Notice of Availability of the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement and Draft Land Use Plan Amendments for Segments 8 and 9 of the Gateway West 500-kV Transmission Line Project, Idaho, 12932-12935 [2016-05572]
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 48 / Friday, March 11, 2016 / Notices
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asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
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from public review, we cannot
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Francis Kelly,
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[FR Doc. 2016–05550 Filed 3–10–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4338–11–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[15XL LLWY9200000.L51010000.ER0000.
LVRWK09K0990.241A.00; 4500083323; IDI–
35849]
Notice of Availability of the Draft
Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement and Draft Land Use Plan
Amendments for Segments 8 and 9 of
the Gateway West 500-kV
Transmission Line Project, Idaho
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended (NEPA), and the
Federal Land Policy and Management
Act of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has
prepared a Draft Supplemental
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
and Draft Resource Management Plan
(RMP) Amendments for the right-of-way
(ROW) application for Segments 8 and
9 of the Gateway West 500-kilovolt (kV)
Transmission Line Project in Idaho, and
by this notice is announcing the
opening of the comment period.
DATES: To ensure that comments will be
considered, the BLM must receive
written comments on the Draft
Supplemental EIS and Draft RMP
Amendments by June 9, 2016. To
provide the public an opportunity to
review the proposal and project
information, the BLM will hold the
following public meetings during the
public comment period. Additional
announcements about these meetings
will be made by news releases to the
media, newsletter mailings, and posting
on the project Web site listed below.
SUMMARY:
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
10 a.m.–1 p.m. Boise, Best Western
Vista Inn at the Airport, 2645 W.
Airport Way, Boise, ID 83705
4 p.m.–7 p.m. Kuna, Kuna Senior
Center, 229 N. Ave. A, Kuna, ID 83634
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
4 p.m.–7 p.m. Twin Falls, BLM District
Office, 2878 Addison Avenue East,
Twin Falls, ID 83301
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Thursday, April 21, 2016
4 p.m.–7 p.m. Murphy, Owyhee County
Historical Society Museum, 17085
Basey St., Murphy, ID 83650
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
related to the Draft Supplemental EIS
and Draft RMP Amendments by any of
the following methods:
• Web site: https://www.blm.gov/id/st/
en/prog/nepa_register/gatewaywest.html
• Email: blm_id_gateway_west@
blm.gov
• Mail: Bureau of Land Management
Idaho State Office, Gateway West
Transmission Project, 1387 South
Vinnell Way, Boise, ID 83709.
Copies of the Draft Supplemental EIS
and Draft RMP Amendments are
available in the BLM Idaho State Office
Public Room, at the above address; the
BLM Boise District Office, 3948
Development Avenue, Boise, ID 83705;
and the BLM Twin Falls District Office,
2878 Addison Avenue East, Twin Falls,
ID 83301.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Heather Feeney, Public Affairs
Specialist, telephone 208–373–4060;
address 1387 South Vinnell Way, Boise,
ID 83709; email hfeeney@blm.gov.
Persons who use a telecommunications
device for the deaf (TDD) may call the
Federal Information Relay Service
(FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339 to contact
Mrs. Feeney. The FIRS is available 24
hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a
message or question for Mrs. Feeney.
You will receive a reply during normal
business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Documents pertinent to this proposal
may be examined at:
• Bureau of Land Management, Idaho
State Office, Public Room, 1387 South
Vinnell Way, Boise, ID 83709,
Telephone: 208–373–3863.
• Bureau of Land Management, Boise
District Office, 3948 Development
Avenue, Boise, ID 83705, Telephone:
208–384–3300.
• Online: https://www.blm.gov/id/st/
en/prog/nepa_register/gatewaywest.html
PacifiCorp, dba Rocky Mountain Power,
and Idaho Power (Applicants) have
submitted a ROW application to locate
500 kV- electric transmission lines on
Federal lands as part of the Gateway
West Transmission Line Project. The
initial application proposed to construct
electric transmission lines from the
Windstar Substation near Glenrock,
Wyoming, to the Hemingway Substation
near Melba, Idaho, approximately 20
miles southwest of Boise, Idaho. The
original project comprised 10
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 48 / Friday, March 11, 2016 / Notices
transmission line segments with a total
length of approximately 1,000 miles and
was analyzed in a Final EIS published
in April 2013. The BLM issued a Record
of Decision in November 2013 which
authorized routes on Federal lands for
Segments 1 through 7 and Segment 10
but deferred a decision for Segments 8
and 9.
In August 2014, the BLM received
from the Applicants a revised ROW
application for Segments 8 and 9 and a
revised Plan of Development (POD) for
the project. The BLM determined that
new information in the revised ROW
application and POD, including revised
proposed routes for the transmission
lines and several modified design
features, would require additional
NEPA analysis of potential
environmental effects to supplement the
analysis in the 2013 Final EIS. A Notice
of Intent to prepare a Supplemental EIS
was published in the Federal Register
on September 19, 2014 (79 FR 56399),
initiating a 45-day scoping period which
included 4 open-house style public
meetings in communities in the project
area.
The BLM must determine whether to
authorize the use of public lands under
its management for Segments 8 and 9 of
the Gateway West project. The BLM
must consider existing RMPs and
management framework plans (MFPs) in
the decision to issue a ROW grant in
accordance with 43 CFR 1610.0–5(b).
Portions of the proposed transmission
line are not in conformance with several
BLM land management plans, and
therefore, amendments to these plans
are analyzed as part of the
Supplemental EIS. In addition, the BLM
must ensure that the authorized project
would be compatible with the purposes
for which the Morley Nelson Snake
River Birds of Prey National
Conservation Area (SRBOP) is
designated in Public Law 103–64 and
with current policy for managing units
of the National Landscape Conservation
System.
This notice announces the availability
of the Draft Supplemental EIS for
Segments 8 and 9 of the Gateway West
Transmission Line Project and begins a
90-day public comment period on the
range of alternatives, effects analysis
and draft RMP/MFP amendments
associated with authorizing the project
on BLM-managed lands. Analysis in the
Supplemental EIS will support a
decision on whether to approve,
approve with modifications, or deny the
revised ROW application for Segments 8
and 9.
The BLM is the lead Federal agency
for the NEPA analysis process and
preparation of the supplemental EIS.
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The State of Idaho and Federal agencies
with specialized expertise and/or
jurisdictional responsibilities in the area
of Segments 8 and 9 are participating as
cooperating agencies. Cooperating
agencies include the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service; National Park Service;
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Idaho
State Historic Preservation Office; Idaho
Department of Fish and Game; and the
Idaho Governor’s Office of Energy
Resources.
The BLM is also engaging in
government-to-government
consultations on the Supplemental EIS
with the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of
Fort Hall and the Shoshone-Paiute
Tribes of Duck Valley, under Federal
laws and policies including but not
limited to the National Historic
Preservation Act, NEPA, Archaeological
Resources Protection Act, American
Indian Religious Freedom Act, Native
American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act, and Executive Orders
12875, 12898, 13007, 13084, and 13175.
Relevant issues and concerns that
influenced the scope of the
environmental analysis in the Draft but
which were not addressed in the
original EIS were identified during
scoping. Alternatives considered in the
Draft Supplemental EIS are analyzed
based on all the issues included in the
2013 Final EIS (refer to Section 1.10 of
the Final EIS), as well as new issues,
direction in agency handbooks, and
requirements of Federal and State laws
and regulations. The following issue
categories were identified from public
and internal scoping conducted for the
Supplemental EIS:
• Air quality and greenhouse gas;
• Agriculture, including effects to farming
and dairy operations;
• Cultural resources and historic trails,
including Oregon National Historic Trail,
Native American cultural sites, Snake River
Canyon cultural sites;
• Cumulative effects, especially to native
vegetation and sage-grouse habitat;
• Effects on State lands and counties;
• Wildland fire risks;
• Safety, electrical environment and noise;
• Land uses;
• Plants, including invasive species and
noxious weeds;
• Threatened, endangered and sensitive
species (plants and wildlife);
• Recreation;
• Scenery and visual resources;
• Socioeconomic effects;
• Transportation and travel management;
• Water and riparian resources;
• Wild horses and burros;
• General wildlife and wildlife habitat;
and
• Effects to resources, objects and values
which the SRBOP enabling statute directs the
BLM to conserve, protect and enhance.
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12933
The Draft Supplemental EIS analyzes in
detail seven pairings of route
alternatives for Segments 8 and 9 as
Action Alternatives. Analysis of the No
Action Alternative, under which the
ROW application would be denied and
Segments 8 and 9 would not be
constructed, is included in the 2013
Final EIS for the original Gateway West
project and is incorporated by reference
in the Draft Supplemental EIS. In
general, routes for Segment 8 are the
more northerly of the two. Alternative 1
is the pair of revised proposed routes for
Segments 8 and 9, as presented by the
Applicants. Alternative 2 pairs the
revised proposed route for Segment 8
and the Final EIS proposed route for
Segment 9. Alternative 3 is the revised
proposed route for Segment 8 and a
route designated 9K, which was
developed as a result of scoping for the
Draft Supplemental EIS. Alternative 4
pairs the Final EIS proposed route for
Segment 9 and route designated as 8G,
which was developed as a result of
scoping for the Draft Supplemental EIS.
Alternative 5 pairs routes 8G and 9K.
Alternative 6 consists of the Final EIS
proposed route for Segment 9 and a
Draft Supplemental EIS route 8H.
Alternative 7 is routes 8H and 9K. The
ROW width requested for all segments
is 250 feet, except for Alternative 5,
where a 500-foot ROW is required to
accommodate two lines at the minimum
separation distance. Portions of all route
alternatives would cross the SRBOP.
Both segments terminate at the
Hemingway substation under all action
alternatives. Segments are separated at
distances of 250 feet to more than 30
miles, varying within routes and/or
across alternatives. The Applicants
propose wider separation to increase
system reliability. Analysis of several
other routes for Segments 8 and 9 in the
2013 Final EIS is carried forward by
reference into the Draft Supplemental
EIS.
Alternative 1
This alternative represents the routes
the Applicants propose in their revised
ROW application. Segment 8 of this
pairing is similar to the 2013 Final EIS
proposed route except that it would
parallel an existing 500-kilovolt (kV)
line to the north instead of the south,
from the point where it would enter the
SRBOP to the Hemingway substation. It
would cross 17.6 miles of the SRBOP.
Segment 9 of this alternative is
proposed to double-circuit the new 500kV line with existing 138-kV lines for
most of the 54.2 miles it would cross the
SRBOP. The Draft Supplemental EIS
analyzes two variations of the revised
proposed route for Segment 9 that were
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recommended by the BLM Jarbidge
Field Office to avoid or minimize
impacts to the Toana Freight Wagon
Road, a National Register historic site.
Alternative 2
Alignment of Segment 8 under this
alternative allows separation from
populated areas and existing
transmission infrastructure outside the
SRBOP to the north while minimizing
the disturbance footprint for the
segment in the SRBOP (17.6 miles
crossed) by paralleling an existing 500kV line. The alignment for Segment 9 in
this pairing is the shortest (162.2 miles)
analyzed in the Draft Supplemental EIS
for this segment and follows the Westwide Energy Corridor (WWEC) south of
the SRBOP. It would cross the SRBOP
for 13.6 miles.
Alternative 3
This alternative would allow Segment
8 to be separated from populated areas
and existing transmission infrastructure
outside the SRBOP to the north while
minimizing the disturbance footprint in
the SRBOP (17.6 miles crossed) by
paralleling an existing 500-kV line.
Segment 9 would be routed to avoid
impacts to agricultural operations and
would cross the SRBOP for 8.7 miles.
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Alternative 4
In this pairing, the route for Segment
9 is aligned to the north, while the route
for Segment 8 follows the more
southerly alignment. Segment 8 is
aligned to avoid crossing the northern
portion of the SRBOP, the Hagerman
Fossil Beds National Monument and
development near the town of
Hagerman, Idaho. It crosses the SRBOP
for 8.8 miles, at the southeast corner of
the area. Segment 9 would be routed to
avoid impacts to agricultural operations
and would cross the SRBOP for 13.6
miles.
Alternative 5
Route 8G is aligned to avoid crossing
the northern portion of the SRBOP, the
Hagerman Fossil Beds National
Monument and development near the
town of Hagerman, Idaho. It would cross
the southeast corner of the SRBOP for
8.8 miles, at the southeast corner of the
area.
Route 9K is also aligned to avoid
crossing the SRBOP, especially when
paired with 8G, and to minimize direct
and indirect impacts to priority Greater
sage-grouse habitat. It would cross the
southeast corner of the SRBOP for 8.7
miles, at the southeast corner of the
area, where it would run parallel to 8G
in a 500-foot wide ROW. This
alternative makes most use of the
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reduced mandatory minimum
separation distance for transmission
lines adopted by the Western Electricity
Coordinating Council in 2011 and
would involve the shortest crossing of
the SRBOP.
Alternative 6
This alternative includes a route for
Segment 8 (8H) that follows the 8G
alignment for the first 44 miles and then
follows the alignment of the revised
proposed route for Segment 9 for the
remainder of the route to the
Hemingway substation. The BLM
developed this alternative to depict
opportunities for compensatory
mitigation in the SRBOP. It would cross
the SRBOP for a total of 67.8 miles.
Alternative 7
This alternative pairs two BLMdeveloped routes: 8H for Segment 8 and
9K for Segment 9. It would cross the
SRBOP for a total of 62.9 miles.
Mitigation
The Draft Supplemental EIS
incorporates by reference the analysis
related to Segments 8 and 9 in the
Gateway West 2013 Final EIS, including
relevant Proposed Environmental
Protection Measures identified in Table
2.7–1 of that document. The Draft
Supplemental EIS supplements the
analysis found in that Final EIS by
assessing new information that has
become available since the FEIS and
ROD were published, including the
identification of new routes and route
variations for segments 8 and 9.
All of those new routes and route
variations would have some impact on
the SRBOP, a National Conservation
Area and unit of the National Landscape
Conservation System. The Presidential
Memorandum on Mitigation (November
3, 2105) requires that agencies
‘‘[e]stablish a net benefit goal or, at a
minimum, a no net loss goal for natural
resources the agency manages that are
important, scarce, or sensitive. . .’’. The
Memorandum further provides that:
‘‘[w]hen a resource’s value is
determined to be irreplaceable, the
preferred means of achieving either of
these goals is through avoidance,
consistent with applicable legal
authorities.’’ Memorandum at section
3(a).
As part of their revised POD, the
Applicants have proposed a mitigation
and enhancement portfolio (MEP) with
design features specific to the SRBOP,
aimed at mitigating the effects of
project-related impacts within the
SRBOP, as well as complying with the
SRBOP’s enabling statute. The BLM is
required under existing policies to
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determine the measurable
environmental impacts of proposed
mitigation. The Draft Supplemental EIS
analyzes the impacts associated with the
MEP, and finds that the MEP does not
provide sufficient details or specifics for
development of mitigation actions to
allow BLM to determine how the MEP
goals would be achieved.
Thus, in addition to application of the
Proposed Environmental Protection
Measures identified in Table 2.7–1 of
the Final EIS, the BLM will continue to
work with all stakeholders to identify
any impacts that would remain on the
SRBOP after implementation of the
MEP, and to design a mitigation plan
that addresses those remaining impacts.
This plan will ensure that impacts to
resources and values on the SRBOP that
require mitigation are fully
compensated, and that enhancement of
these resources is provided in a manner
that complies with all existing policies
and the enabling statute of the SRBOP.
The following mitigation categories
are among those being considered to
address remaining impacts to vegetation
resources within the SRBOP:
• Habitat and vegetation restoration efforts;
• Fuels management/fuel breaks
• Wildfire preparedness and suppression;
• Applied research and monitoring to
inform adaptive management; and
• Acquisition of private land from willing
sellers if found to be appropriate by the
Authorizing Officer.
The Draft Supplemental EIS also
presents a framework the BLM has
developed for assessing compensatory
mitigation required under FLPMA and
for implementing Bureau and
Department of the Interior mitigation
policies for mitigation and the
Presidential Memorandum on
landscape-scale mitigation (November 3,
2015) for impacts to National Historic
Trails, cultural resources, wetlands, and
resources, objects and values in the
SRBOP. The framework discusses
avoidance, minimization and
compensation measures that would be
required under each alternative. Impacts
to Greater sage-grouse and migratory
birds are addressed in the 2013 Final
EIS for the entire, 10-segment project
and the 2013 Record of Decision.
Agency Preferred Alternative
In accordance with U.S. Department
of the Interior regulations (43 CFR
46.425), the BLM identifies Alternatives
2 and 5 as co-Preferred Alternatives for
the purposes of public review and
comment. Identification of these
alternatives does not represent final
agency direction, and the Final
Supplemental EIS may reflect changes
or adjustments based on information
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received during public comment on the
Draft Supplemental EIS, on new,
relevant information acquired after the
Draft Supplemental EIS is published, or
on changes in BLM policies or
priorities. The Final Supplemental EIS
may include actions described in the
other analyzed alternatives as well.
Alternative 2 would require 12 plan
amendments to six current land use
plans so that the project would conform
to the respective plans. The following
land use plans would be amended in a
decision selecting Alternative 2:
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Twin Falls MFP
Jarbidge RMP (1987, for areas not covered by
the 2015 Jarbidge RMP)
Snake River Birds of Prey RMP
Bennett Hills/Timmerman Hills MFP
Kuna MFP
Bruneau MFP.
In order to authorize Segment 8 in this
alternative, four land use plans would
need to be amended. The Kuna MFP
would need an amendment to add a
new major transmission line ROW. The
SRBOP RMP would need amendments
to allow the project within 0.5 mile of
sensitive plant habitat, and to designate
an additional corridor to include the
Summer Lake 500-kV line and one
additional 500-kV line. The 1987
Jarbidge RMP would need amendments
to reclassify an avoidance/restricted
area to allow an overhead 500-kV
powerline, to change the cultural
resource direction to allow disturbance
within 0.5 mile of National-HistoricTrail ruts where visual resources are
already compromised, and to change an
area of VRM Class I to VRM Class IV,
consistent with new policy guidance.
The Bennett Hills/Timmerman Hills
MFP would need amendments changing
VRM Class II area to VRM Class III and
changing management direction
regarding archaeological sites.
In order to authorize Segment 9 in
this alternative, three land use plans
would need to be amended. The SRBOP
RMP would need an amendment to
allow the project within 0.5 mile of
sensitive plant habitat (the same
amendment as for Segment 8 in this
alternative) and to designate an
additional corridor to include one
additional 500-kV line. The Bruneau
MFP would require an amendment to
change the classification for a VRM
Class II parcel near Castle Creek to VRM
Class III. The Twin Falls MFP would
need amendments to allow the ROW
outside of existing corridors and to
reclassify VRM Class I and II areas
adjacent to the Roseworth corridor to
VRM class III, while allowing a 500-kV
line to cross the Salmon Falls Creek
Area of Critical Environmental Concern
(ACEC).
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Alternative 5 would require five plan
amendments to three current land use
plans so that the project would conform
to the respective plans. The following
land use plans would be amended in a
decision selecting Alternative 5:
Twin Falls MFP
Snake River Birds of Prey RMP
Bruneau MFP.
In order to authorize the Segment 8
alignment in this alternative, two land
use plans would need to be amended.
The SRBOP RMP would require an
amendment to allow an additional ROW
and designate an additional corridor for
two 500-kV lines, as well as an
amendment to allow the project within
0.5 mile of sensitive plant habitat. The
Bruneau MFP would also need to be
amended to change the classification for
a VRM Class II parcel near Castle Creek
to VRM Class III. These same
amendments to the SRBOP RMP and
Bruneau MFP would be needed for
Segment 9 in this alternative, as the
routes would parallel each other in
these planning areas. Authorizing the
Segment 9 alignment in this alternative
would also require two additional
amendments. The Twin Falls MFP
would need amendments to allow the
ROW outside of existing corridors, and
to reclassify VRM Class I and II areas
adjacent to the Roseworth corridor to
VRM class III, while allowing a 500-kV
line to cross the Salmon Falls Creek
ACEC.
Please note that public comments and
information submitted, including
names, street addresses, and email
addresses of persons who submit
comments, will be available for public
review and disclosure at the above
ADDRESSES during regular business
hours (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.), Monday
through Friday, except holidays.
Before including your address, phone
number, email address, or other
personal identifying information in your
comment, you should be aware that
your entire comment—including your
personal identifying information—may
be made publicly available at any time.
While you can ask us in your comment
to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10,
43 CFR 1610.2.
Timothy M. Murphy,
BLM Idaho State Director.
[FR Doc. 2016–05572 Filed 3–10–16; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLCAC09000 L12100000 MD0000 15X]
Notice of Proposed Supplementary
Rules for Shooting on Public Lands
Managed by the BLM Hollister Field
Office, California
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Proposed supplementary rules.
AGENCY:
The Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) is proposing
supplementary rules for shooting on
public lands administered by the
Hollister Field Office, California. The
proposed supplementary rules would
help protect public safety, facilitate
resource protection, and improve
recreation opportunities in the area.
These proposed supplementary rules
are intended to allow for enforcement as
a tool in minimizing the adverse effects
of shooting activities. Upon completion,
the supplementary rules will be
available for inspection in the Hollister
Field Office, and they will be
announced broadly through the news
media and direct mail to the
constituents included on the Hollister
Field Office mail list. BLM personnel
will also provide personal briefings with
interested agencies and organizations.
DATES: Comments on the proposed
supplementary rules must be received
or postmarked by May 10, 2016 to be
assured of consideration.
ADDRESSES: Mail or hand deliver all
comments concerning the proposed
supplementary rules to the Bureau of
Land Management, 20 Hamilton Court,
Hollister, CA 95023 or email comments
to dtmoore@blm.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rick
Cooper, Hollister Field Manager or
Brian Martin, Outdoor Recreation
Planner, BLM Hollister Field Office, 20
Hamilton Court, Hollister, CA 95023, or
telephone 831–630–5000.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:
I. Public Comment Procedures
The public is now invited to provide
comments on the proposed
supplementary rules. See the DATES and
ADDRESSES sections for information on
submitting comments. This notice and a
map depicting the area that would be
affected by the proposed supplementary
rules are available for public review at
the Hollister Field Office. The affected
area is also shown on a map on the
Hollister Field Office’s Web site at
https://www.blm.gov/ca/hollister.
Written comments on the proposed
supplementary rules should be specific,
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 48 (Friday, March 11, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12932-12935]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-05572]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[15XL LLWY9200000.L51010000.ER0000.LVRWK09K0990.241A.00; 4500083323;
IDI-35849]
Notice of Availability of the Draft Supplemental Environmental
Impact Statement and Draft Land Use Plan Amendments for Segments 8 and
9 of the Gateway West 500-kV Transmission Line Project, Idaho
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act
of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has
prepared a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and
Draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) Amendments for the right-of-way
(ROW) application for Segments 8 and 9 of the Gateway West 500-kilovolt
(kV) Transmission Line Project in Idaho, and by this notice is
announcing the opening of the comment period.
DATES: To ensure that comments will be considered, the BLM must receive
written comments on the Draft Supplemental EIS and Draft RMP Amendments
by June 9, 2016. To provide the public an opportunity to review the
proposal and project information, the BLM will hold the following
public meetings during the public comment period. Additional
announcements about these meetings will be made by news releases to the
media, newsletter mailings, and posting on the project Web site listed
below.
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
10 a.m.-1 p.m. Boise, Best Western Vista Inn at the Airport, 2645 W.
Airport Way, Boise, ID 83705
4 p.m.-7 p.m. Kuna, Kuna Senior Center, 229 N. Ave. A, Kuna, ID 83634
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
4 p.m.-7 p.m. Twin Falls, BLM District Office, 2878 Addison Avenue
East, Twin Falls, ID 83301
Thursday, April 21, 2016
4 p.m.-7 p.m. Murphy, Owyhee County Historical Society Museum, 17085
Basey St., Murphy, ID 83650
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the Draft Supplemental
EIS and Draft RMP Amendments by any of the following methods:
Web site: https://www.blm.gov/id/st/en/prog/nepa_register/gateway-west.html
Email: blm_id_gateway_west@blm.gov
Mail: Bureau of Land Management Idaho State Office,
Gateway West Transmission Project, 1387 South Vinnell Way, Boise, ID
83709.
Copies of the Draft Supplemental EIS and Draft RMP Amendments are
available in the BLM Idaho State Office Public Room, at the above
address; the BLM Boise District Office, 3948 Development Avenue, Boise,
ID 83705; and the BLM Twin Falls District Office, 2878 Addison Avenue
East, Twin Falls, ID 83301.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Heather Feeney, Public Affairs
Specialist, telephone 208-373-4060; address 1387 South Vinnell Way,
Boise, ID 83709; email hfeeney@blm.gov. Persons who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact Mrs.
Feeney. The FIRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a
message or question for Mrs. Feeney. You will receive a reply during
normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Documents pertinent to this proposal may be
examined at:
Bureau of Land Management, Idaho State Office, Public
Room, 1387 South Vinnell Way, Boise, ID 83709, Telephone: 208-373-3863.
Bureau of Land Management, Boise District Office, 3948
Development Avenue, Boise, ID 83705, Telephone: 208-384-3300.
Online: https://www.blm.gov/id/st/en/prog/nepa_register/gateway-west.html
PacifiCorp, dba Rocky Mountain Power, and Idaho Power (Applicants) have
submitted a ROW application to locate 500 kV- electric transmission
lines on Federal lands as part of the Gateway West Transmission Line
Project. The initial application proposed to construct electric
transmission lines from the Windstar Substation near Glenrock, Wyoming,
to the Hemingway Substation near Melba, Idaho, approximately 20 miles
southwest of Boise, Idaho. The original project comprised 10
[[Page 12933]]
transmission line segments with a total length of approximately 1,000
miles and was analyzed in a Final EIS published in April 2013. The BLM
issued a Record of Decision in November 2013 which authorized routes on
Federal lands for Segments 1 through 7 and Segment 10 but deferred a
decision for Segments 8 and 9.
In August 2014, the BLM received from the Applicants a revised ROW
application for Segments 8 and 9 and a revised Plan of Development
(POD) for the project. The BLM determined that new information in the
revised ROW application and POD, including revised proposed routes for
the transmission lines and several modified design features, would
require additional NEPA analysis of potential environmental effects to
supplement the analysis in the 2013 Final EIS. A Notice of Intent to
prepare a Supplemental EIS was published in the Federal Register on
September 19, 2014 (79 FR 56399), initiating a 45-day scoping period
which included 4 open-house style public meetings in communities in the
project area.
The BLM must determine whether to authorize the use of public lands
under its management for Segments 8 and 9 of the Gateway West project.
The BLM must consider existing RMPs and management framework plans
(MFPs) in the decision to issue a ROW grant in accordance with 43 CFR
1610.0-5(b). Portions of the proposed transmission line are not in
conformance with several BLM land management plans, and therefore,
amendments to these plans are analyzed as part of the Supplemental EIS.
In addition, the BLM must ensure that the authorized project would be
compatible with the purposes for which the Morley Nelson Snake River
Birds of Prey National Conservation Area (SRBOP) is designated in
Public Law 103-64 and with current policy for managing units of the
National Landscape Conservation System.
This notice announces the availability of the Draft Supplemental
EIS for Segments 8 and 9 of the Gateway West Transmission Line Project
and begins a 90-day public comment period on the range of alternatives,
effects analysis and draft RMP/MFP amendments associated with
authorizing the project on BLM-managed lands. Analysis in the
Supplemental EIS will support a decision on whether to approve, approve
with modifications, or deny the revised ROW application for Segments 8
and 9.
The BLM is the lead Federal agency for the NEPA analysis process
and preparation of the supplemental EIS. The State of Idaho and Federal
agencies with specialized expertise and/or jurisdictional
responsibilities in the area of Segments 8 and 9 are participating as
cooperating agencies. Cooperating agencies include the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service; National Park Service; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers;
Idaho State Historic Preservation Office; Idaho Department of Fish and
Game; and the Idaho Governor's Office of Energy Resources.
The BLM is also engaging in government-to-government consultations
on the Supplemental EIS with the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of Fort Hall
and the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of Duck Valley, under Federal laws and
policies including but not limited to the National Historic
Preservation Act, NEPA, Archaeological Resources Protection Act,
American Indian Religious Freedom Act, Native American Graves
Protection and Repatriation Act, and Executive Orders 12875, 12898,
13007, 13084, and 13175. Relevant issues and concerns that influenced
the scope of the environmental analysis in the Draft but which were not
addressed in the original EIS were identified during scoping.
Alternatives considered in the Draft Supplemental EIS are analyzed
based on all the issues included in the 2013 Final EIS (refer to
Section 1.10 of the Final EIS), as well as new issues, direction in
agency handbooks, and requirements of Federal and State laws and
regulations. The following issue categories were identified from public
and internal scoping conducted for the Supplemental EIS:
Air quality and greenhouse gas;
Agriculture, including effects to farming and dairy
operations;
Cultural resources and historic trails, including
Oregon National Historic Trail, Native American cultural sites,
Snake River Canyon cultural sites;
Cumulative effects, especially to native vegetation and
sage-grouse habitat;
Effects on State lands and counties;
Wildland fire risks;
Safety, electrical environment and noise;
Land uses;
Plants, including invasive species and noxious weeds;
Threatened, endangered and sensitive species (plants
and wildlife);
Recreation;
Scenery and visual resources;
Socioeconomic effects;
Transportation and travel management;
Water and riparian resources;
Wild horses and burros;
General wildlife and wildlife habitat; and
Effects to resources, objects and values which the
SRBOP enabling statute directs the BLM to conserve, protect and
enhance.
The Draft Supplemental EIS analyzes in detail seven pairings of route
alternatives for Segments 8 and 9 as Action Alternatives. Analysis of
the No Action Alternative, under which the ROW application would be
denied and Segments 8 and 9 would not be constructed, is included in
the 2013 Final EIS for the original Gateway West project and is
incorporated by reference in the Draft Supplemental EIS. In general,
routes for Segment 8 are the more northerly of the two. Alternative 1
is the pair of revised proposed routes for Segments 8 and 9, as
presented by the Applicants. Alternative 2 pairs the revised proposed
route for Segment 8 and the Final EIS proposed route for Segment 9.
Alternative 3 is the revised proposed route for Segment 8 and a route
designated 9K, which was developed as a result of scoping for the Draft
Supplemental EIS. Alternative 4 pairs the Final EIS proposed route for
Segment 9 and route designated as 8G, which was developed as a result
of scoping for the Draft Supplemental EIS. Alternative 5 pairs routes
8G and 9K. Alternative 6 consists of the Final EIS proposed route for
Segment 9 and a Draft Supplemental EIS route 8H. Alternative 7 is
routes 8H and 9K. The ROW width requested for all segments is 250 feet,
except for Alternative 5, where a 500-foot ROW is required to
accommodate two lines at the minimum separation distance. Portions of
all route alternatives would cross the SRBOP.
Both segments terminate at the Hemingway substation under all
action alternatives. Segments are separated at distances of 250 feet to
more than 30 miles, varying within routes and/or across alternatives.
The Applicants propose wider separation to increase system reliability.
Analysis of several other routes for Segments 8 and 9 in the 2013 Final
EIS is carried forward by reference into the Draft Supplemental EIS.
Alternative 1
This alternative represents the routes the Applicants propose in
their revised ROW application. Segment 8 of this pairing is similar to
the 2013 Final EIS proposed route except that it would parallel an
existing 500-kilovolt (kV) line to the north instead of the south, from
the point where it would enter the SRBOP to the Hemingway substation.
It would cross 17.6 miles of the SRBOP.
Segment 9 of this alternative is proposed to double-circuit the new
500-kV line with existing 138-kV lines for most of the 54.2 miles it
would cross the SRBOP. The Draft Supplemental EIS analyzes two
variations of the revised proposed route for Segment 9 that were
[[Page 12934]]
recommended by the BLM Jarbidge Field Office to avoid or minimize
impacts to the Toana Freight Wagon Road, a National Register historic
site.
Alternative 2
Alignment of Segment 8 under this alternative allows separation
from populated areas and existing transmission infrastructure outside
the SRBOP to the north while minimizing the disturbance footprint for
the segment in the SRBOP (17.6 miles crossed) by paralleling an
existing 500-kV line. The alignment for Segment 9 in this pairing is
the shortest (162.2 miles) analyzed in the Draft Supplemental EIS for
this segment and follows the West-wide Energy Corridor (WWEC) south of
the SRBOP. It would cross the SRBOP for 13.6 miles.
Alternative 3
This alternative would allow Segment 8 to be separated from
populated areas and existing transmission infrastructure outside the
SRBOP to the north while minimizing the disturbance footprint in the
SRBOP (17.6 miles crossed) by paralleling an existing 500-kV line.
Segment 9 would be routed to avoid impacts to agricultural operations
and would cross the SRBOP for 8.7 miles.
Alternative 4
In this pairing, the route for Segment 9 is aligned to the north,
while the route for Segment 8 follows the more southerly alignment.
Segment 8 is aligned to avoid crossing the northern portion of the
SRBOP, the Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument and development near
the town of Hagerman, Idaho. It crosses the SRBOP for 8.8 miles, at the
southeast corner of the area. Segment 9 would be routed to avoid
impacts to agricultural operations and would cross the SRBOP for 13.6
miles.
Alternative 5
Route 8G is aligned to avoid crossing the northern portion of the
SRBOP, the Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument and development near
the town of Hagerman, Idaho. It would cross the southeast corner of the
SRBOP for 8.8 miles, at the southeast corner of the area.
Route 9K is also aligned to avoid crossing the SRBOP, especially
when paired with 8G, and to minimize direct and indirect impacts to
priority Greater sage-grouse habitat. It would cross the southeast
corner of the SRBOP for 8.7 miles, at the southeast corner of the area,
where it would run parallel to 8G in a 500-foot wide ROW. This
alternative makes most use of the reduced mandatory minimum separation
distance for transmission lines adopted by the Western Electricity
Coordinating Council in 2011 and would involve the shortest crossing of
the SRBOP.
Alternative 6
This alternative includes a route for Segment 8 (8H) that follows
the 8G alignment for the first 44 miles and then follows the alignment
of the revised proposed route for Segment 9 for the remainder of the
route to the Hemingway substation. The BLM developed this alternative
to depict opportunities for compensatory mitigation in the SRBOP. It
would cross the SRBOP for a total of 67.8 miles.
Alternative 7
This alternative pairs two BLM-developed routes: 8H for Segment 8
and 9K for Segment 9. It would cross the SRBOP for a total of 62.9
miles.
Mitigation
The Draft Supplemental EIS incorporates by reference the analysis
related to Segments 8 and 9 in the Gateway West 2013 Final EIS,
including relevant Proposed Environmental Protection Measures
identified in Table 2.7-1 of that document. The Draft Supplemental EIS
supplements the analysis found in that Final EIS by assessing new
information that has become available since the FEIS and ROD were
published, including the identification of new routes and route
variations for segments 8 and 9.
All of those new routes and route variations would have some impact
on the SRBOP, a National Conservation Area and unit of the National
Landscape Conservation System. The Presidential Memorandum on
Mitigation (November 3, 2105) requires that agencies ``[e]stablish a
net benefit goal or, at a minimum, a no net loss goal for natural
resources the agency manages that are important, scarce, or sensitive.
. .''. The Memorandum further provides that: ``[w]hen a resource's
value is determined to be irreplaceable, the preferred means of
achieving either of these goals is through avoidance, consistent with
applicable legal authorities.'' Memorandum at section 3(a).
As part of their revised POD, the Applicants have proposed a
mitigation and enhancement portfolio (MEP) with design features
specific to the SRBOP, aimed at mitigating the effects of project-
related impacts within the SRBOP, as well as complying with the SRBOP's
enabling statute. The BLM is required under existing policies to
determine the measurable environmental impacts of proposed mitigation.
The Draft Supplemental EIS analyzes the impacts associated with the
MEP, and finds that the MEP does not provide sufficient details or
specifics for development of mitigation actions to allow BLM to
determine how the MEP goals would be achieved.
Thus, in addition to application of the Proposed Environmental
Protection Measures identified in Table 2.7-1 of the Final EIS, the BLM
will continue to work with all stakeholders to identify any impacts
that would remain on the SRBOP after implementation of the MEP, and to
design a mitigation plan that addresses those remaining impacts. This
plan will ensure that impacts to resources and values on the SRBOP that
require mitigation are fully compensated, and that enhancement of these
resources is provided in a manner that complies with all existing
policies and the enabling statute of the SRBOP.
The following mitigation categories are among those being
considered to address remaining impacts to vegetation resources within
the SRBOP:
Habitat and vegetation restoration efforts;
Fuels management/fuel breaks
Wildfire preparedness and suppression;
Applied research and monitoring to inform adaptive
management; and
Acquisition of private land from willing sellers if
found to be appropriate by the Authorizing Officer.
The Draft Supplemental EIS also presents a framework the BLM has
developed for assessing compensatory mitigation required under FLPMA
and for implementing Bureau and Department of the Interior mitigation
policies for mitigation and the Presidential Memorandum on landscape-
scale mitigation (November 3, 2015) for impacts to National Historic
Trails, cultural resources, wetlands, and resources, objects and values
in the SRBOP. The framework discusses avoidance, minimization and
compensation measures that would be required under each alternative.
Impacts to Greater sage-grouse and migratory birds are addressed in the
2013 Final EIS for the entire, 10-segment project and the 2013 Record
of Decision.
Agency Preferred Alternative
In accordance with U.S. Department of the Interior regulations (43
CFR 46.425), the BLM identifies Alternatives 2 and 5 as co-Preferred
Alternatives for the purposes of public review and comment.
Identification of these alternatives does not represent final agency
direction, and the Final Supplemental EIS may reflect changes or
adjustments based on information
[[Page 12935]]
received during public comment on the Draft Supplemental EIS, on new,
relevant information acquired after the Draft Supplemental EIS is
published, or on changes in BLM policies or priorities. The Final
Supplemental EIS may include actions described in the other analyzed
alternatives as well.
Alternative 2 would require 12 plan amendments to six current land
use plans so that the project would conform to the respective plans.
The following land use plans would be amended in a decision selecting
Alternative 2:
Twin Falls MFP
Jarbidge RMP (1987, for areas not covered by the 2015 Jarbidge RMP)
Snake River Birds of Prey RMP
Bennett Hills/Timmerman Hills MFP
Kuna MFP
Bruneau MFP.
In order to authorize Segment 8 in this alternative, four land use
plans would need to be amended. The Kuna MFP would need an amendment to
add a new major transmission line ROW. The SRBOP RMP would need
amendments to allow the project within 0.5 mile of sensitive plant
habitat, and to designate an additional corridor to include the Summer
Lake 500-kV line and one additional 500-kV line. The 1987 Jarbidge RMP
would need amendments to reclassify an avoidance/restricted area to
allow an overhead 500-kV powerline, to change the cultural resource
direction to allow disturbance within 0.5 mile of National-Historic-
Trail ruts where visual resources are already compromised, and to
change an area of VRM Class I to VRM Class IV, consistent with new
policy guidance. The Bennett Hills/Timmerman Hills MFP would need
amendments changing VRM Class II area to VRM Class III and changing
management direction regarding archaeological sites.
In order to authorize Segment 9 in this alternative, three land use
plans would need to be amended. The SRBOP RMP would need an amendment
to allow the project within 0.5 mile of sensitive plant habitat (the
same amendment as for Segment 8 in this alternative) and to designate
an additional corridor to include one additional 500-kV line. The
Bruneau MFP would require an amendment to change the classification for
a VRM Class II parcel near Castle Creek to VRM Class III. The Twin
Falls MFP would need amendments to allow the ROW outside of existing
corridors and to reclassify VRM Class I and II areas adjacent to the
Roseworth corridor to VRM class III, while allowing a 500-kV line to
cross the Salmon Falls Creek Area of Critical Environmental Concern
(ACEC).
Alternative 5 would require five plan amendments to three current
land use plans so that the project would conform to the respective
plans. The following land use plans would be amended in a decision
selecting Alternative 5:
Twin Falls MFP
Snake River Birds of Prey RMP
Bruneau MFP.
In order to authorize the Segment 8 alignment in this alternative, two
land use plans would need to be amended. The SRBOP RMP would require an
amendment to allow an additional ROW and designate an additional
corridor for two 500-kV lines, as well as an amendment to allow the
project within 0.5 mile of sensitive plant habitat. The Bruneau MFP
would also need to be amended to change the classification for a VRM
Class II parcel near Castle Creek to VRM Class III. These same
amendments to the SRBOP RMP and Bruneau MFP would be needed for Segment
9 in this alternative, as the routes would parallel each other in these
planning areas. Authorizing the Segment 9 alignment in this alternative
would also require two additional amendments. The Twin Falls MFP would
need amendments to allow the ROW outside of existing corridors, and to
reclassify VRM Class I and II areas adjacent to the Roseworth corridor
to VRM class III, while allowing a 500-kV line to cross the Salmon
Falls Creek ACEC.
Please note that public comments and information submitted,
including names, street addresses, and email addresses of persons who
submit comments, will be available for public review and disclosure at
the above ADDRESSES during regular business hours (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.),
Monday through Friday, except holidays.
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be
able to do so.
Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10, 43 CFR 1610.2.
Timothy M. Murphy,
BLM Idaho State Director.
[FR Doc. 2016-05572 Filed 3-10-16; 8:45 am]
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