Department of Agriculture October 18, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Notice is hereby given that the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) is extending the public comment period for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Dry Fork Station and Hughes Transmission Line. The Draft EIS was prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (U.S.C. 4231, et seq.) in accordance with the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500 through 1508) and RUS regulations (7 CFR part 1794). The Draft EIS is to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of and alternatives to the Basin Electric Power Cooperative, Inc. (Basin Electric) application for a loan guarantee to construct a generation facility referred to as the Dry Fork Station, consisting of a single maximum net 385 Megawatt (MW) unit, at a site near Gillette, Wyoming, along with other proposed pollution controls collectively known as Best Available Control Technology (BACT). In addition, Basin Electric also proposes to construct and operate 136 miles of 230 kilovolt (kV) transmission line in Campbell and Sheridan counties, referred to as the Hughes Transmission Project. Basin Electric is not, however, requesting a loan guarantee from RUS for this action. However, the Hughes Transmission Project is evaluated as a connected action for this EIS because the Dry Fork Station would interconnect with it if the Station is built. The Draft EIS was filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on August 24, 2007. Requests for extension of public comment periods may be honored per 40 CFR 1506.10. The initial 45-day public comment period was to end on October 15, 2007. With the 30-day extension, the new deadline for public comments is now November 19, 2007.