request under its Open Access
Transmission Service Tariff (Tariff).
This EIS will address Western’s Federal
action of interconnecting the proposed
Project to Western’s transmission
system, making changes within
Western’s existing Watertown
Substation to physically connect
NextEra’s proposed Project, and making
jdjones on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:13 Nov 29, 2010
Jkt 223001
any necessary system modifications to
accommodate the interconnection. By
taking these actions, power generated by
NextEra’s proposed Project would use
Western’s transmission system to reach
the market.
Portions of NextEra’s proposed Project
may affect floodplains and wetlands, so
this Notice of Intent (NOI) also serves as
a notice of proposed floodplain or
wetland action in accordance with DOE
floodplain and wetland environmental
review requirements.
DATES: A public scoping meeting will be
held on December 15, 2011, from 5 p.m.
to 8 p.m. in Watertown, South Dakota.
The public scoping period starts with
the publication of this notice and ends
on January 14, 2011. Western will
consider all comments on the scope of
the EIS received or postmarked by that
date. The public is invited to submit
comments on the proposed Project at
any time during the EIS process.
ADDRESSES: Western will host public
scoping meetings at the Watertown
Public Library Community Room, 160
6th Street North, Watertown, South
Dakota, to provide information on the
Project and gather comments on the
proposal. Oral or written comments may
be provided at the public scoping
meetings or mailed or e-mailed to Matt
Marsh, Upper Great Plains Regional
Office, Western Area Power
Administration, P.O. Box 35800,
Billings, MT 59107–5800, e-mail
MMarsh@wapa.gov, telephone (800)
358–3415.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
additional information on the proposed
Project, the EIS process, or to receive a
copy of the Draft EIS when it is
published, contact Matt Marsh at the
addresses above. For general
information on the DOE’s NEPA review
process, contact Carol M. Borgstrom,
Director, Office of NEPA Policy and
Compliance, GC–54, U.S. Department of
Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue,
SW., Washington, DC 20585–0119,
telephone (202) 586–4600 or (800) 472–
2756, facsimile (202) 586–7031.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Western is
a Federal power marketing agency
within the DOE that markets and
delivers Federal wholesale electric
power (principally hydroelectric power)
to municipalities, rural electric
cooperatives, public utilities, irrigation
districts, Federal and State agencies,
and Native American tribes in 15
western and central States. NextEra’s
proposed Project would be located
within Western’s Upper Great Plains
Region, which operates in North and
South Dakota, most of Montana, and
portions of Iowa, Minnesota, and
PO 00000
Frm 00044
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Nebraska. NextEra applied to
interconnect their proposed 150–MW
Project with Western’s existing
Watertown Substation in Codington
County, South Dakota. The proposed
wind farm Project would be located
entirely on private lands; no State- or
Federal-managed land would be
affected. There are no designated
cooperating agencies at this time, but
cooperating agencies could be identified
at a later date.
Western will prepare an EIS on the
interconnection of the proposed Project
in accordance with NEPA (42 U.S.C.
4321–4347); DOE NEPA Implementing
Procedures (10 CFR part 1021), and the
CEQ regulations for implementing
NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500–1508).1
Purpose and Need for Agency Action
Western’s need for agency action is
precipitated by NextEra’s application to
interconnect with Western’s power
transmission system. Western needs to
consider NextEra’s interconnection
request under Western’s Tariff, which
provides for open access to its
transmission system through an
interconnection if there is available
capacity in the transmission system.
This EIS will address Western’s Federal
action of interconnecting NextEra’s
proposed Project with Watertown
Substation, making changes within the
substation to physically accomplish the
interconnection, and making any
necessary system modifications to
accommodate the interconnection.
Preliminary studies indicate that the
power system can accommodate the
proposed interconnection without
negatively affecting system reliability or
power deliveries to existing customers.
The transmission system may require
network and/or transmission system
upgrades as determined in the final
studies. Any such upgrades would be
funded by NextEra as a condition of the
interconnection.
Proposed Action
In compliance with the provisions of
the Tariff, and considering the
environmental impacts of NextEra’s
proposed Project as identified by the EIS
process, Western will consider
NextEra’s interconnection request. If
approved the necessary changes within
Watertown Substation would be made
to accomplish the interconnection, and
power generated by the proposed
Project would use Western’s
transmission system to reach the
1 On October 4, 1999, DOE’s Assistant Secretary
for Environmental, Safety and Health delegated to
Western’s Administrator the authority to approve
EISs for integrating transmission facilities with
Western’s transmission grid.
E:\FR\FM\30NON1.SGM
30NON1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 229 (Tuesday, November 30, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74040-74042]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-30068]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Western Area Power Administration
[DOE/EIS-0461]
Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and To
Conduct Scoping Meetings: Interconnection of the Proposed Hyde County
Wind Energy Center Project, South Dakota
AGENCY: Western Area Power Administration, DOE.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
and to Conduct Scoping Meetings; Notice of Floodplain and Wetlands
Involvement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NextEra Energy Resources (NextEra) applied to interconnect its
proposed 150-megawatt (MW) Hyde County Wind Energy Center Project
(Project), located in Hyde County, South Dakota, with the Western Area
Power Administration's (Western) existing Fort Thompson Substation in
Buffalo County, South Dakota. Western will prepare an environmental
impact statement (EIS) on the proposal to interconnect the Project in
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA),
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) NEPA Implementing Procedures, and the
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations for implementing
NEPA.
Western's need for agency action is precipitated by NextEra's
application to interconnect with Western's power transmission system.
Western needs to consider NextEra's interconnection request under its
Open Access Transmission Service Tariff (Tariff). This EIS will address
Western's Federal action of interconnecting the proposed Project to
Western's transmission system, making changes within Western's existing
Fort Thompson Substation to physically connect NextEra's proposed
Project, and making any necessary system modifications to accommodate
the interconnection. Existing transmission line approaches to Fort
Thompson Substation may also need to be realigned. By taking these
actions, power generated by NextEra's proposed Project would use
Western's transmission system to reach the market.
Portions of NextEra's proposed Project may affect floodplains and
wetlands, so this Notice of Intent (NOI) also serves as a notice of
proposed floodplain or wetland action in accordance with DOE floodplain
and wetland environmental review requirements.
DATES: A public scoping meeting will be held on December 14, 2011, from
5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Highmore, South Dakota.
The public scoping period starts with the publication of this
notice and ends on January 14, 2011. Western will consider all comments
on the scope of the EIS received or postmarked by that date. The public
is invited to submit comments on the proposed Project at any time
during the EIS process.
ADDRESSES: Western will host public scoping meetings at the Hyde County
Senior Center, 103 Iowa Avenue South, Highmore, South Dakota, to
provide information on the Project and gather comments on the proposal.
Oral or written comments may be provided at the public scoping meetings
or mailed or e-mailed to Matt Marsh, Upper Great Plains Regional
Office, Western Area Power Administration, P.O. Box 35800, Billings, MT
59107-5800, e-mail MMarsh@wapa.gov, telephone (800) 358-3415.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information on the
proposed Project, the EIS process, or to receive a copy of the Draft
EIS when it is published, contact Matt Marsh at the addresses above.
For general information on the DOE's NEPA review process, contact Carol
M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance, GC-54,
U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC
20585-0119, telephone (202) 586-4600 or (800) 472-2756, facsimile (202)
586-7031.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Western is a Federal power marketing agency
within the DOE that markets and delivers Federal wholesale electric
power (principally hydroelectric power) to municipalities, rural
electric cooperatives, public utilities, irrigation districts, Federal
and State agencies, and Native American tribes in 15 western and
central States. NextEra's proposed Project would be located within
Western's Upper Great Plains Region, which operates in North and South
Dakota, most of Montana, and portions of Iowa, Minnesota, and Nebraska.
NextEra applied to interconnect their proposed 150-MW Project with
Western's existing Fort Thompson Substation in Buffalo County, South
Dakota. The proposed wind farm Project would be located entirely on
private lands; no State- or Federal-managed land would be affected. The
transmission line connecting the proposed wind farm to Fort Thompson
Substation would, however, cross lands of the Crow Creek Indian
Reservation. There are no designated cooperating agencies at this time,
but cooperating agencies could be identified at a later date.
Western will prepare an EIS on the interconnection of the proposed
Project in accordance with NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321-4347); DOE NEPA
Implementing Procedures (10 CFR part 1021), and the CEQ regulations for
implementing NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508).\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ On October 4, 1999, DOE's Assistant Secretary for
Environmental, Safety and Health delegated to Western's
Administrator the authority to approve EISs for integrating
transmission facilities with Western's transmission grid.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Purpose and Need for Agency Action
Western's need for agency action is precipitated by NextEra's
application to interconnect with Western's power transmission system.
Western needs to consider NextEra's interconnection request under
Western's Tariff, which provides for open access to its transmission
system through an interconnection if there is available capacity in the
transmission system. This EIS will address Western's Federal action of
interconnecting NextEra's proposed Project with Fort Thompson
Substation, making changes within the substation to physically
accomplish the interconnection, and making any necessary system
modifications to accommodate the interconnection. Preliminary studies
indicate that the power system can accommodate the proposed
interconnection without negatively affecting system reliability or
power deliveries to existing customers. The transmission system may
require network and/or transmission system upgrades as determined in
the final studies. Any such upgrades would be funded by NextEra as a
condition of the interconnection.
[[Page 74041]]
Proposed Action
In compliance with the provisions of the Tariff, and considering
the environmental impacts of NextEra's proposed Project as identified
by the EIS process, Western will consider NextEra's interconnection
request. If approved the necessary changes within Fort Thompson
Substation would be made to accomplish the interconnection, and power
generated by the proposed Project would use Western's transmission
system to reach the market. Western will consult with the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and with
the South Dakota State Historic Preservation Office under section 106
of the National Historic Preservation Act.
Alternatives
Western must respond to NextEra's proposed Project as it is
described in the interconnection application, and make a decision on
interconnection based on that application. However, Western will use
the information in NextEra's interconnection request to evaluate
possible options for transmission line approaches to Fort Thompson
Substation. The location of the interconnection bay within the
substation, other transmission lines, and any future development plans
will all be considered in siting the approach. Under the no action
alternative, Western would not approve the interconnection request, nor
construct the interconnection facility.
Applicant's Proposed Project
NextEra's proposed Project would consist of up to 100 wind turbine
generators with a combined total generating capacity of 150 MW, located
within an approximately 15,000-acre site in Hyde County, South Dakota,
north of Fort Thompson Substation and Pierre. The turbines would be
located in short east-west oriented strings, with the strings widely
scattered over an area of roughly 6 by 7 miles in size. Each turbine
would be approximately 389 feet tall from tip of blade to base, and 262
feet tall from the ground to the hub. In addition to the turbines,
other proposed Project facilities would include all-weather access
roads to each turbine location; underground power collection lines
linking turbines to the Project collector substation; the Project
collector substation; an approximately 25-mile-long high-voltage
transmission line linking the collector substation to Western's Fort
Thompson Substation; operation and maintenance facilities and yard;
Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition equipment and metering
equipment; and two or three permanent meteorological towers.
NextEra plans to upgrade the existing East River Electric
Cooperative (East River) 69-kilovolt (kV) transmission line that passes
the west boundary of its site and continues south into Fort Thompson
Substation to provide the necessary transmission link to the
substation. NextEra would need to upgrade approximately 25 miles of the
existing transmission line to 230-kV to provide a suitable transmission
path for their proposed Project.
While Western's Federal action is to consider the interconnection
request and the physical interconnection to Western's existing
substation, the EIS will also identify and review the environmental
impacts of NextEra's proposed Project. NextEra will be responsible for
completing necessary coordination with State and local agencies to
permit their proposed Project.
NextEra intends to provide renewable energy to local utilities in
response to South Dakota's Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards, passed
in 2008, which mandate that 10 percent of all electricity consumed in
the State be produced from renewable sources by 2015.
Floodplain or Wetland Involvement
Since the proposed Project may involve action in floodplains or
wetlands, this NOI also serves as a notice of proposed floodplain or
wetland action. The EIS will include a floodplain/wetland assessment
and floodplain/wetland statement of findings following DOE regulations
for compliance with floodplain and wetlands environmental review (10
CFR part 1022). NextEra intends to avoid disturbance to all wetland
areas within the proposed Project area if possible.
Environmental Issues
The location of the proposed Project is in a relatively sparsely
populated portion of eastern South Dakota. The area is characterized by
extensive agriculture and pasture with scattered farmsteads on section
line roads. NextEra has secured leases with willing landowners for its
wind generation turbines and related facilities. Available overview
information indicates this area has a relatively low probability of
substantial natural resources conflicts. NextEra's siting process for
the wind turbine strings and associated facilities considered sensitive
resources, and the proposed Project was designed to avoid these areas.
The EIS will evaluate the level of impact the interconnection and
NextEra's proposed Project would have on environmental resources within
the 15,000-acre site, which may lead to minor modifications in the
proposed Project to further avoid or minimize resource impacts. While
no substantive resource conflicts have been identified thus far, the
EIS will analyze the potential impacts on potentially affected
environmental resources. Wind farm projects are generally known to have
visual and noise effects, and may affect birds and bats.
Public Participation
Interested parties are invited to participate in the scoping
process to help define the scope, significant resources, and issues to
be analyzed in depth, and to eliminate from detailed study issues that
are not pertinent. The scoping process will involve all interested
agencies (Federal, State, county, and local), Native American tribes,
public interest groups, businesses, affected landowners, and individual
members of the public.
Western will consult with the Crow Creek Sioux and other
potentially affected or interested tribes to jointly evaluate and
address the potential effects on cultural resources, traditional
cultural properties, or other resources important to the tribes. These
nation-to-nation consultations will be conducted in accordance with
Executive Order 13175, Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal
Governments (65 FR 67249), the President's memorandum of April 29,
1994, Government-to-Government Relations with Native American Tribal
Governments (59 FR 22951), DOE-specific guidance on tribal
interactions, and applicable natural and cultural resources laws and
regulations.
A public scoping meeting will be held as described under DATES and
ADDRESSES above. The meeting will be informal, and attendees will be
able to speak directly with Western and NextEra representatives about
the proposed Project. The public is encouraged to provide information
and comments on issues it believes Western should address in the EIS.
Comments may be broad in nature or restricted to specific areas of
concern. After gathering comments on the scope of the EIS, Western will
address those issues raised in the EIS. Comments on the interconnection
and NextEra's proposed Project will be accepted at any time during the
EIS process, and may be directed to Western as described under
ADDRESSES above.
Western's EIS process will include the public scoping meetings;
consultation and coordination with appropriate Federal, State, county,
and local
[[Page 74042]]
agencies and tribal governments; involvement with affected landowners;
distribution of and public review and comment on the Draft EIS; a
formal public hearing or hearings on the Draft EIS; distribution of a
published Final EIS; and publication of Western's Record of Decision in
the Federal Register.
Dated: November 19, 2010.
Timothy J. Meeks,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2010-30068 Filed 11-29-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
