Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the TransWest Express Transmission Project in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and Nevada, 91189-91191 [2016-30345]
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 242 / Friday, December 16, 2016 / Notices
afforded in connection with the
withdrawal extension application. All
interested parties who desire a public
meeting for the purpose of being heard
on the withdrawal extension application
must submit a written request to the
BLM State Director at the address
indicated above by March 16, 2017.
Upon determination by the authorized
officer that a public meeting will be
held, a notice of the time and place will
be published in the Federal Register
and a local newspaper at least 30 days
before the scheduled date of the
meeting.
This extension will be processed in
accordance with 43 CFR 2310.4.
Steve Storo,
Acting Chief, Branch of Land, Mineral, and
Energy Resources.
[FR Doc. 2016–30317 Filed 12–15–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411–15–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLWY920000/L51010000.ER0000.16X/
LVRWK09K1160/241A; WYW–177893,
WYW–177893–01; COC–72929, COC–72929–
01; UTU–87238, UTU–87238–01; NVN–
86732, NVN–86732–01]
Notice of Availability of the Record of
Decision for the TransWest Express
Transmission Project in Wyoming,
Colorado, Utah and Nevada
Bureau of Land Management,
Department of the Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The Department of the
Interior, Bureau of Land Management
(BLM) announces the availability of the
Record of Decision (ROD) approving the
TransWest Express 600-kilovolt (kV)
Direct Current Transmission Project
(Project) right-of-way in Wyoming,
Colorado, Utah, and Nevada and
associated amendments to the Rawlins
Field Office (FO) Resource Management
Plan (RMP) in Wyoming, the Little
Snake FO RMP in Colorado, the Vernal
FO and Pony Express RMPs in Utah,
and the Ely District RMP in Nevada.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the ROD are being
sent to Federal, State and local
governments, public libraries in the
Project area, and interested parties who
previously requested a copy. Copies of
the ROD and support documents are
also available for public inspection at
the locations identified in the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of
this notice and electronically on the
following Web site: https://bit.ly/
TransWestExpress.
mstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
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Jkt 241001
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Sharon Knowlton, Project Manager,
BLM Wyoming State Office, P.O. Box
20879, Cheyenne, WY 82003, by
telephone at 307–775–6124, or by email
at sknowlto@blm.gov. Any persons
wishing to be added to a mailing list of
interested parties may write or call the
Project Manager at this address or phone
number. Persons who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf
(TDD) may call the Federal Relay
Service at 1–800–877–8339. The Service
is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week, to leave a message or question
with the above individual. You will
receive a reply during normal business
hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In
November 2007, National Grid filed a
ROW application with the BLM to
construct and operate an extra high
voltage transmission line between
Wyoming and delivery points in the
Southwestern United States. An
amended application was filed on
September 2, 2008, and the Project
application was transferred to
TransWest Express LLC (TransWest), a
subsidiary of the Anschutz Corporation.
TransWest submitted additional
amended applications to the BLM in
2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2015
to reflect minor changes and
refinements to the proposed Project.
In April 2010, the BLM and Western
Area Power Administration (Western)
entered into a Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) in which the
BLM and Western agreed to act as joint
lead agencies in the preparation of an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
for the Project. The BLM’s status as a
joint lead agency is based on the BLM’s
potential Federal action to grant a ROW
across BLM lands. Western’s status as a
joint lead agency is based on its
potential Federal action to provide
Federal funds for the proposed Project.
Western and TransWest entered into a
development agreement (executed in
September 2011, amended in June 2014)
wherein Western agreed to support
Project development by providing
technical assistance and/or financing.
The U.S. Forest Service (USFS), U.S.
Bureau of Reclamation, and Utah
Reclamation Mitigation Conservation
Commission are cooperating agencies in
the proposed Project, based on their
potential issuance of permits
authorizing the use of lands under their
management. Additional cooperating
agencies include Federal, State, tribal,
and local agencies. On January 4, 2011,
the BLM and Western jointly published
in the Federal Register (76 FR 379) a
Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS in
PO 00000
Frm 00075
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
91189
compliance with the requirements of the
Federal Land Policy and Management
Act (FLPMA) and the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). To
allow the public an opportunity to
review information associated with the
proposed Project, the BLM held public
scoping meetings from January through
March 2011 in Baggs, Rawlins, and Rock
Springs, Wyoming; Craig, Grand
Junction, and Rangely, Colorado;
Castledale, Cedar City, Central, Delta,
Duchesne, Enterprise, Milford, Moab,
Nephi, Pine Valley, Richfield, and St.
George, Utah; and Caliente, Henderson,
Las Vegas, and Overton, Nevada. Issues
and potential impacts to specific
resources were identified during the
scoping period and the preparation of
the Draft EIS.
The BLM and Western, in
coordination with the USFS and other
federal, state, and local governments
and agencies, considered all public
scoping comments received, as well as
TransWest’s refinements to the
Proposed Action, when they identified
the Agency Preferred Alternative in the
Draft EIS. The Agency Preferred
Alternative was developed through a
comparative evaluation of routing
opportunities and constraints and the
relative impacts among the various
alternative segments.
The Environmental Protection Agency
published a Notice of Availability
(NOA) for the Draft EIS/Draft RMP
Amendments on June 28, 2013 in the
Federal Register (78 FR 38975), which
began a 90-day public comment period.
The BLM and Western published their
NOA for the Draft EIS/Draft RMP
Amendments on July 3, 2013 in the
Federal Register (78 FR 40163). To help
facilitate the public review of and
comment on the Draft EIS, the agencies
held public meetings in July, August,
and September 2013 in Baggs and
Rawlins, Wyoming; Craig, Colorado;
Cedar City, Delta, Duchesne, Fort
Duchesne, Nephi, Price, St. George, and
Vernal, Utah; and Henderson and
Panaca, Nevada.
On December 6, 2013, the USFS
published an additional NOA in the
Federal Register (78 FR 73524) to
initiate an additional 30-day public
comment period specific to the USFS
decision whether to authorize the
Project across USFS-managed lands.
Similarly, the USFS will publish their
own NOA to notify the public of their
decision whether to authorize the
Project.
The agencies received over 1,800
comments, contained in 457
submissions, during the Draft EIS public
comment periods. All submitted
E:\FR\FM\16DEN1.SGM
16DEN1
mstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES
91190
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 242 / Friday, December 16, 2016 / Notices
comments were addressed in the Final
EIS.
As a result of cooperating agency
input and public comments,
refinements were made to the Agency
Preferred Alternative presented in the
Final EIS. These refinements include:
• Reduction in the separation
distance from existing transmission to
reflect updated Western Electricity
Coordinating Council guidance;
• Removal of or adjustment to
portions of the proposed Project to
address resource impacts or conflicts;
and
• Reduction in the width of the study
area and refinements to the transmission
alignment to reflect preliminary
engineering designed to reduce resource
impacts and conflicts.
In addition to these refinements, the
agencies also developed a suite of
hierarchical mitigation requirements for
application on an on-site, regional and
compensatory basis, including
landscape-level conservation and
management actions to reduce resource
impacts and achieve planning objectives
across the area impacted by the Project.
Project linear mileage lengths of the
Agency Preferred Alternative by agency
jurisdiction are found in the Final EIS,
Chapter 2.0, Tables 2–23 through 2–26
and also below. The Final EIS and
proposed RMP Amendments were made
available for a 30-day protest period and
a 60-day Governors’ Consistency Review
on May 1, 2015. Six protest letters were
received and considered. The Director
determined that the BLM followed
applicable laws, regulations and
policies; therefore, all protests were
denied or dismissed. The Governors of
Wyoming and Utah provided
Consistency Review letters, which the
BLM reviewed and considered in
developing the route alignment
approved in the ROD (referred to as the
Selected Alternative).
The Selected Alternative approved by
the BLM’s ROD is a 728 mile, 600kilovolt direct current transmission
system centered within a 250 foot wide
corridor, and includes access roads and
ancillary permanent facilities.
Approximately 275 miles (38 percent) of
the Selected Alternative are located
within designated federal utility
corridors. It is also co-located with
existing transmission lines for a
distance of 398 miles (55 percent of the
total length).
In Wyoming, the Selected Alternative
crosses 58 miles of federal, 4 miles of
state, and 29 miles of private land. In
Colorado, the Selected Alternative
crosses 63 miles of Federal, 13 miles of
State, and 15 miles of private land. In
Utah, the Selected Alternative crosses
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Jkt 241001
210 miles of Federal, 27 miles of State,
and 153 miles of private land. In
Nevada, the Selected Alternative crosses
137 miles of Federal, 14 miles of tribal,
and 5 miles of private land. The
Selected Alternative largely follows the
Agency Preferred Alternative, in the
Final EIS, except for two minor
modifications.
The Final EIS’ analysis of the Project
was organized into four geographic
regions based on region-specific
topographical or other resource
constraints and issues (Southern
Wyoming, Northwestern Colorado;
Northwestern Colorado, Eastern Utah,
and Central Utah; Central Utah,
Southwestern Utah, and Southern
Nevada; Southern Nevada-Apex to the
Marketplace Hub). The approximately
728-mile Selected Alternative is
discussed below, by region.
BLM Decision—ROW Grant: The ROD
approves, subject to mitigation measures
identified in the ROD, a ROW grant as
outlined below by EIS Region:
• Region I: (Southern Wyoming,
Northwestern Colorado). Final EIS
Alternative I–B with the Tuttle Micrositing Option 4 and the Bolten Ranch
ground electrode system siting. The
Selected Alternative transmission line
route would extend approximately 157
miles from the vicinity of Sinclair,
Carbon County, Wyoming to the vicinity
of U.S. Highway 40 southwest of
Maybell in western Moffat County,
Colorado.
• Region II: (Northwestern Colorado,
Eastern Utah, and Central Utah). Final
EIS Alternative II–G. The Selected
Alternative transmission line route
would extend approximately 252 miles
from Maybell Colorado, through eastern
Utah, to the vicinity of the
Intermountain Power Project (IPP) near
Delta, Millard County, Utah.
• Region III: (Central Utah, Southwest
Utah, and Southern Nevada). Final EIS
Alternative III–D with the Halfway
Wash-Virgin River ground electrode
system siting. The Selected Alternative
transmission line route would extend
approximately 282 miles from the
vicinity of the IPP, Millard County,
Utah, to the vicinity of Apex on
Interstate 15, northeast of Las Vegas,
Nevada.
• Region IV: (Southern Nevada—
Apex to the Marketplace Hub). Final EIS
Alternative IV–A. The Selected
Alternative transmission line route
would extend approximately 37 miles
from Apex on Interstate 15 to the
Marketplace Hub in the Eldorado
Valley, southeast of Las Vegas.
In addition to approving the
configuration identified above, the ROD
also affirmatively recognizes two design
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Frm 00076
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
options that provide minor variations to
the approved route. The Applicant has
the option of construction either one of
these design options with prior
notification and approval by the BLM.
BLM Decision—Land Use Plan
Amendments: The BLM planning
regulations (43 CFR 1610) require
authorized uses of public lands to
conform to approved land use plans. To
bring the Project into conformance, the
ROD approves the following
amendments to BLM RMPs in the
Project area:
• Rawlins Field Office RMP
(Wyoming): Amendment designates new
utility corridor and expands an existing
corridor to allow for overhead utilities
and exceptions to other resource
stipulations if avoidance measures or
mitigation are not feasible.
• Little Snake Field Office RMP
(Colorado): Amendment designates a
new utility corridor to allow for
overhead utilities and exceptions to
other resource stipulations if avoidance
measures or mitigation are not feasible.
• Vernal Field Office RMP (Utah):
Amendment designates a new
aboveground utility corridor. This
corridor will allow for exceptions to
other resource stipulations if avoidance
measures or impact mitigation are not
feasible.
• Pony Express RMP (Salt Lake Field
Office, Utah): Amendment designates a
new aboveground utility corridor to
accommodate future high voltage
transmission lines.
• Ely RMP (Caliente Field Office,
Nevada): Amendment provides a onetime exception to accommodate one
high-voltage transmission line through
the ROW exclusion area adjacent to the
existing utility corridor through the
Mormon Mesa-Ely ACEC.
All plan amendments comply with
applicable Federal laws and regulations
and apply only to Federal lands and
mineral estates administered by the
BLM.
Approval of the ROW grant is subject
to the terms and conditions laid out in
the ROD and ROD appendices, and
construction cannot begin until
TransWest completes satisfies all terms
and conditions identified in the ROD
necessary to receive a written Notice to
Proceed from the BLM (43 CFR 2805).
Copies of the ROD are available for
public inspection during normal
business hours at the following
locations.
• BLM, Wyoming State Office, Public
Reading Room, 5353 Yellowstone Road,
Cheyenne, Wyoming 82009;
• BLM, Colorado State Office, Public
Reading Room, 2850 Youngfield Street,
Lakewood, Colorado 80215–7093;
E:\FR\FM\16DEN1.SGM
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 242 / Friday, December 16, 2016 / Notices
• BLM, Utah State Office, Public
Reading Room, 440 West 200 South,
Suite 500, Salt Lake City, Utah 84101–
1345; and
• BLM, Nevada State Office, Public
Reading Room, 1340 Financial Blvd.,
Reno, Nevada 89502.
The Assistant Secretary of Land and
Minerals Management, Department of
the Interior, has approved the ROD.
That approval constitutes the final
decision of the Department and, in
accordance with the regulations at 43
CFR 4.410, is not subject to appeal
under Departmental regulations at 43
CFR part 4.
Any challenge to these decisions must
be brought in the Federal District Court
and is subject to 42 U.S.C. 4370m–6.
Mary Jo Rugwell,
Wyoming State Director.
[FR Doc. 2016–30345 Filed 12–15–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–22–P
National Park Service
[NPS–WASO–NAGPRA–22526;
PPWOCRADN0–PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Intent to Repatriate Cultural
Items: Allen County-Fort Wayne
Historical Society, Fort Wayne, IN
National Park Service, Interior.
Notice.
AGENCY:
The Allen County-Fort Wayne
Historical Society, in consultation with
the appropriate Indian tribes or Native
Hawaiian organizations, has determined
that the cultural items listed in this
notice meet the definition of
unassociated funerary objects. Lineal
descendants or representatives of any
Indian tribe or Native Hawaiian
organization not identified in this notice
that wish to claim these cultural items
should submit a written request to the
Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical
Society. If no additional claimants come
forward, transfer of control of the
cultural items to the lineal descendants,
Indian tribes, or Native Hawaiian
organizations stated in this notice may
proceed.
DATES: Lineal descendants or
representatives of any Indian tribe or
Native Hawaiian organization not
identified in this notice that wish to
claim these cultural items should
submit a written request with
information in support of the claim to
the Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical
Society at the address in this notice by
January 17, 2017.
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SUMMARY:
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18:42 Dec 15, 2016
Jkt 241001
Notice is
here given in accordance with the
Native American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), 25 U.S.C.
3005, of the intent to repatriate cultural
items under the control of the Allen
County-Fort Wayne Historical Society
that meet the definition of unassociated
funerary objects under 25 U.S.C. 3001.
This notice is published as part of the
National Park Service’s administrative
responsibilities under NAGPRA, 25
U.S.C. 3003(d)(3). The determinations in
this notice are the sole responsibility of
the museum, institution, or Federal
agency that has control of the Native
American cultural items. The National
Park Service is not responsible for the
determinations in this notice.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
History and Description of the Cultural
Item(s)
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
ACTION:
Walter Font, Curator, Allen
County-Fort Wayne Historical Society,
302 East Berry Street, Fort Wayne, IN
46802, telephone 260–426–2882, email
wfont@comcast.net.
ADDRESSES:
In 1912, 76 cultural items were
removed from the Miami Chief Little
Turtle (Mishikinakaw, 1747–1812) grave
in Fort Wayne, Allen County, IN. The
objects were excavated at 634 Lawton
Place in Fort Wayne, IN, during the
construction of a house for George W.
Gillie in 1912. Jacob M. Stouder, a local
collector, acquired many, but not all, of
the objects discovered during the
excavations. Most of the objects were
acquired by the Allen County-Fort
Wayne Historical Society in the 1930s
from the J.M. Stouder family, from Mrs.
George Gillie (7 items), and E.L. Dotson
(3 items). Three objects were donated by
George Carey in 1962. The objects were
acquired by purchase, donation and
loans with each source saying the
objects were from the Lawton Place site.
The 76 unassociated funerary objects,
are 8 Armband/armband fragments; 1
axe head; 3 beads; 2 beads, string of; 1
razor blade; 2 bracelets; 9 brooch/brooch
fragments; 1 buckle/leather remnants; 1
bullet mold; 3 buttons; 1 earring; 1
flintlock; 1 flint & steel; 3 gorgets; 1 gun
stock fragment; 2 kettles, copper; 1
kettle, iron; 6 knife/knife blades; 3 iron
nails; 2 musket barrels; 1 pewter cup; 1
pewter flask; 1 pigment jar; 1 pipe; 2
pocketknife fragments; 2 ramrod guides;
1 scissors; 7 silver crosses; 1 silver
necklace; 2 spoons; 2 spurs; 1 sword; 1
tomahawk; and 1 trigger guard.
Jacob M. Stouder’s research led him to
believe that the site of Little Turtle’s
grave had been found. A contemporary
historian, Calvin M. Young, supported
Stouder’s observations. The objects were
appropriate to Little Turtle’s stature as
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
91191
a great chief and they reasoned that the
sword and peace medal found in the
grave gave weight to their conclusion.
Except for a few items (ceramic, stone,
or miscellaneous remnants), the funeralrelated artifacts are trade items of
French, British or American
manufacture. Most were made in the
late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth
centuries. Stouder’s research included
interviews with old-time residents in
the area and published sources available
to him at the time. A review of his
research and research using additional
sources (fourteen altogether) has not
negated Stouder’s findings, that the
objects he collected were from grave of
Little Turtle. On June 12, 1960, the
Historical Society dedicated a small
park along with a memorial plaque at
the Lawton Place burial site. An
inventory and detailed historical
assessment was submitted for review
and consultation to representatives of
Little Turtle’s lineal descendants, the
Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, Miami,
Oklahoma and the Pokagon Band of
Potawatomi Indians, Dowagiac,
Michigan. Allen County-Fort Wayne
Historical Society staff and the
consultants agreed that the objects
found at Lawton Place in 1912 were
from Little Turtle’s burial.
Determinations Made by the Allen
County-Fort Wayne Historical Society
Officials of the Allen County-Fort
Wayne Historical Society have
determined that:
• Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(3)(B),
the 76 cultural items described above
are reasonably believed to have been
placed with or near individual human
remains at the time of death or later as
part of the death rite or ceremony and
are believed, by a preponderance of the
evidence, to have been removed from a
specific burial site of a Native American
individual.
• Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(2), there
is a relationship of shared group
identity that can be reasonably traced
between the unassociated funerary
objects and lineal descendants of Chief
Little Turtle. They include families
represented by Daryl Baldwin, Oxford,
OH, and John Froman, Miami, OK,
whose confirmed genealogies are on file
at the Allen County-Fort Wayne
Historical Society.
Additional Requestors and Disposition
Lineal descendants or representatives
of any Indian tribe or Native Hawaiian
organization not identified in this notice
that wish to claim these cultural items
should submit a written request with
information in support of the claim to
Walter Font, Curator, Allen County-Fort
E:\FR\FM\16DEN1.SGM
16DEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 242 (Friday, December 16, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 91189-91191]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-30345]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLWY920000/L51010000.ER0000.16X/LVRWK09K1160/241A; WYW-177893, WYW-
177893-01; COC-72929, COC-72929-01; UTU-87238, UTU-87238-01; NVN-86732,
NVN-86732-01]
Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the
TransWest Express Transmission Project in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and
Nevada
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
(BLM) announces the availability of the Record of Decision (ROD)
approving the TransWest Express 600-kilovolt (kV) Direct Current
Transmission Project (Project) right-of-way in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah,
and Nevada and associated amendments to the Rawlins Field Office (FO)
Resource Management Plan (RMP) in Wyoming, the Little Snake FO RMP in
Colorado, the Vernal FO and Pony Express RMPs in Utah, and the Ely
District RMP in Nevada.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the ROD are being sent to Federal, State and local
governments, public libraries in the Project area, and interested
parties who previously requested a copy. Copies of the ROD and support
documents are also available for public inspection at the locations
identified in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice and
electronically on the following Web site: https://bit.ly/TransWestExpress.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sharon Knowlton, Project Manager, BLM
Wyoming State Office, P.O. Box 20879, Cheyenne, WY 82003, by telephone
at 307-775-6124, or by email at sknowlto@blm.gov. Any persons wishing
to be added to a mailing list of interested parties may write or call
the Project Manager at this address or phone number. Persons who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay
Service at 1-800-877-8339. The Service is available 24 hours a day, 7
days a week, to leave a message or question with the above individual.
You will receive a reply during normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In November 2007, National Grid filed a ROW
application with the BLM to construct and operate an extra high voltage
transmission line between Wyoming and delivery points in the
Southwestern United States. An amended application was filed on
September 2, 2008, and the Project application was transferred to
TransWest Express LLC (TransWest), a subsidiary of the Anschutz
Corporation. TransWest submitted additional amended applications to the
BLM in 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2015 to reflect minor changes
and refinements to the proposed Project.
In April 2010, the BLM and Western Area Power Administration
(Western) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in which the
BLM and Western agreed to act as joint lead agencies in the preparation
of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Project. The BLM's
status as a joint lead agency is based on the BLM's potential Federal
action to grant a ROW across BLM lands. Western's status as a joint
lead agency is based on its potential Federal action to provide Federal
funds for the proposed Project. Western and TransWest entered into a
development agreement (executed in September 2011, amended in June
2014) wherein Western agreed to support Project development by
providing technical assistance and/or financing.
The U.S. Forest Service (USFS), U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and
Utah Reclamation Mitigation Conservation Commission are cooperating
agencies in the proposed Project, based on their potential issuance of
permits authorizing the use of lands under their management. Additional
cooperating agencies include Federal, State, tribal, and local
agencies. On January 4, 2011, the BLM and Western jointly published in
the Federal Register (76 FR 379) a Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS
in compliance with the requirements of the Federal Land Policy and
Management Act (FLPMA) and the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA). To allow the public an opportunity to review information
associated with the proposed Project, the BLM held public scoping
meetings from January through March 2011 in Baggs, Rawlins, and Rock
Springs, Wyoming; Craig, Grand Junction, and Rangely, Colorado;
Castledale, Cedar City, Central, Delta, Duchesne, Enterprise, Milford,
Moab, Nephi, Pine Valley, Richfield, and St. George, Utah; and
Caliente, Henderson, Las Vegas, and Overton, Nevada. Issues and
potential impacts to specific resources were identified during the
scoping period and the preparation of the Draft EIS.
The BLM and Western, in coordination with the USFS and other
federal, state, and local governments and agencies, considered all
public scoping comments received, as well as TransWest's refinements to
the Proposed Action, when they identified the Agency Preferred
Alternative in the Draft EIS. The Agency Preferred Alternative was
developed through a comparative evaluation of routing opportunities and
constraints and the relative impacts among the various alternative
segments.
The Environmental Protection Agency published a Notice of
Availability (NOA) for the Draft EIS/Draft RMP Amendments on June 28,
2013 in the Federal Register (78 FR 38975), which began a 90-day public
comment period. The BLM and Western published their NOA for the Draft
EIS/Draft RMP Amendments on July 3, 2013 in the Federal Register (78 FR
40163). To help facilitate the public review of and comment on the
Draft EIS, the agencies held public meetings in July, August, and
September 2013 in Baggs and Rawlins, Wyoming; Craig, Colorado; Cedar
City, Delta, Duchesne, Fort Duchesne, Nephi, Price, St. George, and
Vernal, Utah; and Henderson and Panaca, Nevada.
On December 6, 2013, the USFS published an additional NOA in the
Federal Register (78 FR 73524) to initiate an additional 30-day public
comment period specific to the USFS decision whether to authorize the
Project across USFS-managed lands. Similarly, the USFS will publish
their own NOA to notify the public of their decision whether to
authorize the Project.
The agencies received over 1,800 comments, contained in 457
submissions, during the Draft EIS public comment periods. All submitted
[[Page 91190]]
comments were addressed in the Final EIS.
As a result of cooperating agency input and public comments,
refinements were made to the Agency Preferred Alternative presented in
the Final EIS. These refinements include:
Reduction in the separation distance from existing
transmission to reflect updated Western Electricity Coordinating
Council guidance;
Removal of or adjustment to portions of the proposed
Project to address resource impacts or conflicts; and
Reduction in the width of the study area and refinements
to the transmission alignment to reflect preliminary engineering
designed to reduce resource impacts and conflicts.
In addition to these refinements, the agencies also developed a
suite of hierarchical mitigation requirements for application on an on-
site, regional and compensatory basis, including landscape-level
conservation and management actions to reduce resource impacts and
achieve planning objectives across the area impacted by the Project.
Project linear mileage lengths of the Agency Preferred Alternative by
agency jurisdiction are found in the Final EIS, Chapter 2.0, Tables 2-
23 through 2-26 and also below. The Final EIS and proposed RMP
Amendments were made available for a 30-day protest period and a 60-day
Governors' Consistency Review on May 1, 2015. Six protest letters were
received and considered. The Director determined that the BLM followed
applicable laws, regulations and policies; therefore, all protests were
denied or dismissed. The Governors of Wyoming and Utah provided
Consistency Review letters, which the BLM reviewed and considered in
developing the route alignment approved in the ROD (referred to as the
Selected Alternative).
The Selected Alternative approved by the BLM's ROD is a 728 mile,
600-kilovolt direct current transmission system centered within a 250
foot wide corridor, and includes access roads and ancillary permanent
facilities. Approximately 275 miles (38 percent) of the Selected
Alternative are located within designated federal utility corridors. It
is also co-located with existing transmission lines for a distance of
398 miles (55 percent of the total length).
In Wyoming, the Selected Alternative crosses 58 miles of federal, 4
miles of state, and 29 miles of private land. In Colorado, the Selected
Alternative crosses 63 miles of Federal, 13 miles of State, and 15
miles of private land. In Utah, the Selected Alternative crosses 210
miles of Federal, 27 miles of State, and 153 miles of private land. In
Nevada, the Selected Alternative crosses 137 miles of Federal, 14 miles
of tribal, and 5 miles of private land. The Selected Alternative
largely follows the Agency Preferred Alternative, in the Final EIS,
except for two minor modifications.
The Final EIS' analysis of the Project was organized into four
geographic regions based on region-specific topographical or other
resource constraints and issues (Southern Wyoming, Northwestern
Colorado; Northwestern Colorado, Eastern Utah, and Central Utah;
Central Utah, Southwestern Utah, and Southern Nevada; Southern Nevada-
Apex to the Marketplace Hub). The approximately 728-mile Selected
Alternative is discussed below, by region.
BLM Decision--ROW Grant: The ROD approves, subject to mitigation
measures identified in the ROD, a ROW grant as outlined below by EIS
Region:
Region I: (Southern Wyoming, Northwestern Colorado). Final
EIS Alternative I-B with the Tuttle Micro-siting Option 4 and the
Bolten Ranch ground electrode system siting. The Selected Alternative
transmission line route would extend approximately 157 miles from the
vicinity of Sinclair, Carbon County, Wyoming to the vicinity of U.S.
Highway 40 southwest of Maybell in western Moffat County, Colorado.
Region II: (Northwestern Colorado, Eastern Utah, and
Central Utah). Final EIS Alternative II-G. The Selected Alternative
transmission line route would extend approximately 252 miles from
Maybell Colorado, through eastern Utah, to the vicinity of the
Intermountain Power Project (IPP) near Delta, Millard County, Utah.
Region III: (Central Utah, Southwest Utah, and Southern
Nevada). Final EIS Alternative III-D with the Halfway Wash-Virgin River
ground electrode system siting. The Selected Alternative transmission
line route would extend approximately 282 miles from the vicinity of
the IPP, Millard County, Utah, to the vicinity of Apex on Interstate
15, northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada.
Region IV: (Southern Nevada--Apex to the Marketplace Hub).
Final EIS Alternative IV-A. The Selected Alternative transmission line
route would extend approximately 37 miles from Apex on Interstate 15 to
the Marketplace Hub in the Eldorado Valley, southeast of Las Vegas.
In addition to approving the configuration identified above, the
ROD also affirmatively recognizes two design options that provide minor
variations to the approved route. The Applicant has the option of
construction either one of these design options with prior notification
and approval by the BLM.
BLM Decision--Land Use Plan Amendments: The BLM planning
regulations (43 CFR 1610) require authorized uses of public lands to
conform to approved land use plans. To bring the Project into
conformance, the ROD approves the following amendments to BLM RMPs in
the Project area:
Rawlins Field Office RMP (Wyoming): Amendment designates
new utility corridor and expands an existing corridor to allow for
overhead utilities and exceptions to other resource stipulations if
avoidance measures or mitigation are not feasible.
Little Snake Field Office RMP (Colorado): Amendment
designates a new utility corridor to allow for overhead utilities and
exceptions to other resource stipulations if avoidance measures or
mitigation are not feasible.
Vernal Field Office RMP (Utah): Amendment designates a new
aboveground utility corridor. This corridor will allow for exceptions
to other resource stipulations if avoidance measures or impact
mitigation are not feasible.
Pony Express RMP (Salt Lake Field Office, Utah): Amendment
designates a new aboveground utility corridor to accommodate future
high voltage transmission lines.
Ely RMP (Caliente Field Office, Nevada): Amendment
provides a one-time exception to accommodate one high-voltage
transmission line through the ROW exclusion area adjacent to the
existing utility corridor through the Mormon Mesa-Ely ACEC.
All plan amendments comply with applicable Federal laws and
regulations and apply only to Federal lands and mineral estates
administered by the BLM.
Approval of the ROW grant is subject to the terms and conditions
laid out in the ROD and ROD appendices, and construction cannot begin
until TransWest completes satisfies all terms and conditions identified
in the ROD necessary to receive a written Notice to Proceed from the
BLM (43 CFR 2805).
Copies of the ROD are available for public inspection during normal
business hours at the following locations.
BLM, Wyoming State Office, Public Reading Room, 5353
Yellowstone Road, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82009;
BLM, Colorado State Office, Public Reading Room, 2850
Youngfield Street, Lakewood, Colorado 80215-7093;
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BLM, Utah State Office, Public Reading Room, 440 West 200
South, Suite 500, Salt Lake City, Utah 84101-1345; and
BLM, Nevada State Office, Public Reading Room, 1340
Financial Blvd., Reno, Nevada 89502.
The Assistant Secretary of Land and Minerals Management, Department
of the Interior, has approved the ROD. That approval constitutes the
final decision of the Department and, in accordance with the
regulations at 43 CFR 4.410, is not subject to appeal under
Departmental regulations at 43 CFR part 4.
Any challenge to these decisions must be brought in the Federal
District Court and is subject to 42 U.S.C. 4370m-6.
Mary Jo Rugwell,
Wyoming State Director.
[FR Doc. 2016-30345 Filed 12-15-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P
