Western Area Power Administration September 25, 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Western Area Power Administration (Western), an agency of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), has decided to finance a portion of the Montana Alberta Tie Ltd. (MATL) 230-kilovolt (kV) transmission line (MATL Project) in exchange for ownership of 50 megawatts (MW) of southbound capacity on the line and ownership of approximately 18 miles of transmission line. This decision is contingent on the MATL Project meeting all necessary conditions under Western's Transmission Infrastructure Program (TIP). MATL proposed to construct, operate, maintain, and connect a new 214-mile, single-circuit 230-kV electric transmission line across the U.S.-Canada border near Cut Bank, Montana, and DOE prepared the Environmental Impact Statement for the Montana Alberta Tie Ltd. (MATL) 230-kV Transmission Line (DOE/EIS-0399), herein referred to as the MATL Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), as co- lead with the State of Montana, to analyze the environmental impacts that would be associated with construction and operation of the line. The environmental mitigation measures and electric reliability conditions required by DOE's permit for the line are identified in the Record of Decision (ROD); Montana Alberta Tie Ltd. issued by DOE on November 17, 2008, (73 FR 67860), herein referred to as the first ROD.