Record of Decision for the South Mountain Freeway (Loop 202) (DOE-EIS 0417), 32110-32111 [2015-13765]

Download as PDF 32110 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 108 / Friday, June 5, 2015 / Notices Online service, please email FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, or call (866) 208–3676 (toll free). For TTY, call (202) 502–8659. Comment Date: 5 p.m. Eastern Time on June 16, 2015. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. EL15–69–000] asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Acciona Wind Energy USA LLC v. Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc.; Notice of Complaint Dated: May 28, 2015. Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary. Take notice that on May 27, 2015, pursuant to section 206 of the Federal Power Act, U.S.C. 824(e) and Rule 206 of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (Commission) Rules of Practice and Procedure, 18 CFR 385.206, Acciona Wind Energy USA LLC (Complainant), filed a formal complaint against Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. (Respondent), alleging that the Respondent violated its Open Access and Energy Markets Tariff in rejecting transmission service requests submitted on behalf of the Complainant’s affiliate, Tatanka Wind Power, LLC, as more fully explained in the complaint. The Complainant certifies that copies of the complaint were served on the contacts listed for the Respondent in the Commission’s list of Corporate Officials. Any person desiring to intervene or to protest this filing must file in accordance with Rules 211 and 214 of the Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure (18 CFR 385.211, 385.214). Protests will be considered by the Commission in determining the appropriate action to be taken, but will not serve to make protestants parties to the proceeding. Any person wishing to become a party must file a notice of intervention or motion to intervene, as appropriate. The Respondent’s answer and all interventions, or protests must be filed on or before the comment date. The Respondent’s answer, motions to intervene, and protests must be served on the Complainants. The Commission encourages electronic submission of protests and interventions in lieu of paper using the ‘‘eFiling’’ link at https://www.ferc.gov. Persons unable to file electronically should submit an original and 5 copies of the protest or intervention to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426. This filing is accessible on-line at https://www.ferc.gov, using the ‘‘eLibrary’’ link and is available for electronic review in the Commission’s Public Reference Room in Washington, DC. There is an ‘‘eSubscription’’ link on the Web site that enables subscribers to receive email notification when a document is added to a subscribed docket(s). For assistance with any FERC [FR Doc. 2015–13738 Filed 6–4–15; 8:45 am] VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:31 Jun 04, 2015 Jkt 235001 DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Western Area Power Administration Record of Decision for the South Mountain Freeway (Loop 202) (DOE– EIS 0417) Western Area Power Administration, DOE. ACTION: Record of decision. AGENCY: Western’s Action The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) prepared an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) (DOE/EIS–0417) for the construction of the proposed South Mountain Freeway (Loop 202) (Project), from the east-west alignment of Interstate 10 (Papago Freeway) to north-south alignment of Interstate 10 (Maricopa Freeway). The Project is located in the Greater Metropolitan Phoenix Area, southwest of the City of Phoenix in Maricopa County, Arizona. Western Area Power Administration (Western) was a cooperating agency in FHWA’s EIS process. The FHWA selected a combination of the alternatives W59 and E1 as described in the EIS as their selected alternative in their Record of Decision (ROD). FHWA’s selected alternative requires Western to issue letter agreements for two crossings of its transmission rights-of-way, and to modify its transmission system and facilities at these crossing locations to accommodate the construction of the Project. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information regarding Western’s role in the project, contact: Ms. Linda Marianito, Environmental Manager, Desert Southwest Region, Western Area Power Administration, 615 S. 43rd Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85009, Telephone: (602) 605–2524, Email: Marianito@ wapa.gov. The EIS and related documents may be viewed or downloaded at following Web site: https://azdot.gov/projects/ phoenix-metro-area/loop-202-southmountain-freeway/final-eis. For general information on DOE’s National Environmental Policy Act SUMMARY: Frm 00029 Fmt 4703 FHWA was the lead Federal agency for the Project EIS (FHWA–AZ–EIS–14–0–F; April 20, 2001; 77 FR 20345). Western was a cooperating agency for the Project EIS. After an independent review of the Final Project EIS, Western concluded that its needs are satisfied and with this notice is adopting the Project EIS for its participation in the Project. The FHWA signed its ROD on the Project on March 10, 2015, and selected a combination of the alternatives W59 and E1 for its selected alternative. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: BILLING CODE 6717–01–P PO 00000 (NEPA) review process, please contact: Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance, GC–54, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC 20585, Telephone (202) 586–4600 or (800) 472–2756, Email: askNEPA@ hq.doe.gov. Sfmt 4703 The Project EIS addresses the effects of the Project, including modification of Western’s transmission system. There are two locations on the selected Project alignment that require Western to issue license agreements to Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) for two crossings of Western’s transmission rights-of-way: The Lone Butte to Phoenix double-circuit 230kilovolt (kV) transmission line east of 51st Avenue, and the Liberty to Phoenix double-circuit 230-kV transmission line one-half mile north of Broadway Road. Western will modify its Lone Butte to Phoenix double-circuit 230-kV transmission line east of 51st Avenue to accommodate the Project construction. The modification includes relocation of two spans to the east. Western will work with ADOT to pursue the additional easement necessary for the proposed relocation. Western will also modify the Liberty to Phoenix double-circuit 230-kV transmission line at the crossing onehalf mile north of Broadway Road. The lines will need to be raised to clear the proposed elevated freeway and potential noise walls. Cultural Resources Pursuant to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, the Arizona State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) has been involved and will continue to be involved in the cultural resources related to the proposed Project. The SHPO concurred with the adequacy of the records search and reports. ADOT, on behalf of FHWA and in conjunction with tribal and local authorities, Western, and the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs executed a final Programmatic Agreement (PA) E:\FR\FM\05JNN1.SGM 05JNN1 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 108 / Friday, June 5, 2015 / Notices describing the proper treatment and management of affected cultural resources. Western signed the PA on October 18, 2010. asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Endangered Species Act Pursuant to Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, consultation was completed with the USFWS. Two candidate species, the Sonoran desert tortoise, and the Tucson shovel-nosed snake, have been documented in the Eastern Section of the Project area and suitable habitat for these species is present within Western’s action area. Subsequent to completion of the Biological Evaluation for the project, the Tucson shovel-nosed snake was removed from the candidate species list. No other Federally-listed, threatened, or endangered species have been documented in the proposed rights-ofway. There is no critical habitat designated in Western’s action area. In addition, Western will comply with recommendations found in the Biological Evaluation, South Mountain Transportation Corridor (July 2014), and in recommendations outlined in the USFWS letter dated June 10, 2014. Considering this and Western’s limited action in the Project, Western’s proposed modifications to its transmission system and facilities is unlikely to affect Sonoran desert tortoises and Tucson shovel-nosed snakes. Alternatives Considered Numerous alternatives were examined during the early EIS process including: Modal alternatives, corridor and alignment alternatives, configuration alternatives, and design alternatives. As the EIS and public and agency scoping process progressed, many of these alternatives were eliminated and six broadly described build alternatives were developed (W59, W71, W101-east, W101-central, W101-west, E1) as well as a no action alternative. These seven alternatives were carried forward for further analysis. FHWA ultimately selected a combination of alternatives W59 and E1 as their preferred alternative. The no action alternative assumed that the Project would not be constructed and no transmission structures or lines would need to be modified. FHWA did not select the no action alternative since it did not meet the purpose and need. Mitigation Western will adhere to its Construction Standard 13 ‘‘Environmental Quality Protection’’ during its transmission line modification activities. Long-term VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:31 Jun 04, 2015 Jkt 235001 operations of the transmission line will follow Western’s standard operating procedures and will not be affected by this action. A Mitigation Action Plan is not required for Western’s proposed action. Decision Western’s decision is to adopt the EIS for its participation in the Project and to modify its transmission system as described above in support of FHWA’s decision to construct their Project.1 This ROD was prepared pursuant to the requirements of the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions of the NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500–1508) and DOE’s NEPA Implementing Procedures (10 CFR part 1021). Dated: May 26, 2015. Mark A. Gabriel, Administrator. [FR Doc. 2015–13765 Filed 6–4–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450–01–P ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL–9928–73–OA] Notification of Teleconferences and a Public Meeting of the Science Advisory Board Hydraulic Fracturing Research Advisory Panel Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: The EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office announces a public meeting and three teleconferences of the SAB Hydraulic Fracturing Research Advisory Panel to conduct a review of the EPA draft report, Assessment of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing for Oil and Gas on Drinking Water Resources, (May, 2015 External Review Draft, EPA/ 600/R–15/047). DATES: The public teleconferences will be held from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. (Eastern Time) on the following dates: Wednesday September 30, 2015; Thursday October 1, 2015; and Monday October 19, 2015. The public face-toface meeting will be held on Wednesday October 28, 2015 from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Thursday October 29, 2015 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Friday October 30, 2015 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Eastern Time). SUMMARY: 1 ‘‘Restatement of Delegations of Environment Impact Statement Authorities’’ from Sean A. Lev, Acting General Counsel, to Timothy J. Meeks dated November 16, 2011. PO 00000 Frm 00030 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 32111 The October 28 through 30, 2015 public meeting will be held at the Washington Plaza Hotel, 10 Thomas Circle NW., Washington, DC 20005. Teleconference lines also will be available for members of the public unable to attend in person. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Members of the public who wish to obtain further information regarding these public meetings may contact Edward Hanlon, Designated Federal Officer, by telephone: (202) 564–2134 or email at hanlon.edward@epa.gov. The SAB mailing address is: U.S. EPA Science Advisory Board (1400R), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20460. General information about the SAB, including information concerning the SAB meeting and teleconferences announced in this notice, may be found on the SAB Web site at https://www.epa.gov/sab. Technical Contact for EPA’s Draft Report: Any technical questions concerning EPA’s draft report should be directed to Dr. Jeffrey Frithsen, National Center for Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, U.S. EPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Mail Code 8601P, Washington, DC 20460, telephone (703) 347–8623 or via email at frithsen.jeff@epa.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background: The SAB was established pursuant to the Environmental Research, Development, and Demonstration Authorization Act (ERDDAA), codified at 42 U.S.C. 4365, to provide independent scientific and technical advice to the Administrator on the technical basis for Agency positions and regulations. The SAB is a Federal Advisory Committee chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), 5 U.S.C., App. 2. The SAB will comply with the provisions of FACA and all appropriate SAB Staff Office procedural policies. Pursuant to FACA and EPA policy, notice is hereby given that the SAB Hydraulic Fracturing Research Advisory Panel will hold a public meeting and three teleconferences to conduct a review of the EPA draft report, Assessment of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing for Oil and Gas on Drinking Water Resources, (May, 2015 External Review Draft, EPA/600/R–15/047). The EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD) has developed a draft assessment report concerning the relationship between hydraulic fracturing and drinking water in the United States. The purpose of the report, Assessment of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing for Oil ADDRESSES: E:\FR\FM\05JNN1.SGM 05JNN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 108 (Friday, June 5, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32110-32111]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-13765]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Western Area Power Administration


Record of Decision for the South Mountain Freeway (Loop 202) 
(DOE-EIS 0417)

AGENCY: Western Area Power Administration, DOE.

ACTION: Record of decision.

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

SUMMARY: The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) prepared an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) (DOE/EIS-0417) for the 
construction of the proposed South Mountain Freeway (Loop 202) 
(Project), from the east-west alignment of Interstate 10 (Papago 
Freeway) to north-south alignment of Interstate 10 (Maricopa Freeway). 
The Project is located in the Greater Metropolitan Phoenix Area, 
southwest of the City of Phoenix in Maricopa County, Arizona. Western 
Area Power Administration (Western) was a cooperating agency in FHWA's 
EIS process.
    The FHWA selected a combination of the alternatives W59 and E1 as 
described in the EIS as their selected alternative in their Record of 
Decision (ROD). FHWA's selected alternative requires Western to issue 
letter agreements for two crossings of its transmission rights-of-way, 
and to modify its transmission system and facilities at these crossing 
locations to accommodate the construction of the Project.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information regarding 
Western's role in the project, contact: Ms. Linda Marianito, 
Environmental Manager, Desert Southwest Region, Western Area Power 
Administration, 615 S. 43rd Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85009, Telephone: (602) 
605-2524, Email: Marianito@wapa.gov.
    The EIS and related documents may be viewed or downloaded at 
following Web site: https://azdot.gov/projects/phoenix-metro-area/loop-202-south-mountain-freeway/final-eis.
    For general information on DOE's National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA) review process, please contact: Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, 
Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance, GC-54, U.S. Department of Energy, 
Washington, DC 20585, Telephone (202) 586-4600 or (800) 472-2756, 
Email: askNEPA@hq.doe.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: FHWA was the lead Federal agency for the 
Project EIS (FHWA-AZ-EIS-14-0-F; April 20, 2001; 77 FR 20345). Western 
was a cooperating agency for the Project EIS. After an independent 
review of the Final Project EIS, Western concluded that its needs are 
satisfied and with this notice is adopting the Project EIS for its 
participation in the Project. The FHWA signed its ROD on the Project on 
March 10, 2015, and selected a combination of the alternatives W59 and 
E1 for its selected alternative.

Western's Action

    The Project EIS addresses the effects of the Project, including 
modification of Western's transmission system. There are two locations 
on the selected Project alignment that require Western to issue license 
agreements to Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) for two 
crossings of Western's transmission rights-of-way: The Lone Butte to 
Phoenix double-circuit 230-kilovolt (kV) transmission line east of 51st 
Avenue, and the Liberty to Phoenix double-circuit 230-kV transmission 
line one-half mile north of Broadway Road.
    Western will modify its Lone Butte to Phoenix double-circuit 230-kV 
transmission line east of 51st Avenue to accommodate the Project 
construction. The modification includes relocation of two spans to the 
east. Western will work with ADOT to pursue the additional easement 
necessary for the proposed relocation.
    Western will also modify the Liberty to Phoenix double-circuit 230-
kV transmission line at the crossing one-half mile north of Broadway 
Road. The lines will need to be raised to clear the proposed elevated 
freeway and potential noise walls.

Cultural Resources

    Pursuant to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, 
the Arizona State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) has been 
involved and will continue to be involved in the cultural resources 
related to the proposed Project. The SHPO concurred with the adequacy 
of the records search and reports. ADOT, on behalf of FHWA and in 
conjunction with tribal and local authorities, Western, and the U.S. 
Bureau of Indian Affairs executed a final Programmatic Agreement (PA)

[[Page 32111]]

describing the proper treatment and management of affected cultural 
resources. Western signed the PA on October 18, 2010.

Endangered Species Act

    Pursuant to Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, consultation 
was completed with the USFWS. Two candidate species, the Sonoran desert 
tortoise, and the Tucson shovel-nosed snake, have been documented in 
the Eastern Section of the Project area and suitable habitat for these 
species is present within Western's action area. Subsequent to 
completion of the Biological Evaluation for the project, the Tucson 
shovel-nosed snake was removed from the candidate species list. No 
other Federally-listed, threatened, or endangered species have been 
documented in the proposed rights-of-way. There is no critical habitat 
designated in Western's action area. In addition, Western will comply 
with recommendations found in the Biological Evaluation, South Mountain 
Transportation Corridor (July 2014), and in recommendations outlined in 
the USFWS letter dated June 10, 2014. Considering this and Western's 
limited action in the Project, Western's proposed modifications to its 
transmission system and facilities is unlikely to affect Sonoran desert 
tortoises and Tucson shovel-nosed snakes.

Alternatives Considered

    Numerous alternatives were examined during the early EIS process 
including: Modal alternatives, corridor and alignment alternatives, 
configuration alternatives, and design alternatives. As the EIS and 
public and agency scoping process progressed, many of these 
alternatives were eliminated and six broadly described build 
alternatives were developed (W59, W71, W101-east, W101-central, W101-
west, E1) as well as a no action alternative. These seven alternatives 
were carried forward for further analysis.
    FHWA ultimately selected a combination of alternatives W59 and E1 
as their preferred alternative. The no action alternative assumed that 
the Project would not be constructed and no transmission structures or 
lines would need to be modified. FHWA did not select the no action 
alternative since it did not meet the purpose and need.

Mitigation

    Western will adhere to its Construction Standard 13 ``Environmental 
Quality Protection'' during its transmission line modification 
activities. Long-term operations of the transmission line will follow 
Western's standard operating procedures and will not be affected by 
this action. A Mitigation Action Plan is not required for Western's 
proposed action.

Decision

    Western's decision is to adopt the EIS for its participation in the 
Project and to modify its transmission system as described above in 
support of FHWA's decision to construct their Project.\1\ This ROD was 
prepared pursuant to the requirements of the Council on Environmental 
Quality Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions of the 
NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508) and DOE's NEPA Implementing Procedures 
(10 CFR part 1021).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ ``Restatement of Delegations of Environment Impact Statement 
Authorities'' from Sean A. Lev, Acting General Counsel, to Timothy 
J. Meeks dated November 16, 2011.

    Dated: May 26, 2015.
Mark A. Gabriel,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2015-13765 Filed 6-4-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
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